Virtual Reality: Abstracted Urban Space in „Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate“

September 2018 | 1 Minute Lesezeit

Computer and video games let us immerse into digital virtualities. But is it possible that a digital world created on a computer generates the same spatial experience, the same perception of architecture than the real build environment?

This paper approaches the image of the city in the videogame “Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate” step by step and investigates the abstraction between reality and virtuality in different scales. The paper examines different layers of perception in architecture by comparing popular images, such as establishing shots from films, and scenes from the game.

For this thesis, I measured distances and analysed architectural details to show differences from reality to virtuality. “The image of the city” by Kevin Lynch (1960) provides the theoretical basis for this thesis. Further examines this paper influences of new technologies on architecture and urban design as well as discusses the possible challenges in the near future.