What Is a Map in Digital Games? Expanding Cartographic Literacy Through Ludic Spatial Interfaces in Geography Education

Abstract Maps are ubiquitous in digital games, yet their cartographic status and didactic potential remain surprisingly underexamined. Traditionally conceived as static models of spatial representation, maps in games function simultaneously as navigational tools, strategic interfaces, symbolic systems, and affective environments. This article revisits the question, “What cartographic representations are integrated into digital games?” from the perspective of geography education, foregrounding the conceptual ambiguity and pedagogical value of game-based cartographies. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative analyses of 18 culturally impactful titles (e.g., The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Civilization VI, Cities: Skylines ), we investigate how game maps encode spatial knowledge, guide interaction, and shape players’ mental models of territory and mobility. Theoretically, the study engages with cartosemiotics, critical cartography, multimodal learning, and the emerging discourse on deviant cartographies. We propose a triadic framework that distinguishes navigational-practical, representational-symbolic, and experiential-affective functions of maps in games. Our findings suggest that such ludic cartographies—when pedagogically contextualized—could foster reflexive, procedural, and critically engaged forms of cartographic literacy. The article concludes with an advocacy for a broader conceptualization of maps in geography education that reflects the spatial realities of digital game cultures.