Review – Aroni, Gabriele 2022. The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games.

Review – Aroni, Gabriele 2022. The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games.

London: Bloomsbury Academic
Federico Bellentani, Gianmarco Thierry Giuliana

The Semiotics of Architecture in Video Games by Gabriele Aroni explores how architecture in video games conveys meaning and enriches virtual environments. Blending semiotics and architectural theory, the book examines how in-game spaces — buildings, cities and landscapes — serve gameplay while symbolically engaging players. Through case studies, Aroni reveals how virtual spaces reflect real-world architectural principles while embracing the unique creativity of gaming.

A key contribution of the book is bridging real-world architectural theory with digital design, highlighting how virtual architecture shapes storytelling and user interaction. Aroni proposes a semiotic framework for analyzing architectural design in games from a genre-agnostic perspective, appealing to scholars in game design, architecture and media studies, as well as enthusiasts.

The book is divided into theoretical and empirical sections. The initial chapters outline a semiotic framework, drawing on foundational theorists like Barthes, Eco and Peirce, alongside game studies pioneers such as Huizinga and Aarseth. Eco’s dual-function theory of architecture — functional and communicative — is pivotal, illustrating how design anticipates user interpretation in both physical and digital spaces ¹ . The work also references contemporary semioticians such as Cassone and Thibault, emphasizing the interplay between design intent and user experience.

Aroni’s work serves as an accessible introduction rather than a deeply theoretical treatise. While some key semiotic concepts, such as Eco’s “inferential walks”² , are referenced, they are not explored in exhaustive detail. Similarly, there is room to expand on connections to broader semiotic and architectural studies ³. The dynamic interplay between designer intentions and user interpretations — where players may reinterpret or subvert intended meanings — could also be further elaborated. Additionally, the framework focuses primarily on traditional 3D games, leaving room to extend its application to other genres, such as god-games and city-builders, in future studies. Despite these limitations, the book presents a clear framework for analyzing digital spaces, focusing on the denotative and connotative roles of architectural elements in gameplay and cutscenes. Aroni categorizes game architecture into three types — Reconstructive, Fantastic and Visionary — exploring their functional and symbolic contributions to gameplay and narrative.

The second section applies this framework to case studies of Assassin’s Creed II, Final Fantasy XV and NaissanceE, chosen for their architectural styles. Assassin’s Creed II exemplifies reconstructive architecture, recreating 15th-century Florence with scholarly precision. Final Fantasy XV blends fantastical and real-world designs, while NaissanceE features abstract, visionary forms. These analyses demonstrate how architecture in games functions as an iconic sign of real-world spaces, a denotative gameplay element and a connotative narrative tool, enhancing player immersion and guiding actions.

Aroni effectively shows how architecture in games integrates narrative and gameplay, creating environments that elicit emotions and enrich player experiences. While simplifying some theoretical aspects, the book’s introductory approach broadens its relevance, positioning digital architecture as central to cultural and historical discourse. The interplay of physical and digital spaces, explored through a semiotic lens, underscores architecture’s role in shaping modern cultural experiences.

 

 

¹ Eco, U. 1997. Function and sign: The semiotics of architecture. In N. Leach (ed.) Rethinking
architecture: A reader in cultural theory, pp. 173–93. London: Routledge.
² Eco, U. 1979. Lector in fabula. Milan: Bompiani.
³ e.g. 1) Guerri, C. F., Acebal, M., Alisio, J., Ruiz, M. X. B., Binnevies, A. M., Nates, M. B., Pertot, W.,
Sastre, R., and Voto, C. 2016. Nonágono semiótico: Un modelo operativo para la investigación
cualitativa. Buenos Aires: Eudeba. 2) Hammad, M. 2003. Leggere lo spazio, comprendere
l’architettura. Rome: Meltemi. 3) Levy, A. 2006. Sémiotique de l’architecture: Contribution à une étude
du projet architectural. Actes Sémiotiques, p. 111. 4) Preziosi, D. 1979. Architecture, language, and
meaning: The origins of the built world and its semiotic organization. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 5)
Zeitoun, J., Greimas, A. Julien, and Renier, A. 1979. Sémiotique de l’espace: Architecture, urbanisme, sortir de l’impasse. Paris: Denoël/Gonthier.