There are many industries that have seen radical and rapid changes to the ways in which their work is carried out, thanks largely to the advances in technology and computing power that have been made available more recently.
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One industry that knows this more than most is architecture, with pencil sketches and blueprints being shifted onto online platforms, and all architects being required to swiftly learn how to use new mobile and software tools.
In this article we look at how one of these such tools is the online game, with mechanics that mean gaming interfaces can be used for multiple aspects of the architectural and design process.
Huge building projects can now be tested and developed in the online realm, long before any bricks or mortar are laid
Architects Learn from Game Designs That Ape Real Life Venues
One of the best things about an in-game environment for an architect is that it can act as a testing ground for ideas they might have for a new building or structure, and this does not always mean that they have to build a game especially for their needs, with pre-existing examples already out there for them to play and tinker with.
Take, for example, an architect who wishes to test out what works and what does not in the environs of a working casino or card room. These days there are plenty of them online, with some gaming sites providing VR versions so that an architect can get a good look around and a real feel for the environment, while also delving into the finer points of Texas Hold’em or Omaha.
Such experiences allow architects to get a real-time sense for how big spaces in a working card room should be, how the acoustics can work, and ways in which the room itself can actually complement the rules and regulations that guide customers in how to play poker in a consistent, comfortable, and entertaining manner.
The challenge in any VR or online setting is for the architect to remember that they are there for work purposes, and not just so they can flop a royal flush or a full house.
VR technology will no doubt continue to play an increasingly important role in the work that architects around the world do
Game Worlds Capable of Breaking Architectural Boundaries
While new VR tech can be utilized to ape pre-existing architectural structures, perhaps the more exciting work being done by the architecturally minded with an eye for games, is that which hopes to completely reinvent how urban spaces are used.
One project looking to do exactly that is Videogame Urbanism, which is run by You+Pea from the London-based Bartlett School of Architecture.
Having studied and investigated how video game tech can be harnessed by urban architects, they aim to show that through interactive gameplay, architects and their clients can begin to better understand how to push forward with projects that can ultimately become better for the environment and more ergonomically sound to boot.
After all, how many times have you played a video game only to wonder why one of its futuristic features does not exist in real life? Thanks to projects like Videogame Urbanism such leaps of imagination can now be brought to fruition.
Games Bringing More People into the Industry
Everyone knows that cultural trends are fleeting whereas true passions last forever, but that does not mean that an industry as technical as architecture cannot benefit from being put center stage by prominent new streams of entertainment.
As well as being used to further the craft of architecture, online games are also attracting the next generation of people to the architectural fold.
This is thanks to such popular games as Sim City, Minecraft, and Prison Architect, all of which put architecture at the forefront of their respective titles, asking gamers to grapple with the problems and dilemmas that qualified architects face on a daily basis.
It, therefore, stands to reason that some truly innovative new stars of the industry are about to break through, using what they learnt in online games to push the medium forward like never before.
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