Not long ago, Deanna Van Buren was offered the position of lead architect on an unusual project—a video game called "The Witness."
In The Witness, released this year by game designer Jonathan Blow, players embark on independent exploration to discover the world of the game in fragments. Solving puzzles unlocks new spaces, each built with a unique aesthetic: desert ruins, an industrial sector, and a small village, to name a few.
The game's intriguing and widely praised design can be attributed to the unusual collaboration behind it: a team of visual artists, architects, and landscape architects.
Lead architect Deanna Van Buren spoke to Archinect about creating a conceptual "built" environment.
Building the portfolio of niche spaces required a "massive file of design references," she said, including film, tree houses, Hobbit houses, and medieval joinery.
But more challenging than the diversity of structures was learning to speak the language of video games, which has a whole different set of "building codes" than the physical world:
The biggest challenge was that we didn't understand game play and what game play means, and the psychology of game play and how important it was … We had to really step back a lot and think about: does this architecture, do these spaces support the gameplay objectives of this particular puzzle or this particular environment?
FULL STORY: Behind the scenes of 'The Witness', a video game designed by architects

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

In California Battle of Housing vs. Environment, Housing Just Won
A new state law significantly limits the power of CEQA, an environmental review law that served as a powerful tool for blocking new development.

Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide
Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.

Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code
The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont