Architecture usually brings to mind romantic and grand scenes of creative collaboration and "eureka!" moments, but Cilvia recognizes that architecture has its less glamorous side as well. The game is a masters project by Johnny Liu, a Royal College of Art graduate, that gamifies the nitty gritty aspects of getting a building approved in a real world city.
Cilvia takes place in a digitized version of the city of London. In the multiplayer game, architects can submit building plans for review. The virtual city will deny proposals that violate certain constraints, and compliant proposals go on to be viewable for other architects playing.
Though the game is fictional in its current iteration, a similar system could be used in the real world, with the benefit of allowing any architect to plan their own building based on the buildings that might be around it in the future.
City Planning Video Games
'Cilvia' Gamifies the Process of Urban Planning for Working Architects
Trend Themes
1. Gamified Urban Planning - Cilvia demonstrates the potential for gamifying the process of urban planning, making it more engaging and accessible for architects.
2. Collaborative Architecture - The multiplayer aspect of Cilvia encourages architects to share and learn from each other's building plans, fostering collaboration in the field.
3. Virtual City Simulation - Cilvia's digitized version of London showcases the potential for using virtual city simulations to assess building proposals and make the urban planning process more efficient.
Industry Implications
1. Architecture - The gamification of urban planning in Cilvia presents an opportunity for architects to explore new ways of designing and getting building projects approved.
2. Gaming - The success of Cilvia as a gamified urban planning tool highlights the potential for the gaming industry to expand into educational and professional applications.
3. Technology - The use of virtual city simulations in Cilvia suggests advancements in technology that could revolutionize the way urban planning is carried out by integrating virtual reality and digital platforms.