Elements of Game Design: Environments

In this entry I will be talking about Environment Design within games and why a games environment can make or brake the experience for a player. Environment Design and Art Direction go hand in hand when creating a game world, as I mentioned in my Art Direction blog, good Art Direction is key to creating a cohesive world and from that a more fluid game experience for the player, a few key points that should be addressed when creating a game world are how its linked to the underlying storyline of the game and its relevance to the characters and enemies it holds, a good example of this being done well is in the original Dead Space by Visceral games, from the environment, characters, weapons and enemies everything feels like it belongs, even if it is set in a Science Fiction universe, the reason it works so well is everything you see in the game from the initial concepts to the final works have their ideas and structure based within reality.
For example the Zombie-like Necromorph enemies have twisted and broken bodies that seem very alien at a glance but if you examine them more closely you can see how they are designed through manipulating human anatomy.

I hope these images help to illustrate my point.

The last two images bring up an important point about design in games and how a simple visual stimulants in games are a great way to convey purpose, i'm referring to Isaac's RIG which serves as the players health bar throughout the game, using his suit in this way rather than the usual Heads up display not only creates functionality within the world but also provides a more visceral ( poor choice of words )  representation for the player, as the player you always dread seeing your rig turn red as your trying to survive.
The theme of functionality runs deep through Dead Space's design and this is what helps to create a realistic game world for the player to explore, everything aboard the Ishimura feels like its part of a once living environment where people went about their daily lives and jobs, from the inclusion of mess halls, lavatories, dorm rooms and so on, to even a huge air farm to provide oxygen for the ship.

Another good example of environment design is the city of Rapture from Bioshock which right from the start draws the player in with a sense of mystery and wonder as the events of the game unfold, the combination of the destroyed beauty of the city plays off so well against its stark raving mad inhabitants.

Here are some links too the developers speaking about there work.

Art: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYdsdBFPHAc
Audio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBD-oMI5w7U
Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN8MoRSZhUg