Play the City: Reconstructing Game Urban Design and Narrative Architecture Based on Spatial Poetics Theory

The video game, in the digital age conceived as the "ninth art ", is creating a completely new context for architectural design with virtual space. Architecture is no longer subject to the laws of physics, but becomes an “editable game.” In this transition, the architect's role has fundamentally transformed: he or she is no longer just a organizer of space but also an orchestrator of stories, a chromist of emotions, a generator of empathy, and producer expanded-space effects. The most distinctive feature of game architecture lies in its unique narrative expressiveness. Through meticulously designed layouts, atmospheric creation, and path guidance, the virtual space for players achieves a narrative depth unattainable by traditional architecture. Players are no longer passive observers but active participants and story drivers. This dynamic narrative approach infuses spaces with vibrant life, breaking free from the constraints of static architecture. It elevates buildings beyond mere form, transforming them into dynamic spatiotemporal mediums. The significance of architecture is no longer confined to structure and function but manifests in its “poetic” spatial experience. And what is even more impressive is the high level of interactivity and immersion of game. Through the combination of visual, auditory, and haptic sensations at play along with real-time feedback in response to player actions, players are able to develop effective affective connections to virtual environments. In such conditions, the intensity of experience is often beyond that in reality, making architecture more emotionally expressive. The design practice of game planning uses the interactive and narrative methods mentioned above as a reflective perspective on the material world concerning cities.Its deviant shape exploration never fails to overturn the traditional thinking mode of urban planning, and to bring forth more creative and inclusive design ideas.By interdisciplinary research approaches, we can research construction patterns and characters of game spaces in detail, and analyze the potential worth of game mechanisms with respect to urban design.At the core of this interdisciplinary research model, based on the "poetics" perspective of virtual space is bringing the interaction logic and emotional mechanisms of games into urban planning practice with humanism as a theme to push out new forms of looking at urban space.This also expands the limits of the architectural discipline, besides training more creative forward-looking design thinking. Therefore, interdisciplinary studies on game architecture have a twofold value: they not only enrich the theoretical horizons of the architectural research but also offer fresh patterns for real world urban design. This synergy is what will keep driving the discipline of architecture toward a more open, diverse and poetic future, changing how cities build space.