AxiomGames

When we immerse ourselves in open-world games like *The Legend of Zelda* or fiercely battle in the arenas of *League of Legends*, have you ever wondered: where do these virtual worlds come from? What is their relationship to the real world we live in? In fact, any virtual world can be seen as a subset or reflection of the real world. In other words, although virtual worlds may seem entirely different, they are essentially abstracted, simplified, and reassembled from reality. This mapping relationship has a profound impact on game design and allows us to better understand and enjoy the games.

This article will take you on a journey to understand how virtual worlds reflect the real world and how this helps with game design, all explained in an easy-to-understand way.

1. Virtual Worlds Are an “Abstraction” of the Real World

To understand the relationship between virtual and real worlds, imagine this: if you were to draw a map representing the streets around your home, you wouldn’t be able to include every detail, like each tree or brick. Instead, you’d simplify things, drawing only the most important elements—roads, buildings, bus stops, etc. The construction of virtual worlds is similar. They abstract and simplify elements of the real world to form new worlds.

For example, the physical rules in games often come from the real world: objects fall due to gravity, and characters have momentum when running. However, game designers often adjust these rules to fit the needs of the game, like making characters jump higher or run faster. This is a kind of transformed reality, which has a basis in truth but features the uniqueness of the game.

Why do they do this?

• To make the game easier to pick up: Since most of the game’s rules are familiar to us from real life, we can quickly learn how to control the characters.
• To increase the fun factor: By altering real-world rules, games can provide more excitement, such as granting superpowers that wouldn’t be possible in reality.

2. The “Human Element” in Virtual Societies

Many games include more than just physical rules—they have complex social systems. For example, the conflicts, alliances, and clashes between factions in *World of Warcraft* reflect real-world politics, culture, and history.

Why mirror real-world societies?

• To enhance realism: When a game world operates with structures and systems similar to real-life societies, it feels more believable to the player.
• To create resonance: Issues like racial discrimination, war, and wealth disparity in games reflect similar problems in real life. Players may think about these real-world issues through the game’s storyline.

In this way, games become more than just entertainment—they can lead us to reflect on the real world through the virtual one.

3. Mapping Sensory Experiences and Visuals

While playing games, whether it’s a beautifully rendered 3D environment or a simple pixelated style, these visuals and sounds engage with our senses. Behind this is still a reflection of the real world.

For example, when walking through an open-world game like *Red Dead Redemption*, the lighting, ambient sounds, and terrain design are all meant to simulate the sensory experience of walking in the real world. This mapping of sensory experiences helps create a sense of “being there.” Although we know it’s just a virtual world, it can deeply immerse us.

4. Real-World Logic in Game Rules

The design of game rules may seem unrelated to reality, but in fact, they often incorporate behavior logic that we are familiar with in real life. Many games have economic systems, such as resource management and trading systems, which are built on real-world economic principles. You need to acquire and distribute resources in the game to grow, much like how the economy operates in the real world.

For example:
In *Animal Crossing*, you earn money by planting, fishing, and mining, and you use that money to expand your island. This system reflects real-life economic activities, such as the relationship between labor, production, and consumption.

This reflection makes the game world’s rules easier to understand and allows players to experience a sense of real logic and order within the game.

5. Emotional and Moral Reflections

In addition to physical rules and social systems, virtual worlds also mirror human emotions and moral choices. Many narrative-driven games, such as *The Witcher 3* or *Detroit: Become Human*, place you in complex moral dilemmas. These choices reflect the challenges we face in real life, such as sacrificing personal desires for the greater good or compromising certain principles to protect loved ones.

Although these choices are virtual, they resonate with us because we often face similar emotional decisions in the real world.

6. Practical Applications of the Mapping Principle in Game Design

How can the principle of mapping the real world be applied in game design?

• When designing physics engines, you can reference real-world physical laws like gravity and inertia but adjust them to enhance gameplay.
• For economic system design, you can refer to real-world supply and demand relationships and currency value to create a more realistic game economy.
• When developing storylines and characters, you can draw inspiration from real-world history, culture, or social phenomena to create a deep and complex virtual society.

This mapping not only makes game worlds more believable but also allows players to reflect on and understand real-world issues through their experiences in the virtual world.

Conclusion

Every virtual world is a subset of the real world, or a reflection of it. This concept helps us understand the logic behind the construction of virtual worlds and provides rich inspiration for game design. From physical rules and social structures to emotional experiences, everything in virtual worlds is deeply connected to the real world we know. This relationship not only makes it easier for us to grasp the rules of games but also makes game worlds more interesting, profound, and relatable.

In this way, games become more than just tools for entertainment—they become mirrors that allow us to explore and reflect on the real world in different ways.