Blog #7 : Landscapes In Video Games Part 1

So I decided to do a 4 part series for a blog post.  This first multiple part series of post is on the topic of Environmental Aesthetics in Video Games. Environmental aesthetics in video games are made for player interaction.  They are crafted in a way that makes human interaction with the environment easy and inviting.  This is a very interesting take on human interaction with the environment. The three video game series I will be looking at are Halo, Gears of War and Minecraft.

The picture above is from the Video Game Halo 3, and as one can see when crafting the environment for human interaction Aesthetics are an important part of it.  This game takes a very interesting perspective on natural and artificially created environments.  In the background one can see the ring like structure that is cutting through the sky.  That is actually an artificially crated ring in space that natural structures are crafted on.  This is a very interesting way to think of environmental Aesthetics, having an artificially created world that creates natural structures.



This next image is from the game series Gears of War, and as one can see the human influence of the enviroment blends into the naturally crafted enviroment.  This game series takes a unique approach to the enviroment by blending artificially crafted objects with natural enviroments.

This next image is from the game Minecraft.  This game takes a unique approach to the environmental Aesthetics as well.  In this game one uses the resources given to them in the natural environment to craft their own creations within the natural world.  This provides a unique Aesthetic experience when one has to consciously think about how their use of the environment will be best used to create a new artificially constructed environment.

Many people would not think of Video games when it comes to environmental Aesthetics, but the fact is that the Aesthetics of the environment have a strong impact on how the player interacts with it.