A play of light: A transdisciplinary study of simulated illumination between architecture and videogame design

As videogames become a popular medium for architectural visualisation, there is a growing need for knowledge transfer from videogame design to architecture. Light is one of the essential and active elements of game development, adding aesthetic, atmospheric and materialistic simulacra by replicating physical light. Despite the central role of lighting as a visual characteristic in both fields, the intersection of its influence across these fields remains underexplored. This transdisciplinary study explores the technical and aesthetic roles of light and dark in architecture and the simulated illumination counterparts in videogames. Adopting a comparative approach, this paper delineates light’s experiential language across different case studies, detailing how real-time lighting is a tool and a key building block in game worlds. It highlights how spatial representations in videogames not only seek to create realistic imagery but also influence spatial perception and experience – a key in which to visualise and experience these spatial representations is the use of light. The research on simulated illumination was developed through interviewing three experts in the field of videogames, and analysis of these interviews through three categories of lighting schemes that are shared across the architectural and videogame fields. By identifying and problematising theoretical and practical connections between the two fields, this paper outlines new opportunities for cross-disciplinary innovation. It aims to create a transdisciplinary skillset that can allow architects and interior designers to enhance their respective digital art-forms.