An Architectural Approach to Level Design

by Christopher W. Totten

Explore Level Design through the Lens of Architectural and Spatial Experience Theory Written by a game developer and professor trained in architecture, An Architectural Approach to Level Design is one of the first books to integrate architectural and spatial design theory with the field of level design. It explores the principles of level design through the context and history of architecture, providing information useful to both academics and game development professionals. Understand Spatial Design Principles for Game Levels in 2D, 3D, and Multiplayer Applications The book presents architectural techniques and theories for level designers to use in their own work. The author connects architecture and level design in different ways that address the practical elements of how designers construct space and the experiential elements of how and why humans interact with this space. Throughout the text, readers learn skills for spatial layout, evoking emotion through gamespaces, and creating better levels through architectural theory. Create Meaningful User Experiences in Your Games Bringing together topics in game design and architecture, this book helps designers create better spaces for their games. Software independent, the book discusses tools and techniques that designers can use in crafting their interactive worlds.

Genres: Game Design, Games, Design, Architecture, Video Games, Programming, Nonfiction

472 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2014

Reviews

[Smoreley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone with no previous architectural studies under his belt, this book offered a nice shallow introduction to the topic. Just enough to get you to understand how an architectural understanding would be applicable to Level Design. This book is a great demonstration of how important it is to study architecture and its design, in the real world, so that you can improve your ability to better design levels in games.

The chapters were all fairly interesting but none of them went extensively into one topic or another. Instead, each chapter covers the general concepts first and on occasion will momentarily dive a bit deeper into said subject. This keeps the book from getting too technical, which has its positives and negatives. On the upside, the text is easily digestible, with little to no need of any previous knowledge being required. The downside is that after reading some chapters you end up asking yourself "is that all there is?". One thing to note is that each chapter ends with a long list of references that were used in its construction, so those truly interested can look to those as good starting points to further dig into the topics that were covered.

I would recommend this book as a good starting point for those looking to get into level design and even to those who have designed some levels before and are looking to get a better understanding of the topic.

One aggravation I had is that at the end of some chapters the author has a transcript of interviews he did. First, the questions are always the same and so it feels like reading the answers to a questionnaire. Second, the answers given are completely ambiguous at times and a complete waste.

[Barret Gaylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

I liked it. It was an ok book. Now I am just trying to fill the word count. Apple Jacks

[Flaviu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more of a collection of essays, each tackling a different aspect of game design. Yes, I know the title is referring to Level Design but about half of the book ends up being about other aspects of game design.

I found of a few of the essays great, but the rest of them are either missing the point of the book, have become obsolete or tackle superficial details instead of trying to cut through to the core essence of great level design.

If you're intending to read this book in order to gain better knowledge about level design I suggest your time might be spent better watching good analysis videos on youtube or GDC talks from good designers.

[Steve Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does a great job connecting ideas from architecture with game design. An excellent text wrt level design. I'm in the process of re-reading it for the course on level design I'm teaching this (spring 2019) semester. My recollection from last year was that it was very good, though not quite perfect. The flaws were more in the nature of places where arguments could be made clearer or stronger, and where additional examples might add to clarity. I would actually rate it a 4.5 -- but since I can't, I went with the 5. I think it's the best piece of work addressing this topic. There is a valuable organization and coherence to it.

[Ninakix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really interesting, both as a player, and as someone curious about the game design process. I also think it has some broader applicability to other design processes so is worth thinking about.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read if you're want to become a better level designer.

[Ben]

This is an excellent instructional text. As the title implies, it takes important concepts, terms, and history from architecture and applies it to level design. Moreover, the book does a terrific job of presenting the fundamentals of game design through the lens of level design, including topics such as tutorials and teaching, world-building, and the grammar of game mechanics.

Two criticisms I had were that, first, that sometimes important concepts would be named and discussed, but never defined. It felt like a skipped step that would have been very helpful to student comprehension. Second, because the book is fairly comprehensive and broken into topics, a straight readthrough will introduce some repetition. The first few sections are must-reads. After that, it may be more worth your time to go foraging.

[Victor S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma boa união entre arquitetura e design de jogos, aplicando conceitos básicos sobre a montagem de ambientes e organização de processos de projeto em design de jogos. Admito que é um pouco chato o autor colocar um exemplo de jogo que ele próprio fez todo santo capítulo (e sabendo que ele tem 3 títulos grandes, isso não ajuda) e imagino que muitos dos tópicos que ele trouxe estão apresentados de maneira superficial, porém a leitura ainda me será bem útil (alou, TCC!) e sinto que além da área de design de jogos, ganhei também na arquitetura.

[Blake Gama · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most comprehensive book on level design you can find. This book has such a wealth of information you need to read it multiple times to be sure all the knowledge has sunken into your brain. Can't recommend it enough for level designers and game designers of all levels of experience. Can't wait to have the opportunity to read it again. Prepare your highlighters, and pencils because you'll want to take notes while reading.

[Grungi Ankhfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting insight into the ways level design can influence player emotion and gameplay flow. Loved the plentiful illustrations and the easy to read prose. I feel there are quite a few lessons from this books you could apply right away, which is always good.

[Rase McCray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really excellent and comprehensive book on level design philosophy, with practical tips grounded in multiple schools of learning and development. In both good and bad ways, this felt like a PhD thesis, as it’s definitely more rigorous and interdisciplinary than other books on the subject.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book on level design. It made me think about games in a different way. It also has lots of current examples and pictures. I like how it also includes a lot of exercises in each chapter, so that you can put into practice the notions.

[Braden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Practical and useful, probably, but boring.

[Marcus Skog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice spin on level design with architecture as a base, especially great for complete beginners to game design. Includes exercises, interviews, and essays from industry professionals. Great overview.

[Andrzej Giełzak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let the title do not fool you - this is a great comprehensive read to get familiar with not only overlap between the Architecture and LD disciplines but also the basics of the Level Design. Can recommend for everybody - newcommers and veterans - interested in Level Design.

[Konstantinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly important, and novel take on level design -- on the shaping, that is, of gaming's virtual spaces. A must read for anyone interested in the creation of games and game worlds.