Michael Salmond’s Video Game Level Design is a modern, design-focused exploration of how to craft levels that emotionally engage players. Rather than emphasizing only technical structure, the book dives into player psychology, storytelling, interactivity, and the aesthetics of experience—bridging the gap between architecture, game design, and emotional impact.
Key Sections & Themes
1️⃣ Designing for Emotion
- Levels should do more than guide play—they should provoke emotion, atmosphere, and memory.
- Uses mood boards, lighting, color theory, and composition to influence how players feel.
2️⃣ Player-Centered Design
- Emphasizes empathy for the player: flow, agency, cognitive load, and spatial awareness.
- Design should align with how humans think, perceive, and explore.
3️⃣ Narrative Through Environment
- Storytelling is embedded in levels—architecture, objects, soundscapes, and layout all speak.
- Salmond draws from film and theater set design to illustrate spatial narrative design.
4️⃣ Interactivity and Engagement
- Player interaction is not just about input—it’s about meaningful choices and spatial consequences.
- Encourages designing for curiosity, exploration, and feedback.
5️⃣ Structure and Layout Types
- Covers branching, open world, linear, modular, and hub-based structures.
- Each supports different pacing, exploration levels, and narrative control.
6️⃣ Architecture and Spatial Experience
- Integrates architectural principles: scale, rhythm, voids, thresholds, and wayfinding.
- Good level design reflects how real spaces evoke emotion and direct movement.
7️⃣ Designing the “Feel” of Space
- Mood and tone are crafted through spatial relationships, lighting, and surface detail.
- Repetition, contrast, and verticality all contribute to sensory and cognitive engagement.
8️⃣ Interactive Story Spaces
- Levels serve as narrative containers that change depending on player input.
- Encourages dynamic spaces that reflect consequence or evolving goals.
9️⃣ Case Studies and Game Analysis
- Analyzes games like Journey, Dark Souls, Inside, and Shadow of the Colossus.
- Highlights how top-tier games use space, silence, and ambiguity to powerful effect.
🔟 Future of Level Design
- Discusses emerging technologies (VR, AR) and their implications for space and immersion.
- Encourages ethical design and emotional intentionality in future experiences.
Conclusion
Michael Salmond’s Video Game Level Design reframes the craft of level building as both a technical and emotional discipline. It equips designers not just to create functional spaces, but evocative experiences that resonate deeply with players. Drawing from diverse disciplines, it challenges creators to think beyond geometry and mechanics—toward immersive, interactive storytelling through space.