ARCHITECTURE AND GAMES: THE NEW FACE OF DESIGN IN DIGITAL SPACES

A New World Where Boundaries Blur

Traditional architecture has existed for centuries as a discipline rooted in the physical world, while video games have built their own realities in digital space. However, especially over the last 10–15 years, there has been a noticeable interaction between these two fields. Games are no longer merely inspired by architecture—architecture itself is now being modeled, tested, and even experienced through game engines.

In this article, we embark on an in-depth exploration of the permeability between architecture and gaming, the intersection of visual technologies, the experiential dimension of design, and techniques carried over from game design to architectural practice.

Game Engines: The New Drafting Desk for Architects

Engines like Unreal Engine and Unity are no longer exclusive to developers—they now serve architects too. These platforms allow architectural projects to be presented in interactive 3D environments. For instance:

• Architectural visualizations with Unreal Engine enable users to experience changes in lighting and materials in real time.

• Instead of presenting clients with a static render, allowing them to walk through the project like a game facilitates better aesthetic and functional decision-making.

Constructing Space in Games: The Digital Counterpart of the Architect

Games like Minecraft, The Sims, and Cities: Skylines offer intuitive insight into planning, volume, flow, and structure—even for those with no architectural background. Going further:

• In titles like Control, Inside, or Dishonored, architectural atmosphere directly influences the narrative.

• In these games, circulation, lighting, and spatial hierarchy become part of a language that shapes the player’s experience.

At this point, architecture is not just a backdrop—it becomes a tool that guides emotions and decisions.

How Game Design Contributes to Architecture

Interestingly, this interaction is not one-sided. Certain concepts from game design are now being directly integrated into architectural practice:

• Level design focuses on how users are guided through space. From shopping malls to museums, many architectural structures are now planned with this perspective.

• Progressive disclosure, a method of gradually revealing information in games, is used in architecture to control spatial sequencing and stimulate curiosity.

Experiential Architecture: Storytelling Inspired by the Digital World

Video games have mastered storytelling not just through dialogue, but through space. This approach is increasingly becoming a paradigm in contemporary architecture as well.

We now live in a time when the architect is no longer just a “designer of buildings” but a curator of experience.

A user's movement through space, their encounter with light, their interaction with sound—these are all integral parts of the design.

This fundamentally changes how architects think: buildings are no longer purely functional; they are conceptualized as spatial playgrounds.

Experiential Architecture: From Game Aesthetics to Built Reality

Games and architecture share yet another common ground: experiential aesthetics. In recent years, many architectural projects have embraced game-like narrative techniques, surprises, and guided flows.

Mercedes-Benz Museum – UNStudioThis project features a spiraling circulation route that allows the user to follow a narrative thread as they explore. Much like levels in a game, this experience presents the physical space as a digital-like journey.

Experience Centers and Tech CampusesFrom Apple Park to Googleplex, the headquarters of major tech companies are no longer just workplaces—they are designed as storytellers. Every corridor, courtyard, and facade carries meaning—just like a game environment or stage design.

Looking Ahead: Digital Architects and Hybrid Disciplines

For Gen Z and future generations, architecture will no longer be confined to physical building design. The merger of gaming and architecture will continue to accelerate in areas like:

• Metaverse Architects: Professionals designing structures for virtual worlds.

• VR/AR Architecture: Creating hybrid experiences by layering digital elements onto physical space.

• Procedural Design: The logic of algorithmically generated game worlds will increasingly influence urban-scale planning.

Living the Design

Architecture is no longer just an “object”—it is becoming a “lived experience.” And the paths to constructing that experience go through games, digital simulations, and virtual reality. Likewise, the gaming world borrows from architecture for aesthetics, order, and spatial storytelling.

The merging of these two disciplines opens up new perspectives for both architects and game developers:

“A good space is not only beautiful—it should guide, provoke thought, and evoke emotion.”