IMMERSIVE REALITIES An Expansion Pack for Landscape Architecture By Allison Ong A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Landscape Architecture University of Washington 2018 Committee: Thaisa Way, Jeff Hou Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Landscape Architecture University of Washington ABSTRACT Immersive Realities: An Expansion Pack for Landscape Architecture Allison Ong Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Thaisa Way Department of Landscape Architecture While studying abroad in Berlin, I had the experience of exploring a city the way I would explore a video game. I allowed myself to be led by curiosity, thoroughly investigated my surroundings, and © Copyright 2018 Allison Ong was frequently delighted by my findings. A simple walk felt like an adventure. It was a completely immersive experience, just like a good video game. The video game industry has developed remarkable tools to design virtual spaces that create memorable experiences for the player. The environments must be continuously engaging, because if the player gets bored, the game is likely to be a commercial failure. These requirements have shaped video game design to focus specifically on immersive player experience. Landscape architects design for immersive user experience as well. However, the breadth of their responsibilities (to clients, contractors, building codes, the environment, stakeholders, etc.) mean that their work is less narrowly focused on user experience. This thesis is a foray into video game environment design, with the intention of harvesting lessons learned from designing virtual space and sharing them with designers of the built environment. Allison Ong INTRODUCTION CONTENTS Playing Urban Explorers Introduction 1 Results ......................................................................21 In 2016 I studied abroad in Berlin. Eager to become familiar with the city, Multi-media Research ............................................. 22 I started taking daily walks. I typically wouldn’t make plans. I simply let my eyes Playing Urban Explorers .............................................1 Literature Review .................................................... 23 wander and my feet carry me in different directions. My walks were incredibly How to Use this Thesis ...............................................2 fun experiences, so much so that I started to think of walking as playing a Limitations ..................................................................3 Theoretical Background 24 game. Instead of saying, “I’m going for a walk,” I would say, “I’m playing urban Relevance ..................................................................4 Environmental Psychology .......................................24 explorers.” On any given walk I would discover something exciting, as simple Classification of players ���������������������������������������������5 Political Theory .........................................................31 as an alley covered with graffiti, to a petting zoo, or an “intercultural garden”. I Play Theory ���������������������������������������������������������������37 found clues to Berlin’s history hidden in the very streets themselves. One day I A Background on Video Games 5 walked along the brick line in the ground that traces the former location of the Classification of Games .............................................7 Design Processes 41 Berlin Wall. Another day I tripped over a bronze cobble that was turned out to Sample Classifications ..............................................7 Similarities in Design Processes ���������������������������� 43 be a little memorial to Berliners killed by Nazis. Every discovery felt like a prize Movement in Space ...................................................8 Differences in Design Processes .......................... 44 in a giant open-ended game. Progression through Narrative ............................... 11 Design Thinking ....................................................... 45 During one of my walks it occurred to me that the experience of the walks Video Games in the Real World ............................. 12 Practice �������������������������������������������������������������������� 50 reminded me of my experience exploring open world video games. Open world Glossary ................................................................... 15 Strategies ................................................................ 52 games are a type of video game defined by open-ended gameplay. Instead of Methods 18 Wayfinding Tools ...................................................... 53 following a linear, predetermined, course, the player is placed into a virtual world where they can go wherever they want, and do whatever they want, whenever Interviews ................................................................ 18 Implications 58 they want. To motivate exploration in such an open-ended setting, open world Overarching Questions ........................................... 19 Conclusion 60 games are often populated with hidden treasures, secret places, backstories, Game Designers ..................................................... 20 and rewarding experiences. The world is designed to help the player find these Architects/Landscape Architects ............................21 Bibliography 61 hidden stories, missions, and rewards. After my study abroad I returned to Seattle, only to find that playing urban explorers was much less fun. I took several walks around my neighborhood, Introduction without discovering as many treasures, secrets, or stories as I had in Berlin. Disappointed, I began to ask myself what had made urban exploring feel like a video game in Berlin? 1 IMMERSIVE REALITIES Allison Ong How to Use this Thesis Limitations My broadest intention for this thesis was to expand the relationship Before fully exploring my research findings, I’d like to acknowledge some between landscape architecture and video game environment design. As my limitations of study pertinent to this thesis. The field of video games is broad and research progressed, I learned several design lessons from video games that in order to narrow the focus of my research I had to leave out certain aspects. could be immediately available for designers of the built environment. To make I focused exclusively on exploration in open world video games. I deliberately these findings more accessible to the design community, I decided to split my left out other prominent game experiences such as combat, superpowers, thesis into two parts. The first part (what you are now reading) contains broader escapism, etc. I recognize that many gamers enjoy video games for these research and comparisons between the two fields, while the second document aspects, however I chose to focus solely on exploration because it most closely organizes applicable design tools in a more accessible format, essentially a parallels the way people experience landscape architecture. handbook. This thesis also focuses exclusively on the pedestrian experience in public The first portion of my thesis, what I’ll call the literature review, contains spaces. While in some games, players drive a car or ride a horse, the majority of my research findings, methods, and conclusions. The primary audience is games are played on foot. I think this reflects that human beings engage best more academic, perhaps others conducting research on video game design with our surroundings and have more memorable experiences on foot. Because and the built environment. The second portion, which I’ll call the handbook, the pedestrian is a primary audience for both landscape architects and game is intended to be a source of knowledge and inspiration for designers. It is a designers, this research focuses primarily on the pedestrian experience. Finally, curated collection of design lessons, complete with examples from games and since most games are set in public spaces, a realm where landscape architects real life, recommendations, and illustrated concepts. While the literature review can have a great influence, I filtered my research specifically for design lessons is a comprehensive review of my research, the handbook is meant to be a quick that would be useful in public space. read, where designers can find new ideas. Introduction Introduction 2 3 IMMERSIVE REALITIES Allison Ong A BACKGROUND ON VIDEO GAMES Relevance Could video game design techniques inspire people to go outside? If the Because understanding my findings requires a basic knowledge of video design techniques that cause people to spend hours exploring virtual worlds, games, I have provided this section as an overview of the medium for those can entice people to explore the physical world, video game design techniques who are unfamiliar with video games. In it, I provide a brief background that in public spaces could have a positive effect on individual and community includes concepts I will reference in the rest of this thesis. I have included a health. Studies have put the number of people who play video games at over glossary of terms at the end of the chapter (pg 15) to help readers familiarize 1.2 billion1. In a recent report by the Entertainment Software Association, themselves with important concepts. gamers in the United States spend 3-6 hours per week playing games.2 If just a fraction of that demographic spent more time exploring outdoors, as I did in Berlin, there would be a significant increase in people activating public Classification