Video Games and Architecture: Cities in virtual worlds

London is a constantly moving wave of urban transformation and social change. The city expands, neighbourhoods change, landmarks pop up, and people blend in and weave the city. The greatest preserved feature of London is its own urban fabric. It’s not about the Big Ben and its landmarks; it’s about capturing the essence of its fluidity, diversity and expansion. A place without boundaries but with people, emotions and memories. London is an ever-changing city; the city’s skyline is constantly moving, societies are shifting, reflecting its adaptability to social change. The city has been redeveloped through history from the Great Fire to the London Blitz and beyond, creating a palimpsest of stories and memories.

Back in 1960, urban studies author Kevin Lynch recognised that, “moving elements in a city and in particular the people and their activities, are as important as the stationary physical parts”. Three-dimensional game cities are nor static environments or stationary views. They are experienced through movement, action, play and immersion.

Is the concept of space in video games represented through a three-dimensional simulation and the concept of the city experienced through our understanding of the space combined with our own experiences and shared cultural references? Where the city becomes a place of more profound adventure, fantasy and a crossing point of experiences and imagination?