The Semiotics of Video Game Spaces

Aroni, Gabriele ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1343-613X (2025) The Semiotics of Video Game Spaces. Signata, 16.

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Abstract

This article proposes a semiotic framework for the analysis of video game spaces based on the structuralist theory of denotation and connotation in architecture devised by Umberto Eco. Virtual architecture is a central signifier in digital games, and its design heavily influences the gameplay as well as the narrative. In 3D games, players interact with virtual environments that closely resemble our real architecture, and as such, many of the tools we use to analyse real architecture can be successfully applied to virtual architecture. Through a series of examples from games of various genres and art styles, this article illustrates how architectural signs communicate to players and how they can be used to enhance gameplay, narration, and immersion.