How GIS Technology is Revolutionizing the Gaming Industry
From pixelated platformers like Donkey Kong and Pitfall to lush landscapes and vast cityscapes such as in Horizon: Forbidden West and the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series respectively, video game environments have evolved over the years. One of the significant advancements that has pushed gaming into new, beautifully rendered worlds is thanks to GIS mapping in video games which enhances realism, gameplay, and engagement. As more developers incorporate real-world geography and cartography into their games, GIS transforms both the creation and experience of gaming, bringing a new level of immersion to virtual worlds.
The Role of GIS in Game Development
GIS, or Geographic Information System, is powerful software technology that allows spatial data collection, management, analysis, and visualization. GIS mapping is used in a variety of verticals as it combines geographical data with network information to create comprehensive visual representations, many times using it to make informed, location-based decisions. The gaming industry takes a different approach to this data usage by integrating real-world geography into virtual worlds, generating highly detailed, realistic landscapes that mirror actual environments. GIS mapping in video games means gamers can experience precise terrains, climates, infrastructures, and more since games that utilize this technology are grounded in reality.
GIS mapping software, such as ArcGIS from Esri, plays a critical role in enhancing realism within gaming. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is one example of this, displaying accurate, one-to-one scale representations of 1869 London through the mix of GIS data and historical accounts. Developers on projects such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry, and SimCity have also been able to replicate topography, land use patterns, and climate data into these games and series. The result? Game environments you can get lost in for hours, which are not only visually stunning but also behave realistically. GIS mapping in video games offers players an experience that feels authentic and alive.
Pokémon GO: The Game-Changer in Geospatial Mapping
The utilization of GIS mapping in video games has also opened a new genre of games in the augmented reality (AR) segment known as GPS games. Perhaps one of the most iconic examples of the use of mapping in video games is Niantic’s Pokémon GO which launched in 2016. Pokémon GO transformed everyday spaces—parks, streets, and buildings—into hunting grounds for virtual Pokémon through the combination of AR and GIS mapping. The game leveraged existing cartographic data from platforms like Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, seamlessly blending the digital and physical worlds.
Pokémon Go’s success paved the way for a myriad of other GPS games, such as Pikmin Bloom, Ingress, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. These games motivate players to explore real-world environments while interacting with virtual elements that are superimposed on their surroundings, creating an unprecedented level of engagement.
Benefits of GIS Mapping in Video Games
As aforementioned, GIS mapping plays a role across many sectors. As a unique industry already, gaming sees a plethora of benefits that are not only gamer-focused but benefit the gaming studios creating them as well. Some of these benefits include:
- Enhancing Realism – The use of GIS means developers do not have to manually create environments from scratch, saving time and money. Real-world environments utilizing GIS technology provide landscapes with natural features in their correct proportions and locations creating environments that are more easily navigated and understood by the user.
- Building Immersive Player Experiences – GIS tools help game developers simulate real-world phenomena, such as weather patterns, which enrich the gaming experience. Although these may seem like small details, they make games more visually appealing and offer dynamic challenges, driving players to stay within these virtual worlds longer and making them more prone to purchasing DLCs, or downloadable content.
- Offering Educational Game Play – City-building simulators and strategy games such as SimCity or Cities: Skylines allow players to build and manage cities that utilize GIS data to reflect real-world urban planning challenges. These types of games can help players understand infrastructure management, resource allocation, and environmental sustainability. GIS mapping also translates further into simulators used for career training such as those used by pilots and military forces.
- Social Impacts – The inclusion of GIS technology has proven a powerful tool for social interaction. GPS games like Pokémon Go encourage players to meet up and engage with their surroundings in ways that go beyond traditional gaming. Whereas more traditional first and third-person games, like Call of Duty and GTA, offer large online environments where gamers can virtually meet up. These games foster community, can contribute to public health initiatives, and build worlds in which gamers are more likely to spend time and money to socially connect.
The Future of GIS and Gaming
As gaming studios launch new projects, GIS mapping in video games is being used to curate more personalized experiences. Games adding in geographic data can influence in-game events, or even turn real-world landmarks into a part of the storyline. Pokémon Go, for example, has already been using local weather patterns and GIS data to tailor the types of Pokémon that are in a specific locality at any given time.
Furthermore, as GIS technology continues to advance, so will its applications in the gaming industry. Combining GIS mapping in video games with innovations such as AR, VR, and 3D mapping, means game developers will have even more tools to create rich, immersive environments that blur the line between virtual and physical worlds.
The integration of accurate and detailed GIS mapping in video games means more realistic, challenging, and lifelike environments and in-game challenges, offering a more captivating experience than ever before. This is an exciting frontier for both developers and players alike.
As a trusted leader in fiber maps, telecommunications infrastructure data, data visualization, and location-based intelligence, GeoTel can help your organization also benefit from GIS data. Reach out to our specialists today for more information.