(no subject)

"Then there is this whole thing, developed by Rachael and Stephen Kaplan in the 1980s, called information processing theory. The idea here is that “environments that provide increased opportunities for gathering or discovering information allow for improved living conditions including heightened safety” (Dosen and Ostwald 2016). A merit of this theory is that it takes seriously the fact that experiencing a landscape is an activity, where we continuously search, move around and notice new things. It rests on four pillars:

• Coherence is the property of structure, order and harmony – think symmetry and repeating elements, textures, patterns and so on – how easy is the landscape to understand? An empty steppe is more coherent than a busy rainforest.
• Complexity is the property of information density – think variety and diversity – how well does the landscape keep your interest? A mountainous landscape with a mixture of rock, woods, lakes and meadows is more complex than a featureless desert.
• Legibility is the property of information access – how obvious is it how to access new information in the landscape, and can one explore it without getting lost? A meadow with a path running through it is more legible than a dense rainforest.
• Mystery is the property of containing as yet undiscovered information – what promise does the landscape hold? A misty forest is more mysterious than a featureless desert."

- What made WoW Environments so Compelling? 

I've been thinking a lot about what makes certain (mostly zelda) levels/games memorable vs just bland, and searching for an actual "science" behind environment and level design. (animation backgrounds and stage design too, feels like it fits in here - I feel like doing this kind of work for VR/AR will be big soon). anyway - this essay meanders a bit but is about the closest thing I've found to engaging with that topic.