DESIGN ENVIRONMENT

picture by Bruce Adams

If you play computer games you have come across environmental design whether you know it or not. This design aspect is the intentional placement of thematically colored objects and terrain to achieve an aesthetic. For example, a designer on an MMO may want to have a region, lets say a jungle, that is arrayed with different levels of monsters for the Ifdifferent regions that are being built. The designer has painted the terrain and placed orange colored plants and flora where the easiest monsters and creatures are found. The designer then uses the color red to signify the more dangerous areas of the jungle where the players may have a hard time and possibly die. The layout of the jungle area can then be mixed and matched with these different colors to signify to the player, at a subconscious level, that orange is easier then red, and the player will almost always know what to avoid to stay alive. This also applies to sound engineering and placement as well. Certain sounds are interpreted as soothing and calming, while others are menacing. Of course, the designer or sound engineer need to make sure not to have repetitive sound or music looping constantly, that leads to the player turning the sound off. Good environmental design is seldom noticed but is always a needed element to a good game. The picture seen below is of Butchart Gardens located near Victoria, British Columbia, which is a real world example of environmental design.