Levels, stages, maps: we have many ways of referring to the virtual spaces presented by videogames, each term loaded with connotations. Often, though, it feels like we might as well just borrow from the vocabulary of theatre and cinema, and call them ‘sets’: backdrops designed to support the story and bolster its illusion of reality, but not to be prodded at or even seen from any angle other than those chosen by the cinematographer or set designer. There are good practical and aesthetic reasons why technological advances might have prioritised visual fidelity over reactivity. Yet,presented with worlds that we can mould and reshape using our own hands, we can’t help but wonder if something might have been lost here.
Post Script
Jan 25, 2024
3 minutes
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