Level geometry (that is, the layout) and the spatial properties of the space you’re creating can have a profound effect on player's emotions, and therefore on gameplay. We’ll explore this subject by first introducing the prospect-refuge theory developed by an English geographer and poet Jay Appleton in his 1975 book The Experience of Landscape.
In his work, Appleton presented an enlightening insight into the reasons behind certain landscapes being perceived as beautiful and others as bleak, and why some spaces draw us in and make us feel safe, while others make us uneasy and insecure. According to the prospect-refuge theory, humans like to occupy intimate, sheltered spaces (refuge) that are overlooking vast, open areas ...
