The Secrets of Level Design Revealed by Architecture: How to Design Game Spaces That Move Players' Emotions

The Secrets of Game Level Design That Architecture Reveals

"Level designer? Isn't that just someone who makes maps?"

No. A level designer is someone who orchestrates the player experience and emotional changes within the game.

The overwhelming feeling when passing through a narrow corridor and suddenly entering a vast boss room.
The excitement when climbing to a high place and seeing your destination in the distance.
The relief when wandering through a maze-like dungeon and finally returning to a familiar place.

All of these emotions don't arise by chance. They are experiences pre-planned through meticulous spatial design by level designers.

In this course, you will learn how to apply 19 spatial design principles that architects have used for a long time to games.

• Figure-Ground
  The principle of visual contrast that silently emphasizes what's important

• Form-Void (형태-공허)
  How to modulate tension and release through spatial density changes

• Genius Loci (Spirit of Place)
  The secret to creating 'special places' that remain forever in players' memories

• Spatial Scale
  From the suffocating confines of underground dungeons to the grandeur of cathedrals. An emotional rollercoaster created by changes in spatial dimensions

• Molecule Design (분자 구조 설계)
  A new level design perspective that thinks of it as a "network of connections and choices" rather than "a path from A to B"

• Steiner Points
  How to add strategic branching points to straight pathways, creating the fun of choice: "Which way should I go?"

• Labyrinth-Maze-Rhizome (미궁-미로-리좀)
  Linear narrative vs puzzle exploration vs open-world freedom. Choosing spatial structures that match the gaming experience

• Hub & Sandbox (Center and Playground)
  Adventure structure design method that extends from a stable center like the bonfire strongholds in

• Camera Design (카메라 설계)
  The feeling of space that changes with the player's perspective

• Proximity Diagram
  The architect's secret to designing relationships before form

• Architectural Weenie (Architectural Bait)
  A landmark visible from afar that guides players to their destination

• Enemy as Architecture
  The technique of creating invisible walls and flow through enemy placement

• Symbolic Language
  Teaching players the game's language through repetition of visual patterns

• Architecture as Symbol (상징으로서의 건축)
  How to convey emotions and stories through the building itself

• Behaviorism in Level Design
  Psychology that naturally guides players through stimuli and rewards

• Prospect & Refuge (Prospect and Refuge)
  Tension design utilizing instinctive emotions

• Maslow's Needs in Design (매슬로 욕구 레벨 디자인)
  Creating level structures aligned with players' need growth curves

• Purpose of Reward
  Design that maintains player motivation through the rhythm of challenge and reward

• Environmental Storytelling
  Creating stories told by spaces without dialogue

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After taking the course

• You can grow from being a simple 'map creator' who just places terrain to becoming a level designer who designs meticulously planned spaces and gameplay flow.

• Architects can apply 19 spatial theories including Figure–Ground, Form–Void, and Genius Loci to professional-level design work.

• You will be able to logically design and explain gaze guidance, spatial rhythm, emotional flow, and reward structures.

• Players can analyze "why they like this space" and directly design play experiences that move emotions.

• You can implement spatial storytelling where the environment tells its own story using light, color, texture, perspective, enemy placement, and other elements.

  
  

Features of this course

This covers 19 essential spatial composition principles that game level designers must know.

Modern game level designers have learned a great deal from architectural theory and psychology and have applied these insights to their practice. This course teaches you how to apply various academic achievements to game level design through 19 different topics.

All lecture slides are provided as PDF files.

The slides and diagrams used in the lectures are provided as PDF materials for review.
By utilizing these materials, you can directly take notes on key concepts (e.g., gaze structure, spatial rhythm, reward loops),
and refer to them frequently when designing your own projects or portfolios.

Clear explanations and streamlined progression enable efficient learning.

Like my other lectures, this lecture was also recorded using AI voice. Since the latest AI model was used, it delivers the lecture content with accurate pronunciation and natural explanations that are on par with professional voice actors.

All lectures were recorded and edited using pre-prepared lecture scripts, and as a result, you will be able to experience the most compressed lectures with not even a second of wasted time.

Additionally, thanks to AI's accurate pronunciation, nearly 100% accurate automatic subtitles are generated. Therefore, it has become possible to deliver improved lecture content to those who listen to classes with subtitles enabled.

And I've added slight variations to the AI voice tone for each lecture. Therefore, you can listen without getting bored, as it feels like each lecture is being explained by a different instructor.

Do you have any questions?

Pre-enrollment Reference Information