Game spaces : image , Play , and structure in 3

As the metabolism of the games research community has sped up in the digital age, we witness a proliferation of literature on the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of game design. Video Game Spaces is one of the better books—primarily due to the interdisciplinary analytical approach employed by the author, Michael Nitsche. The book explores the effects of the spatial dimension on the structure, presentation, and functionality in 3D games, and, therefore, will be most relevant to those readers of IJGCMS who focus on theoretical approaches to 3D game design, particularly from the perspectives of narratology, philosophy, and media studies. The publication of Video Game Spaces was well-timed. As more and more developers are converting their games to the 3D format (e.g., Blizzard’s Warcraft®, Nintendo’s Mario®, Ubisoft’s Heroes of Might and Magic®), Nitsche’s central thesis—that spatiality should be incorporated in the current approaches to game research, design, and evaluation—seems well-grounded. The introduction of a third dimension to game play has transformed the player’s experience, resulting in more complex representations of virtual worlds, stimulating imagination, and increasing cognitive and emotional engagement. Recognizing that no single theory available today can do justice to a form as rich as the video game, Nitsche builds on prior research (e.g., Jenkins, 2005; Lefebvre, 1991; Murray, 1997; Qvortrup, 2002; Ryan, 2001; Wolf, 2002) to explore the spatiality of 3D games and propose a conceptual framework of navigable video game spaces. Considering that the main argument of this book is to encourage augmenting game theory with the concept of space, it seems that the reader would have benefited from a more explicit depiction of how Nitsche’s own understanding of 3D game design evolved while developing this framework. Synthesizing literature in interdisciplinary games studies including philosophy, architecture, linguistics, psychology, and interaction design, Nitsche defines the spatial architecture of games as a multidimensional construct consisting of five layers or “planes”—rule-based space, mediated space, fictional space, play space, and social space. Although Video Game Spaces focuses on the discussion of 3D games, video Game spaces: image, Play, and structure in 3d worlds