Convergence of history of architecture and video game design

Abstract

In late 20th century, the rapid growth of the video game industry has evolved into a powerful cultural medium. Video games have provided immersive experiences in diverse historical and spatial contexts. Video games have become an essential platform for examining history and architecture as gamers demand richer narratives and appealing environments. This change partly comes from customer demands for more narratively rich and immersive gaming experiences. Another major cultural trend that has affected the industry is the rise of interest for nostalgia, which has made consumers more interested in popular history in many forms of media, such as books, movies, and video games. They have contributed to history's rapid rise in popularity, dispelling the common belief that history is either too complicated or uninteresting to the current generation. On initial perception, the history of architecture and video games might seem as unrelated and completely separate disciplines. However, closer analysis notices important intersections, especially in spatial design, cultural representation, and technological advancement. Both disciplines concentrate on the idea and production of physical or virtual spaces. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between the disciplines of architectural history and video game design, emphasizing their interdisciplinary integration of cultural heritage representation, industrial practices, and education. Thesis also examines the educational potential of integrating architectural history and video game design and proposes course frameworks for interdisciplinary education at undergraduate and graduate levels. This course framework aiming to strengthen the convergence of these two professions. Video games can serve as tools of interacting with history and cultural heritage and integrating historical narratives in today's interactive media. They generally use architectural components to improve narrative depth, create realistic virtual environments, and recreate historical environments. In other words, video games are cultural objects that can connect historical narratives with interactive media and provide novel perspectives on the role of architecture in digital settings. As game developers attempt to represent history accurately, they have begun to cooperate increasingly with experts, especially in the fields of environment design, architectural history, and architecture, in addition to historians. In historical video games, authentic game environments improve the gamer's experience and increase the accessibility of history and architectural history to a wider audience through digital platforms. These connections emphasize the academic and industrial importance of converging architectural history with video game design. This thesis uses a mixed-methods approach, integrating theoretical analysis with practical applications. The theoretical analysis investigates the development of video games and video game industry, historiography, the importance of nostalgia, memory, memory spaces, spatial design, and their effects on video game narratives and environments. In addition to that, especially in terms of historiography, memory, and nostalgia, and tries to explain why people are drawn to historically accurate games. The study develops detailed curriculums for undergraduate and graduate courses designed to converge the history of architecture and video game design disciplines on the educational side. The course proposals cover theoretical and practical components and emphasize the importance of historical accuracy in creating captivating virtual spaces, narrative development, and environmental design. They seek to encourage the development of students' interdisciplinary skills, promote interaction between disciplines, and educate students to significantly improve academic and industry practices. The thesis asserts that the converging history of architecture and video game design improves both disciplines, offering novel approaches for academia and industry. It promotes a multidisciplinary framework that combines the analytical precision of architectural history with innovative game design methodologies. Through a partnership of architectural historians, game designers, and academics, this study underlines the revolutionary potential of video games as mediums for historical representation, cultural heritage preservation, and multidisciplinary education. Through its theoretical contributions and practical applications, the dissertation illustrates the importance of this convergence in developing interactive, historically informed digital experiences. It has established a basis for further academic investigation and practical application to encourage future collaborations that enrich both fields and expand their cultural and educational influence.