The Three Categories of World Maps in Video Games
Often, when we think of fictional maps, we think of books, like Lord of the Rings or Narnia. But there is another widespread use of fictional mapmaking, arguably more popular and even more immersive: video games. The fictional settings displayed in video games are brought to life through player interactions with the locations and characters within them. I have found that there are three main types of game map: action, adventure, and exploration.
1. Action
Action games are action-driven, and their maps are designed to support that action. Their purpose is both to guide and challenge the player as they move toward their objective.
An action game that illustrates this nicely is Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. In that game, the character progresses through the levels, each with its own map and objective. The maps are designed to lead the player on a linear quest full of obstacles and enemies.
Another example is from Elite Dangerous, where you pilot a spaceship in the Milky Way galaxy, and you can complete quests or hunt bounties to earn money and upgrade your ship. When bounty hunting, you will often find wanted characters hanging around astroid belts or planet rings, preying on ships with valuable cargo. These maps are designed to make the fighting more challenging as you maneuver your ship to aim your laser guns.
2. Adventure
Adventure games are story-driven. Their maps are designed to allow the character to explore and make discoveries as the story progresses.
A classic example of this is Myst, where the player is dropped onto a mysterious, misty island, with no context. As they explore the island and solve the puzzles scattered throughout, they begin to uncover dark secrets. The map’s purpose in this game is to reveal the story as the player explores.
Another incredible example of an adventure map is in Sid Meier’s Pirtates!, where the player’s main goal is to free his family and take revenge on their captor. As you explore, you receive quests that take you to different areas of the Caribbean that lead you to your ultimate goal.
3. Exploration
Exploration maps can come in many genres of video games. The main function of these maps is to be explored, typically without any action- or story-driven intentions.
One of the most popular games of the last decade, Minecraft, fits into this classification. The map in Minecraft is randomly generated as you explore it, allowing for unique worlds with infinite possibilities. This fuels the player’s creativity as they interact with and build in this sandbox world.
From the strategy genre, Sid Meier’s Civilization, contains another exploration-based map. This world is also randomly generated, and much of the first half of the game is spent drawing in the blank parts of the map as you explore it. This map’s main purpose is ultimately to set the stage for your strategic decisions as you advance your empire. But in what order you explore the map can have major effects on your decisions in the early game.
Overlapping Categories
It is important to note that these categories have no hard boundaries. In fact, most game maps overlap several categories at once. For example, I classified the Elite Dangerous map as an action map, but it could also be considered to be an exploration map. After all, the entire Milky Way galaxy is right there, remaining largely unexplored because of its sheer volume. Going farther and seeing more is one of the games main attractions.
Conclusion
Game maps can be action-driven, adventure- or story-driven, or exploration-driven. These categories, however, are only the main types of maps that I have experienced in video games. They are certainly not the only classifications that can be made for game maps. Can you think of other categories? Let us know on our contact page!
