Abstract: Serious games for design in

Architecture (Architecture de jeu)

A way to make experimental science in architecture

Silvestre Joaquim
May 24, 2010

My report is about the research I made for my end studies project: A game to
test and experiment different possible space planning configuration: ”Slum City”. This
research focuses on how to set and share the control for a bottom-up distributed con-
ception process. My main hypothesis was that some games can be conceived to fulfill
this purpose. To develop this point of view, I expose some already existing games that
partly illustrate this idea of control sharing. And by the development of some concept,
I explain their heuristic value to explore design possibilities.

First of all, I establish the vast state
of the art of all the instances of the con-
cept of game (game-play, role-play, seri-
ous game...). To get a share criterion be-
tween all of them, I propose to define it
by his mechanical sense: Chink as liberty
of moving. And this liberty of moving, his
finally what we define as space in archi-
tecture. After I explore how the space is
represented in a game. The setup of the
space representation (plan, section, sym-
bolic, topologically) give some advantage
to get a perception in adequacy with the
parameters on which we want to estab-
lish a control loop feedback. Represen-
tation is essentially a work of reduction
to ”what’s important to see”. Because of
the necessity to make choice of what’s
matter, there is no neutral representa-
tion. In the following part I expose the
implication behind games like Chess, Go
or Monopoly. The way to abstract gives
the condition from where the perception
of the reality should be represented. And
then how we plan to interact with it.
The second part focus more on ex-
ample. I start with the definition of
three fundamentals concepts of games:
constrain, rules and stake. For my first

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game of architect, I expose the ”world
peace game” of Buckminster Fuller. Then
the next one is more contemporary game
: Space fighter by MVRDV/ MIT. The
point for this two game is to find bet-
ter city/ world configuration. The first
one bet on tuned cooperation of players
to find optimal solution in a collaborative
game. The other make a competition be-
tween cities with a benchmarking system
to compare city’s and use it for a kind of
darwinian selection of the fittest.
What should be an experimental proto-
col we can apply with a serious game for
space organization research. How to set
them and permit the exploitation of the
harvested data in a concrete city develop-
ment and building construction. To an-
swer to this interrogation, I describe a
suite of specification for link this kind of
game to the reality. Methodological point
are borrowed to several field like social sci-
ence, experimental science, biology and
”game theory”. And some comparison are
made to distinguish it from the model use
in mere deterministic simulation. With
this comparison I came to the conclusion
that the human factor in game is an ad-
vantage. It permit a faster evolution. To
speed up game evolution it should have in-
ner principles of self amendment. Here
again to illustrate this idea I present a
game1 invented by a jurist to explore some
law theory of self-amendment. To con-
tinue to argue about realism and compari-
son with simulation, I touch the question
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NOMIC
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the biosphere is a project of a 100% isolated biotope more info at
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of scale of the game. To figure what can
be the concept of game proportion I ex-
pose some movie who illustrate what can
be some extreme case of large scale game.
Like in pervasive game, this over scal-
ing blurs the limit with reality. And this
observation underline that the too close
and unregulated relationship between re-
ality and game bring corrupted data for re-
search. All these theoretical aspects are
put in perspective in a architectural and
scientific case study : the Biosphere 2.
The building of this experimentation is an
extreme case of complexity. I use it to il-
lustrate how all the previous consideration
could be applied 2. The outcomes of this
experimentation gives simple good meta-
rules for managing huge complexity and
scale.
Then I talk about the importance of
interface in such game. The artifact uses
to support the game is like the public
space who supports activities and works
through some rules. The interface should
take in consideration the limit to the brain
faculties. After that I wonder on which
kind of media can we play the architec-
ture. In regards to previous consideration
I search a media who permits the evolu-
tion. After a description of what can be
the media use to express each player be-
havior.There is a problem that we found
in each multi-player game. How to orga-
nize the interaction for assuming an equal
interest for each of them. It’s finally the
paradigm of a democratic state. To fit on
this ideal a large panel is desired. The
number of player is authorized by the ac-
cessibility of the game. Scale, player and
time are key advantage of games. The
game should be the interface between
scales of time, space, condition and local-
ization of all the player. I conclude with
the observation of some resemblance be-
tween game and architecture.
This report have to be put in perspec-
tive with my diploma. I propose to de-
scribe it briefly for a more precise view
of my work This end year project was un-
usually oriented toward research purpose.
I set up a kind of experimental protocol
for architectural research on space orga-
nization. In most part imagined and de-
velop with prerogative establish by the re-
port’s research. In practice, I made a seri-
ous game on sustainable development in a
slum. So with this I can test various sets
for share the control in a distributed con-
ception process.
The practice produce game sequence
who are the result of interaction between
the implantation strategy of the player.
In fact, the interaction of private strategy
of growth produce the shape of the city.
The games and strategy are evaluated with
a score. This evaluation combined with
the log of the game can give study ma-
terials constituted with implantation se-
quence, statistic, observation, rates and
comparison. With this, I defend a prac-
tical valor to this bottom-up conception
tool. Indeed the game use reveal implan-
tation pattern who support a peculiar vi-
sion of the sustainable growth. The inter-
action of some strategies show bad conse-
quences on the quality of life for the ma-
jority of household virtually represented.
On the contrary, others permits to main-
tain low inequalities and so share growth
on the territory. Depending to the polit-
ical aim, the growth of this study mate-
rial and his diffusion can help inhabitant
or decider to make wright decision to to
fulfill their intention. Strategic choice of
urban and architectural development can
be sustain by this data.