Toward a Ludic Architecture: The Space of Plays and Game, by Steffen P. Walz (ETC Press, 2010)

Title: Toward a Ludic Architecture: The Space of Plays and Game
Author: Steffen P. Walz
Year of publication: 2010
Publishing house: ETC Press
No. of pages: 382
Language: EnglishToward a Ludic Architecture is a pioneering publication, architecturally framing play and games as human practices in and of space. Filling the gap in literature, Steffen P. Walz considers game design theory and practice alongside architectural theory and practice, asking: how are play and games architected? What kind of architecture do they produce and in what way does architecture program play and games? What kind of architecture could be produced by playing and gameplaying?Toward a Ludic Architecture is a must-read for analyzing and designing play and games from an architectural standpoint. Such a contribution is particularly applicable in an era when games extend into physical, designed space that is increasingly permeated by devices, sensors, and information networks, allowing for rules and fictions to superimpose our everyday environments. Including a maze-like, episodic, and critical discussion of interweaving play-grounds, Toward a Ludic Architecture is a playful look at the conceptual space of play and games.