Digital surrealism: Video game space

Abstract

The concept of virtual reality (VR), perceived as a copy of physical reality, restricts both the creators and users of the space, leaving no room for potential surreal experiences. The main motivation for conducting the research on virtual surreal space is to open up creative/generative spatial possibilities for discussion from a thought perspective that goes beyond this definition. Although there are various approaches to digital space in the literature, these studies mostly rely on computational methods. In contrast, this study aims to explore space from the perspective of "digital surrealism" which is ignored in spatial studies, through the computer-based gaming experience. Scholars writing about architecture and surrealism have argued that, unlike other forms of fine art, architecture was never an integral part of surrealism. Against this perspective of the digital game experience, the study aims to question whether it is possible to interpret the space with a surreal perspective and to investigate whether the space can approach surrealist thought with the digital game experience fed by computational methods that support the concepts of "autonomy" and "ubiquity". The main goal of the study is to explore the relations between surrealism and architecture and the spatial potential of these relations through the experiences of the players. The surrealist spatial potential of digital space experience is explored in Superliminal (2019), a puzzle game that transforms the experience into allegories of dreams, free thinking and multiple opportunities. Data analysis performed on the STEAM platform and the First Manifesto of Surrealism (1924), in which surrealism came into existence as a movement, were analyzed with Python programming language. The study analyzed the thoughts and comments expressed by players who experienced the selected game on the STEAM platform. Preliminary results of the study are presented with the "regression tree" method. Using the Python programming language, analyses are presented to discuss game spaces from the perspective of surrealism. The thesis results show that the selected game space enables players to modify spatial elements by providing unconventional interventions. This means exploring infinite spatial possibilities via interactive digital games without constraints of singular form or time. Consequently, space can be evaluated as a field of possibilities. By integrating temporal, spatial, and subjective elements, the space is liberated, creating a domain with the potential to re-conceptualize the relationship between surrealism and architecture.