This was the default structure for games for much of the medium’s history (and it’s still hugely important) we’ll be examining it plenty in this new series. You know, distinct sections in a story that may riff on each other but that we all know aren’t actually connected. The vast majority of games have this-they’re great for design and aesthetics-but it’s most associated with a certain type of game: one with levels.
There’s the sweeping desert, the Christmastime snowscape, the haunted house, each one bursting with archetypes and feelings. One of my absolute favorite tropes of video games is the concept of the “level theme,” the way game spaces caricature real life climates. They may be as small as a room and as large as a world. They may be single levels, larger sandboxes, or broader settings.
In “Center Stage,” Wolfman Jew discusses environments and level design across the games industry. Center Stage: Isle Delfino (Super Mario Sunshine)
