With the end of the semester and summer fast approaching, what do you plan on doing? We previously shared a few books to read if you have time between your other summer bucket list items. However, if you want to take a break from anything that requires brainpower, how about tossing some games into your summer bucket list too?
These are 8 games we think you could consider enjoying to take a break between school and work! The architectural and urban design of digital environments makes a huge impact on the overall gameplay. So we prepared a shortlist of games that make full use of their level design to entertain their players! Keep in mind that these games’ descriptions are paraphrased from sources that highlight the game, and I’m only sharing some of my thoughts below.
It’s no surprise that Minecraft made the list! Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, with 200 million copies sold and 126 million monthly active users as of 2020. Players explore a blocky, procedurally-generated 3D world with a virtually infinite terrain and can discover and extract raw materials, craft tools and items, and build structures or earthworks.
Game modes include a survival mode, in which players hunt for resources to build the world and maintain health, and a creative mode, where players have unlimited resources. Although the overall flexibility of design is constrained to square geometry, it gives players the freedom to creatively explore materials, structures, and anything you can think of! With a large community, you have the option to enjoy yourself with countless people around the world!
In the SimCity games, the player develops a city from a patch of undeveloped land. The player controls where to place development zones, infrastructures like roads and power plants, landmarks, and public services such as schools, parks, hospitals, and fire stations. The player also determines the tax rate, the budget, and social policy. The city is populated by “Sims,” simulated persons who live in the city created by the player. The three development zone types are the major areas Sims inhabit: residential zones for houses and apartment buildings; commercial zones for shops and offices; industrial zone for factories, warehouses, laboratories, and farms.
This game will help you explore and understand the vast network that a sustainable city requires in a stress-free digital world! Every decision is yours as your city gets larger and more intricate, so make smart choices to keep your citizens happy and your skyline growing! This game extends beyond architecture by introducing policies that have an effect on the urban environment. You may have heard some form of this phrase, “Architecture is Political.” Now, this is a fun, laid-back, and educational opportunity game to learn what that means!
Fortnite is a popular online first-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017 that stormed the world! It’s available in three distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay:
- Fortnite: Save the World, a cooperative hybrid-tower defense-shooter-survival game for up to four players to fight off zombie-like creatures and defend objects with traps and fortifications they can build.
- Fortnite Battle Royale, a free-to-play battle royale game in which up to 100 players fight to be the last person standing.
- Fortnite Creative, a complete freedom to create worlds and battle arenas. This mode provides the freedom to explore this game architecturally similar to Minecraft.
The main feature that makes this game enjoyable for architects is the ability to create “forts,” comprised of a limited palette of materials and configurations. Use your training as architects to create defensible structures to secure your wins! If you enjoy first-person shooters, then this is the game for you.
Fun fact: Fortnite is powered by the same rendering engine used to build Twinmotion.
This upcoming survival and sandbox game might be something good to look forward to once it releases. At this time, Valheim is in early access mode only. As fallen Vikings, players must craft tools, build shelters and fight enemies to survive. The game uses distinctive low-resolution stylized 3D graphics, with a third-person perspective and a combat system inspired by action games.
The game world includes several biomes: Meadows, Black Forest, Swamp, Mountains, Plains, Ocean, Mistlands, Deep North, and Ashlands. Each biome has a different difficulty level with different enemies, bosses, and items. A unique food system makes in-game hunting, foraging, and farming key to progression: the amount of health and stamina available to a player depends on the variation and quality of the food eaten. How will you play and survive the harsh realities of this world? Let us know if you get your hands on this!
While each game has a distinct story, they are all set within the same world: an Earth of the future which has evolved into a dystopian cyberpunk society. In this setting, several organizations compete for overall control of the world. Several of the societies mentioned or shown are inspired by real-world and invented secret societies and conspiracy theories. It’s an action-packed role-playing, first-person shooter game that will leave you immersed in a dystopian future!
Deus Ex takes place in 2052, while the world is facing a crisis caused by a mysterious nano-virus called the Gray Death. In the midst of the crisis, JC Denton, a nano-augmented rookie agent for the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO), is sent to eliminate terrorist cells but ends up drawn into the various schemes of rival factions and secret societies, who are responsible for the epidemic. Once he arrives in Area 51, Denton has the choice between neutralizing technology and plunging the world into a second dark age, allying with the Illuminati, or merging with an advanced AI to impose a benevolent dictatorship. I have never played this game, but I definitely know it’s a big hit in the gamer community!
Cyberpunk is a 2020 action role-playing video game developed and published by CD Projekt. The story takes place in Night City, an open world set in the Cyberpunk universe. Players assume the first-person perspective of a customizable mercenary known as V, who can acquire skills in hacking and machinery with options for melee and ranged combat!
Night City is an American megacity in the Free State of North California, controlled by corporations and unassailed by both country and state laws. It sees conflict from rampant gang wars and its ruling entities contending for dominance. Its visual identity is derived from the four eras it underwentâaustere Entropism, colorful Kitsch, imposing Neo-Militarism, and opulent Neo-Kitsch. Throughout the game, there are elements of Japanese Metabolist architecture in V’s room and other locations. If you’d like to read more about the game’s critique on architecture, Ryan Scavnikcy wrote a recent article sharing his opinion! I haven’t played this game before, so I can only share to a certain extent.
Are you a fan of classical architecture? Assassin’s Creed series has made multiple headlines for creating the most accurate digital replica of antiquity. The 11th installment of the well-known series Assassin’s Creed, Odyssey places more emphasis on role-playing elements than previous games in the series.
The game’s historical story is set in 431â422 BC, four hundred years before Assassin’s Creed Origins. It recounts a secret mythological history set during the Peloponnesian War, which was fought between the city-states of Greece such as Athens or Sparta. Immerse yourself in the Greek world, exploring and discovering artifacts and monsters from Atlantean times. Of course, this game is riddled with Greek architecture, too, so be sure to notice the details while enjoying this game!
In Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, the game is set off the coast of Panama, in the Amazon rainforest, and an uncharted island off the coast of South America. The second entry in the franchise, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, was the first in the series to experiment with several locales. The game is set in the snow-capped mountain landscapes of the Tibetan Plateau in southernmost China, a museum in Istanbul, the jungles of Borneo, and the urban landscapes of Nepal. Subsequent games followed this concept, and all had unique settings bringing an intricate-immersive world!
Many of the locations represented were extensively researched for the Uncharted series. The development team organized field research trips with tour guides and architectural historians and captured many photos and hours of video footage to reflect the settings properly. This action-packed series in various locations will make you miss traveling! For now, let’s just explore these regions through the game series until it’s safe to travel again!