The relationship between video games and architecture



Sanchez is an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Southern California and a video game developer who founded the Plethora Project, a study of the relationship between architecture, video games and generative design and a means to increase the public’s computational design literacy.

His goal as an educator and game designer is to help people of all ages think of humanity’s interconnectedness to the environment, while considering the kinds of communities people want to create.

In one Plethora Project initiative, Sanchez created “Block’hood,” an award-winning video game that challenges players to create unique, sustainable neighborhoods while accounting for the relationships between people, buildings, and urban infrastructure.

“For example, habitats you create in the game require resources and produce waste, which could be productive for something else,” he said. “That is a big kind of ‘aha’ moment for a player. It’s like, ‘’This doesn’t have to be waste!’”

Sanchez sees Block’hood as an ever-changing project, growing and maturing along with the gaming, architectural, and environmental communities to which he belongs.

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