ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the towards understanding games as both singular and collected works and how the mindsets lead scholars to integrate knowledge from fields like architecture into the game analyses. It also addresses how processes from architecture such as “design thinking” and “pre-design analysis” can be used by game designers to draw inspirations from works outside of games and align their work with the wider art and media landscape. An emerging area of game analysis is that which compares interactive games to works of architecture and urban design. In academic contexts, games are typically discussed as whole objects rather than as collections of assets, or individual pieces of art or music that are loaded into the game during gameplay, that combine to create interactive experiences. The chapter explores an architectural approach to viewing design problems, and how it might be used to incorporate the knowledge of disciplines outside of games into game works.
