Visual semiotics and digital game spaces: review of the semiotics of architecture in video games

The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games is a welcome addition to the fields of semiotics, architecture, and game studies. Gabriele Aroni conducts the first study on the semiotic meaning of architecture in the virtual environment of digital games. He decodes the aesthetic and symbolic roles of digital gaming architecture and their significance both from a ludological and narratological perspective. His approach is original in terms of theory, methodology, and in covering a pertinent array of very different game genres.

In terms of theory, Aroni does not refer to the usual Peircean approach, but rather to Umberto Eco’s structuralist theory of denotation and connotation in architecture (Eco 1997), whereby the form of architecture denotes a function while also connoting an ideology of the function, all the more so in digital games where all spaces are artificially designed, and there are no natural nor accidental occurrences. The author combines this theory to that of Enzo D’Armenio’s (2014) concept of spatial manipulation on the semiotics of digital games spaces, which considers movement and space as unique and characterizing elements of digital games. He moreover applies Brian Upton’s (2015) concepts of the ludic sign and anticipatory play, underscoring the role of architecture in placing clues as semiotic signs to guide the players in the virtual environment to fulfil the gameplay. Aroni thereby devises a new semiotic method to decode the meaning of architecture in digital spaces, in terms of denotation, connotation, and anticipatory play.

It is also notable that this book covers distinct types of architecture in games: 1) reconstructive; 2) fantasy; and 3) visionary. In these three case studies, Aroni analyzes the reconstruction of historical settings in the popular Assassin’s Creed II (Ubisoft 2009); the fantastic architecture of Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix 2016); and the independent production NaissanceE (Limasse Five 2014). This way, the book covers both commercially successful digital games played by millions globally, such as the Assassin’s Creed series, and more niche and creative independent games, namely NaissanceE, thereby offering a broader analysis of architecture in different digital settings and for distinct styles of players. I had the opportunity to see played some of the games provided as case studies in this book, and as such I am aware of how these virtual spaces can look in action.

Aroni’s book begins by investigating how architecture has been interpreted as a semantic art historically and which semiotic theories can be applied both to real architecture and digital games spaces. He explores how the meaning of and in architecture has been explored throughout history, from ancient Greco-Roman classical times to the structuralist discussion of 20th century semioticians and designers such as Umberto Eco (1997) and Tomás Maldonado (1977). In this context, he underscores the main differences between real and virtual architecture as semiotic signs and argues that semiotics is all the more significant in digital games architecture since game designers carefully create virtual spaces that have no “physical function” per se, as opposed to physical architecture which must house actual living beings.

He observes that: “Even natural or accidental occurrences, that while meaningful are often unwanted or unplanned in the real world, such as deterioration or destruction, are a design choice in digital games …” and notes that while game designers may face technical and financial constraints in their planning, “the necessity of a specific architectural design as it exists in the real world is not the same … we can safely assume that every architectural object present in a digital game has been designed and placed in order to communicate with the player, in terms of both its ludological and narrative functions within the game” (pp. 31–32). Of notable mention is Aroni’s reference to Huizinga’s Homo ludens which underscores how “ludic imagination” can be significant in the constitution of early cultures, and argues that rituals and rites might have in fact constituted a form of “play” (Huizinga 1980). This ties into the book’s argument that ludic spaces are built into the game for the purpose of “playing” the storyline and gameplan.

Aroni subsequently delves into how digital games can be analyzed semiotically, and what theories pertain to the semiotic analysis of digital games spaces. He explains the raison d’être of semiotics as a lens to evaluate architecture in videogames. He illustrates this with his first case study on virtual architecture in Assassin’s Creed II (2009), an extremely successful videogame produced by the international developer Ubisoft. This game construes a historical reconstruction of the cities of Florence, San Gimignano, Forlí, and Venice, in fifteenth century Renaissance Italy. For the semiotic meaning decoding, Aroni applies the History-Game Relations framework developed by Cassone and Thibault (2016), analyzing how historical architecture was adapted and interpreted, and how hardware and software limitations may have shaped the design. Most importantly, he offers a “ludic translation” or “ludic transmutation” of how architectural signs, including the reconstruction of entire cities, impact the gameplay. For this purpose, he also offers a comparative analysis of how the city of Florence has been portrayed in various media, including painting, film, and literature throughout history to better situate his analysis of the virtual reconstruction of this city in Assassin’s Creed II.

The choice of this game is particularly relevant on three grounds. Assassin’s Creed is an extremely well-known game series, which has even led to an increase in tourism in some of the real-life Italian sites: millions have played this game and thus occupied these virtual spaces for thousands of hours. Moreover, the story follows that of an Assassin who has missions and must navigate the city streets and buildings to reach his objectives, thus architecture is especially important in this specific gameplay. Lastly, Ubisoft is known for involving interdisciplinary teams comprised of historians and architects to ensure an accurate historical reconstruction of virtual spaces, thus the semiotic signs are normally meant to be as truthful and real as effectively possible. At the same time, as observed by Aroni, some signs are adapted to the gameplay or technical restrictions and thus depart from historical accuracy. For example, the Baptistery of San Giovanni of Florence is absent from the game, even though it was built in the eleventh century and thus should have been present during the events of the game in the fifteenth century. Aroni provides an explanation by citing the game developers who clarify that the reason for this inaccuracy was the technical limitation of not having sufficient memory available to store the unique textures that the Baptistery requires (p. 68).

The book thereafter moves to a very different style of videogame: Final Fantasy XV (2016), produced by the long-running developer Square Enix. This game, situated within the Japanese role-playing genre, has a very unique visual style. Aroni begins by introducing the genre of Japanese role-playing games, their characteristics, and discusses how and why they are different from typical “Western role playing games.” He explains the artistic vision of the Final Fantasy XV creators, and how it translates to the architectural signs in virtual cities throughout the game, namely Altissia, Insomnia, and Gralea. This game epitomizes the fantastic classification of games by Aroni: from the very beginning of the game, the players are thrown into a completely surreal and magical setting, that is nonetheless simultaneously inspired by real architecture worlds such as present-day Venice, making it more akin to a fairy tale than a dystopian or futuristic world. In order to provide context, the book describes the architectural precedents that inspired these designs and their semiotic features.

Finally, the book examines a very different style of game: NaissanceE (2014), from Limasse Five, a small independent production. This game is characterized by visionary architecture and decors inspired by the works of Japanese mangaka Tsutomu Nihei (p. 109). Aroni provides a well-needed semiotic analysis of the architectural inspiration behind the world of NaissanceE. Indeed, the players may feel puzzled when first entering this virtual environment. The spatial forms seem absurd from a functional architectural standpoint, and certainly create a feeling of uneasiness and anxiety for the game players. The selection of this game for the visionary characterization and its semiotic decoding is on point: these impossible settings appear to exist solely in our imagination, or more precisely, in that of the game creators, thereby communicating new realms unknown to humankind. The feeling of uneasiness remains throughout the game until we exit this environment, with a sigh of exhilarating relief and puzzlement.

The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games’ original contribution to the field of semiotics is recognized by renowned scholar Marcel Danesi, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, who notes in his book review that “the work of Gabriele Aroni is highly significant, having implications for the ways in which virtual architecture are evolving structurally, symbolically, and aesthetically, and how video game architecture provides a framework for understanding digital ways of creating texts.” In this context, Danesi’s comments tie into our own that this book provides a new framework to decode the meaning of architectural signs in videogames. Danesi further explains that “Aroni looks penetratingly at the points of contact between digital and real-world architecture and art, utilizing both semiotic concepts and the theory of anticipatory play. Aroni shows that the virtual world is both a representation of the real world and an interpretation of its possibilities, extending it considerably through virtual architecture” (Bloomsbury Academic 2022). In his review, Grant Tavinor, Professor and Philosopher of the arts at Lincoln University, New Zealand, who focuses on digital technologies, including videogames and virtual reality, and their philosophical, aesthetic, and ethical dimensions, emphasizes the interdisciplinary approach adopted in The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games (Bloomsbury Academic 2022). He notes that “Aroni’s writing is equally informed on architecture and video games and frequently connects the two in revealing ways. The book shows how virtual architecture is not just a setting for gameplay, but that its influence on level design communicates stories and engages the player.” We agree that the book uniquely addresses the relationship between digital and real-world architecture, and the ludic role virtual spaces play in storytelling and guiding players throughout different environments. It is worthy of note that this book has also been (informally) positively reviewed by gameplayers critics on modern platforms such as YouTube, thereby demonstrating that it raises interest outside typical academic settings, akin to architecture in the virtual world versus the more traditional physical world.

The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games by Gabriele Aroni is published in the Bloomsbury book series dedicated to semiotics: the Bloomsbury Advances in Semiotics. As indicated by Bloomsbury, this series publishes works “applying semiotic approaches to linguistics and non-verbal productions, social institutions and discourses, embodies cognition and communication, and the new virtual realities of the digital age.” Directed by Gregory Paschalidis, this series covers a broad spectrum of topics, from systemic semiotics to cognitive semiotics, and encompasses monographs such as Jamin Pelkey’s The Semiotics of X: Chiasmus. Cognition. And Extreme Body Memory (2017), Marcel Danesi’s The Semiotics of Emoji: The Rise of Visual Language in the Age of the Internet (2016), Piotr Sadowski’s The Semiotics of Light and Shadows: Modern Visual Arts and Weimar Cinema (2017), and Per Aage Brandt’s Cognitive Semiotics: Signs, Mind, and Meaning (2020). The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games constitutes an in-depth examination of architecture as a semiotic sign, which complements Aroni’s (2023) chapter “Semiotics in Architecture and Spatial Design” published in Bloomsbury Semiotics, the reference book on semiotics edited by Jamin Pelkey. This four-volume anthology covers an analysis of semiotics across disciplines and theories, and Aroni’s chapter explores “architecture as a language,” with architecture broadly understood as encompassing buildings, urban centres, and landscapes, although this chapter does not cover the virtual environment of digital games examined in the present book. In her introduction to the second volume of Bloomsbury Semiotics, Stéphanie Walsh Matthews notes that:

Aroni’s insistence that meaning (not practicality) is at the core of building design is a well-taken one, in line with previous work within semiology and phenomenology which has sought to understand the semiotic source of the functional elements of architecture. Also in contrast to the discourses of postmodernism in architecture – it is relevant to note that the term postmodernism is coined in the field of contemporary architecture in the 1970s – Aroni sees a core of meaning structures in buildings, rather than their denial. (Matthews 2023: 8)

The present book, The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games, takes a different approach in underscoring the additional sign value of digital spaces to that of real architecture in the built environment. Aroni leaves us with significant philosophical interrogations, opening the door for a follow-up monograph: if virtual architecture encompasses additional meaning and intention to that of physical architecture, can the designs of videogames in turn influence those of architecture in the real world? Are players co-creating virtual environments as they inhabit these imaginary spaces? In fact, are game designers co-inhabiting the virtual space with players? What happens when real historical settings are misplaced, reimagined, or reinterpreted? And most of all: should life copy fiction?