Rob Dwiar

I’m not long back from a trip that was perfect book inspiration - or ‘bookspiration’ as I’ve come to call it. It was a jolly away for another wedding (congrats again, Dave & Karen), but one that felt more of a getaway and adventure. Staying just outside of Cookstown in Mid Ulster, Northern Ireland, we didn't fully realise the fortune of our choice, and the beauty of the location we chose to stay in while looking and booking online. Over the road was Drum Manor Forest Park, a beautiful, well, park that is a forest. And while it is in one part clearly a designed landscape and park - carefully thought out routes and paths, designed waterfalls, species of trees planted together with identification labels, etc - it also remains in antoher part the former expansive gardens and grounds of the Manor. A sort of hybrid landscape. The manor is now derelict and has seen its interior totally changed from a home, to a now a walled garden (pics below). It feels like something straight out of Dragon Age or Skyrim, where a garden has slowly but surely reclaimed some old elven architecture. It’s these sorts of fictional yet magical, wild but beautiful, and atmospheric gardens and landscapes that really ooze a sense of place, and are ones I just can’t wait to explore deeper than ever in Genius Loci. To reinforce the intrigue and interest I had while there, it was a great coincidence that I’d just finished playing through the first expansion for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, The Wrath of the Druids, which is entirely set in about half of the island of Ireland. The rugged, intensely green imagining of the Irish landscape in the game, and the story’s inclusion of the Druid’s and their nature-l and landscape-leaning myths, legends, and mystery, was the perfect in-game mirroring for my trip there in real life. On to firm, book-only updates, I should be appearing on some video game level design podcasts soon which is going to be great fun, and some of the best opportunities to speak passionately about Genius Loci, and to help ensure it racks up the support and backers it needs to happen. Look out for them and listen and share when they do come out!

I’m not long back from a trip that was perfect book inspiration - or ‘bookspiration’ as I’ve come to call it. It was a jolly away for another wedding (congrats again, Dave &amp; Karen), but one that felt more of a getaway and adventure.

Staying just outside of Cookstown in Mid Ulster, Northern Ireland, we didn't fully realise the fortune of our choice, and the beauty of the location we chose to stay in while looking and booking online. Over the road was Drum Manor Forest Park, a beautiful, well, park that is a forest. And while it is in one part clearly a designed landscape and park - carefully thought out routes and paths, designed waterfalls, species of trees planted together with identification labels, etc - it also remains in antoher part the former expansive gardens and grounds of the Manor. A sort of hybrid landscape. The manor is now derelict and has seen its interior totally changed from a home, to a now a walled garden (pics below). It feels like something straight out of Dragon Age or Skyrim, where a garden has slowly but surely reclaimed some old elven architecture. It’s these sorts of fictional yet magical, wild but beautiful, and atmospheric gardens and landscapes that really ooze a sense of place, and are ones I just can’t wait to explore deeper than ever in Genius Loci.

To reinforce the intrigue and interest I had while there, it was a great coincidence that I’d just finished playing through the first expansion for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, The Wrath of the Druids, which is entirely set in about half of the island of Ireland. The rugged, intensely green imagining of the Irish landscape in the game, and the story’s inclusion of the Druid’s and their nature-l and landscape-leaning myths, legends, and mystery, was the perfect in-game mirroring for my trip there in real life.

On to firm, book-only updates, I should be appearing on some video game level design podcasts soon which is going to be great fun, and some of the best opportunities to speak passionately about Genius Loci, and to help ensure it racks up the support and backers it needs to happen. Look out for them and listen and share when they do come out!


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="375" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Drum_Manor_exterior.jpg?v=1690915725" width="500">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="375" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Drum_Manor_interior_2.jpg?v=1690915725" width="500">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="375" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Drum_Manor_interior_1.jpg?v=1690915725" width="500">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="375" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Forest_park_2.jpg?v=1690915725" width="500">

A bit of Irish 'bookspiration'

I’ve mentioned before that one of my best friends, Freddy, and I play games together online regularly - sometimes as a pair, and often as a three with another close friend. However, Freddy and I have been exploring the glorious and chaotic world of Far Cry 6 at the moment, taking in the beautiful island-nation of Yara. On a recent trip through the tropical landscape, Freddy offered to write my next book update, speaking as a player of games, a landscape enjoyer, and an early backer of Genius Loci. RD -------------------- More than ten years ago I met Rob Dwiar, and for every one of those years he has supported me. That friendship means that I was always going to support his book. But that support from Rob isn’t the reason I am excited to read the book. And though I could write hundreds of words about how much Rob has done for me, this book isn’t about our friendship, it’s about video games, their spaces and environments, and what they can mean to us. And games mean a lot to us now, perhaps more than ever, as they helped millions - me included - over the past couple of years. They have provided the chance to explore places and the world in a way that just hasn’t been possible. Video games have long been part of my life. I remember my first experience was playing Frogger on the Commodore 64, and while Frogger didn’t have much in the way of a landscape, many others did. The following years have been filled with ever more expansive, interesting, beautiful, and detailed worlds: I have taken CJ up Mount Chiliad on a BMX, I have skied down Himalayan peaks, I have explored the depths of the tropics in search of treasure, ridden a horse across Mexico, and explored ancient palatial gardens. However, what always stays with me are the places. The detailed environments and the powerful placemaking in them are what makes games mean something to me. Those places, landscapes, and environments define games for me as much as the characters and the story. However, be it a rich and lush jungle, a vast expanse of desert, or an overgrown and dilapidated city, they always have more impact on me and my experience when I believe it, or see that it is at least rooted in reality. And that’s one reason why I am so excited to read Genius Loci, because of this desire to know more about games’ environments, the reasons why they are so beautiful, and why they have such impact and power. Rob’s experience of landscape design and video games, and unique perspective that blends the two, is going to give readers access to this and help to broaden appreciation and understanding of the virtual worlds created for us. I’m also deeply interested to read Genius Loci to find out why these worlds and their gardens and landscapes can feel so real, why I come back to these vivid worlds, and why they can appeal to us on an almost emotional level - we all have favourite real-world places and landscapes, but many of us have our favourite in-game places and landscapes too. I want to know what makes this come about and how this is achieved. Back on a more personal level, Rob even talks about the power of video game landscapes when we play online. Over the past two years when Rob, our friend Sam and I have played online we have covered post-apocalyptic urban environments in The Division 2, the Pacific Island-esque Auroa isles in Breakpoint, and also the gorgeous (if a little empty of activity) world of Anthem. Every time we play, Rob shares insights on the landscapes, how it fits in with the game’s lore, or what particular plant species there are, or how a particular landscape needs to work for gameplay. He always has incredible knowledge to share, and now he is going to share it with everyone. Freddy Hillinger

I’ve mentioned before that one of my best friends, Freddy, and I play games together online regularly - sometimes as a pair, and often as a three with another close friend. However, Freddy and I have been exploring the glorious and chaotic world of Far Cry 6 at the moment, taking in the beautiful island-nation of Yara. On a recent trip through the tropical landscape, Freddy offered to write my next book update, speaking as a player of games, a landscape enjoyer, and an early backer of Genius Loci. RD


--------------------

More than ten years ago I met Rob Dwiar, and for every one of those years he has supported me. That friendship means that I was always going to support his book. But that support from Rob isn’t the reason I am excited to read the book. And though I could write hundreds of words about how much Rob has done for me, this book isn’t about our friendship, it’s about video games, their spaces and environments, and what they can mean to us. And games mean a lot to us now, perhaps more than ever, as they helped millions - me included - over the past couple of years. They have provided the chance to explore places and the world in a way that just hasn’t been possible.

Video games have long been part of my life. I remember my first experience was playing Frogger on the Commodore 64, and while Frogger didn’t have much in the way of a landscape, many others did. The following years have been filled with ever more expansive, interesting, beautiful, and detailed worlds: I have taken CJ up Mount Chiliad on a BMX, I have skied down Himalayan peaks, I have explored the depths of the tropics in search of treasure, ridden a horse across Mexico, and explored ancient palatial gardens. However, what always stays with me are the places. The detailed environments and the powerful placemaking in them are what makes games mean something to me.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="281" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Uncharted_E2_84_A2_4__A_Thief_E2_80_99s_End_20181001200509__282_29.jpg?v=1690915729" width="500">


Those places, landscapes, and environments define games for me as much as the characters and the story. However, be it a rich and lush jungle, a vast expanse of desert, or an overgrown and dilapidated city, they always have more impact on me and my experience when I believe it, or see that it is at least rooted in reality. 

And that’s one reason why I am so excited to read Genius Loci, because of this desire to know more about games’ environments, the reasons why they are so beautiful, and why they have such impact and power. Rob’s experience of landscape design and video games, and unique perspective that blends the two, is going to give readers access to this and help to broaden appreciation and understanding of the virtual worlds created for us. I’m also deeply interested to read Genius Loci to find out why these worlds and their gardens and landscapes can feel so real, why I come back to these vivid worlds, and why they can appeal to us on an almost emotional level - we all have favourite real-world places and landscapes, but many of us have our favourite in-game places and landscapes too. I want to know what makes this come about and how this is achieved.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="281" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/2532585e78c6beabfc24.35789522-GRB_GHOSTWAR_Map03_200323_6pm_CET.jpg?v=1690915729" width="500">


Back on a more personal level, Rob even talks about the power of video game landscapes when we play online. Over the past two years when Rob, our friend Sam and I have played online we have covered post-apocalyptic urban environments in The Division 2, the Pacific Island-esque Auroa isles in Breakpoint, and also the gorgeous (if a little empty of activity) world of Anthem. Every time we play, Rob shares insights on the landscapes, how it fits in with the game’s lore, or what particular plant species there are, or how a particular landscape needs to work for gameplay. He always has incredible knowledge to share, and now he is going to share it with everyone.

 


 Freddy Hillinger

A Genius Loci update - from a friend

It’s time for the late winter/early spring reset in the garden. This is something that can be equally satisfying and daunting every year - satisfying as it helps bring order back to the garden, but daunting because it may require a bit of effort! However, it’s always something that’s ‘net gain’: the results are (almost) always good, and those results are tangible and come from one’s direct actions and input. I need to finish this year’s reset in my garden: even in a small plot, there’s plenty to chop back, clear, prune, and get rid of to prepare and make room for next year’s growth and horticultural bounty. It’s something that I find quite therapeutic, too; reducing the garden to a semi-naked, bare-bones state, but knowing that it’ll come back roaring in only a matter of weeks. After my recent hiatus, I’m going to channel this approach and energy into Genius Loci too - and by coincidence, I had a chat recently that was brilliant for reigniting the fire in me for the book and what I can’t wait to write about. Out of the blue recently, a landscape architect, and backer of Genius Loci, contacted me to say hello; and we quickly arranged to chat over Zoom about the book and landscape architects’ potential role in game design and development. This really fanned the (ever-present) flames in me again for Genius Loci - and particularly helped after my being out of action post-surgery and being distracted a little by starting a new full-time job. I also stumbled back on the video that Unbound put together for my book when we launched, and even seeing that gets me excited all over again. I've attached it to this update as a pleasant companion to this text! I have some exciting ideas and thoughts on getting the Genius Loci wheels greased and turning freely once again in 2023, and I hope you can continue to help by sharing and spreading the word. As ever, many, many, thanks for your continued support!

It’s time for the late winter/early spring reset in the garden. This is something that can be equally satisfying and daunting every year - satisfying as it helps bring order back to the garden, but daunting because it may require a bit of effort! However, it’s always something that’s ‘net gain’: the results are (almost) always good, and those results are tangible and come from one’s direct actions and input.

I need to finish this year’s reset in my garden: even in a small plot, there’s plenty to chop back, clear, prune, and get rid of to prepare and make room for next year’s growth and horticultural bounty. It’s something that I find quite therapeutic, too; reducing the garden to a semi-naked, bare-bones state, but knowing that it’ll come back roaring in only a matter of weeks. 

After my recent hiatus, I’m going to channel this approach and energy into Genius Loci too - and by coincidence, I had a chat recently that was brilliant for reigniting the fire in me for the book and what I can’t wait to write about. Out of the blue recently, a landscape architect, and backer of Genius Loci, contacted me to say hello; and we quickly arranged to chat over Zoom about the book and landscape architects’ potential role in game design and development. This really fanned the (ever-present) flames in me again for Genius Loci - and particularly helped after my being out of action post-surgery and being distracted a little by starting a new full-time job.

I also stumbled back on the video that Unbound put together for my book when we launched, and even seeing that gets me excited all over again. I've attached it to this update as a pleasant companion to this text!

I have some exciting ideas and thoughts on getting the Genius Loci wheels greased and turning freely once again in 2023, and I hope you can continue to help by sharing and spreading the word.

As ever, many, many, thanks for your continued support!

A little springtime reset...

Hello everyone! Only a short update from me this time, but just one to say thank you for your ongoing support and backing throughout 2022. Genius Loci’s funding for 2023 has already got off to a decent start with new backers appearing throughout the first few weeks of the year - hopefully, this is an indication of a great 2023 funding-wise! I’m going in for some shoulder surgery in early February so this strong start has helped me prepare for this challenge too - wish me luck for that and keep spreading the word about the book; this boost will definitely help me get through it. I’ll be back in your inboxes with another update soon enough, particularly as the weather improves and there are more landscapes to enjoy and take in. Endless thanks once again, and let’s make 2023 the year that Genius Loci reaches its goal!

Hello everyone!

Only a short update from me this time, but just one to say thank you for your ongoing support and backing throughout 2022. Genius Loci’s funding for 2023 has already got off to a decent start with new backers appearing throughout the first few weeks of the year - hopefully, this is an indication of a great 2023 funding-wise!

I’m going in for some shoulder surgery in early February so this strong start has helped me prepare for this challenge too - wish me luck for that and keep spreading the word about the book; this boost will definitely help me get through it.

I’ll be back in your inboxes with another update soon enough, particularly as the weather improves and there are more landscapes to enjoy and take in. Endless thanks once again, and let’s make 2023 the year that Genius Loci reaches its goal!

A new year and a new wave of impetus!

It’s been almost precisely four years since I first emailed a games website about writing about games – from this came my first video game landscape article. It set off a tremendous domino effect and journey that at times felt like a slog, at others a breeze, but which ultimately has led me to this point: launching the crowdfunding campaign for Genius Loci. It’s incredibly humbling, exciting, and invigorating that the interest in the niche of video game landscape and gardens has been so popular – both along my journey and right here and now in crowdfunding for Genius Loci. I want to sincerely thank all of you who have pledged and backed the book so far. I almost can’t believe it’s been two weeks already and we’ve reached nearly 15% of funding already. Your early support is helping to make my dream of making a book on video game landscapes a reality. I would also like to ask for your help to spread the word about Genius Loci. I’d love for it to reach more fans of the games I plan to cover, video game artists and environment designers, and also real-world landscape designers, horticulturists, and gardeners so I can shed light on how well games are doing justice to this sphere. Spread the word to make this book happen and I shall forever be grateful. This is my first book update– but it will not be the last: I hope to drop in to tell you all about more confirmed case studies, and elaborate more with excerpts. I’m looking forward to doing that, and we’ll speak again soon. Thank you again!

It’s been almost precisely four years since I first emailed a games website about writing about games – from this came my first video game landscape article. It set off a tremendous domino effect and journey that at times felt like a slog, at others a breeze, but which ultimately has led me to this point: launching the crowdfunding campaign for Genius Loci. It’s incredibly humbling, exciting, and invigorating that the interest in the niche of video game landscape and gardens has been so popular – both along my journey and right here and now in crowdfunding for Genius Loci. 
  
I want to sincerely thank all of you who have pledged and backed the book so far. I almost can’t believe it’s been two weeks already and we’ve reached nearly 15% of funding already. Your early support is helping to make my dream of making a book on video game landscapes a reality. 

I would also like to ask for your help to spread the word about Genius Loci. I’d love for it to reach more fans of the games I plan to cover, video game artists and environment designers, and also real-world landscape designers, horticulturists, and gardeners so I can shed light on how well games are doing justice to this sphere. Spread the word to make this book happen and I shall forever be grateful. 
  
This is my first book update– but it will not be the last: I hope to drop in to tell you all about more confirmed case studies, and elaborate more with excerpts. I’m looking forward to doing that, and we’ll speak again soon. Thank you again!

An update that's been four years in the making - Thank you

I recently finished watching the TV series ‘Vikings’ (finally - I had originally started it back in 2020 intending to binge it all before Assassin’s Creed Valhalla came out; I got to season 4 or so) and there’s a storyline at the very that caught my landscape eye, so to speak. Generally, the series tells the tales of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons and spans the years that the Vikings travelled far and wide to Britain, Ireland, Iceland, and beyond. At the end of the series, one of Ragnar’s sons travels as far west as possible, on the rumour that there is this great, lush, and untouched land; and he eventually arrives in the far northeast of North America with a few followers. The Vikings called this Vinland, and in the 9th century (in the TV series) or in the 10th/11th century (as is proposed as the likely time by historians) this landscape would have been basically untouched - or at least appear so to the Vikings who landed there. You get a sense of this in the tv series too. As always, I drew a line from this to our real world when on a walk recently in the Mendips. Of course, none of our modern readily-accessible landscapes are ever new or unknown in the same capacity as that of Vinland as I mentioned above, but the similar landscape characteristics and features immediately led me to draw the link between them. Even if just to imagine it, and not truly feel it, the feeling and sense were quite strong, the idea (or emotions?) of experiencing a new landscape for the first time was something I immediately thought of. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla represents this sense too, in its placemaking, narrative, and gameplay. In a literal, on-the-nose sense, you too get to go to Vinland as part of the game - though not as one of the very first to step on it, and it’s only a brief visit in the context of the game - but you also get to feel a sense of travelling the landscapes and different countries, and experiencing them as new. From icy, snowy Norwegian bits to muddy English bits, to lush Irish bits, and more. This is one of the reasons I’m looking forward to including Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in Genius Loci; it visually represents some rather undocumented landscapes beautifully but also imbues the lands with that sense of journey and exploration. I can’t wait to break some specific places in the game down for you all in the book. As a small aside, a recent announcement has revealed officially that the next instalment of Assassin’s Creed will take us to 9th Century Baghdad (as a prequel and backstory of a character introduced in Valhalla). This is going to be a compelling and beautiful setting for many reasons but, predictably perhaps, I’m already hopeful that we’ll see some gorgeous Persian and Islamic gardens and landscapes! Here’s hoping... As ever, enormous thanks for the support already, and keep sharing and spreading the word. As for me, I’m off on a family holiday to Greece very soon and I’m already anticipating it forming the basis of my next update. Until then, thanks once again!

I recently finished watching the TV series ‘Vikings’ (finally - I had originally started it back in 2020 intending to binge it all before Assassin’s Creed Valhalla came out; I got to season 4 or so) and there’s a storyline at the very that caught my landscape eye, so to speak.

Generally, the series tells the tales of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons and spans the years that the Vikings travelled far and wide to Britain, Ireland, Iceland, and beyond. At the end of the series, one of Ragnar’s sons travels as far west as possible, on the rumour that there is this great, lush, and untouched land; and he eventually arrives in the far northeast of North America with a few followers. The Vikings called this Vinland, and in the 9th century (in the TV series) or in the 10th/11th century (as is proposed as the likely time by historians) this landscape would have been basically untouched - or at least appear so to the Vikings who landed there. You get a sense of this in the tv series too.

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/1280x720__vtime__0_15___take__2022-09-16_08.15.34.png?v=1690915737" width="500" height="281"> 
<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/1280x720__vtime__2_37___take__2022-09-16_08.16.50.png?v=1690915737" width="500" height="281">

As always, I drew a line from this to our real world when on a walk recently in the Mendips. Of course, none of our modern readily-accessible landscapes are ever new or unknown in the same capacity as that of Vinland as I mentioned above, but the similar landscape characteristics and features immediately led me to draw the link between them. Even if just to imagine it, and not truly feel it, the feeling and sense were quite strong, the idea (or emotions?) of experiencing a new landscape for the first time was something I immediately thought of.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/20220829_133636.jpg?v=1690915737" width="500" height="282">


Assassin’s Creed Valhalla represents this sense too, in its placemaking, narrative, and gameplay. In a literal, on-the-nose sense, you too get to go to Vinland as part of the game - though not as one of the very first to step on it, and it’s only a brief visit in the context of the game - but you also get to feel a sense of travelling the landscapes and different countries, and experiencing them as new. From icy, snowy Norwegian bits to muddy English bits, to lush Irish bits, and more. This is one of the reasons I’m looking forward to including Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in Genius Loci; it visually represents some rather undocumented landscapes beautifully but also imbues the lands with that sense of journey and exploration. I can’t wait to break some specific places in the game down for you all in the book.


 <img alt="" class="doksoft_image_img" src="/images/18500/preview/medium" width="500" height="281">


As a small aside, a recent announcement has revealed officially that the next instalment of Assassin’s Creed will take us to 9th Century Baghdad (as a prequel and backstory of a character introduced in Valhalla). This is going to be a compelling and beautiful setting for many reasons but, predictably perhaps, I’m already hopeful that we’ll see some gorgeous Persian and Islamic gardens and landscapes! Here’s hoping...

As ever, enormous thanks for the support already, and keep sharing and spreading the word. As for me, I’m off on a family holiday to Greece very soon and I’m already anticipating it forming the basis of my next update. Until then, thanks once again!

Imagining the experience of ‘new’ landscapes

One part of pretty much any landscape discipline, at any scale, is the combined concept of exploration and discovery. From hidden elements designed into a garden’s layout - that you perhaps get glimpses of but then have to round a corner or two to fully discover - to semi-hidden spaces in wider landscapes that promote privacy. And you don’t need me to tell you that there’s plenty of exploration and discovery in video games and their landscapes too! Particularly in open-world games, and more so in some particular open-world games. I have recently started playing Elden Ring which has a beautiful (and dangerous) world that beckons you to explore it and discover things in it. Its world of the Lands Between is so rich and detailed and full of different areas that you can stumble across things you didn’t even notice after playing it for dozens of hours. And there’s always an unwritten and unguided element of encouragement to discover any new, optional, or side areas that you find. This only serves to heighten the sense of exploration and, especially if you should be successful in surviving the area, the discovery of a new place - as well as any rewards you obtain. Unlike in other open-world games, in Elden Ring there’s very little signposting or flagging of what you might find - or even if you need to go somewhere in the landscape; it’s all down to your own desire for discovery and exploration. And this work, with magic, secrets, and enjoyment (and multiple deaths to your character) hiding in every corner of the world for you to find and move between. As ever, I have found myself drawing parallels between this concept with real landscapes and did so in two places I experienced in the past couple of months. Places and spots in the landscape that would encourage exploration and have a sense of discovery - if you can get to them or not. The first place was in Wales, in the Brecon Beacons near Abergavenny. While on a walk (uphill) we stumbled on a small lake with an island in the middle. I immediately thought: ‘if video games have taught me anything; there’s treasure or a secret on that island’. However, with it being in sight, but not accessible, we had discovered it but not quite explored it; even though it was begging to be explored. That’s a tangible feeling the landscape gave us. Then, on a short stay in Dartmoor for our anniversary, my wife and I took the dog on an adventurous walk to and around Wistman’s Wood. This is a ‘properly’ ancient woodland, and, arguably, how all woodlands in the UK would (should?) look if they were totally left alone. With the added atmosphere of foggy weather, when I walked around the woods there really was a sense of wanting to go into the depths of the woods, and see what beauty and landscape secrets it (and the fog) was hiding. Once again, I had discovered it, but couldn’t quite explore it, despite having explored all the way around it, and it was calling out and pulling me in, so to speak. And perhaps, maybe that heightens the sense of exploration - the unfulfilled element that means the place remains a little mysterious. Among others, this kind of impact and concept, the beautiful way that video games deploy it, and the parallels between that and the real world, is something that's going to make Genius Loci such an exciting prospect to write up entirely, and for everyone to read and explore… Keep sharing and we'll get there soon!

One part of pretty much any landscape discipline, at any scale, is the combined concept of exploration and discovery. From hidden elements designed into a garden’s layout - that you perhaps get glimpses of but then have to round a corner or two to fully discover - to semi-hidden spaces in wider landscapes that promote privacy.

And you don’t need me to tell you that there’s plenty of exploration and discovery in video games and their landscapes too! Particularly in open-world games, and more so in some particular open-world games. I have recently started playing Elden Ring which has a beautiful (and dangerous) world that beckons you to explore it and discover things in it. Its world of the Lands Between is so rich and detailed and full of different areas that you can stumble across things you didn’t even notice after playing it for dozens of hours.

And there’s always an unwritten and unguided element of encouragement to discover any new, optional, or side areas that you find. This only serves to heighten the sense of exploration and, especially if you should be successful in surviving the area, the discovery of a new place - as well as any rewards you obtain. Unlike in other open-world games, in Elden Ring there’s very little signposting or flagging of what you might find - or even if you need to go somewhere in the landscape; it’s all down to your own desire for discovery and exploration. And this work, with magic, secrets, and enjoyment (and multiple deaths to your character) hiding in every corner of the world for you to find and move between.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="281" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/184d8a91a8581-screenshotUrl.jpg?v=1690915741" width="500">


As ever, I have found myself drawing parallels between this concept with real landscapes and did so in two places I experienced in the past couple of months. Places and spots in the landscape that would encourage exploration and have a sense of discovery - if you can get to them or not. The first place was in Wales, in the Brecon Beacons near Abergavenny. While on a walk (uphill) we stumbled on a small lake with an island in the middle. I immediately thought: ‘if video games have taught me anything; there’s treasure or a secret on that island’. However, with it being in sight, but not accessible, we had discovered it but not quite explored it; even though it was begging to be explored. That’s a tangible feeling the landscape gave us.


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Then, on a short stay in Dartmoor for our anniversary, my wife and I took the dog on an adventurous walk to and around Wistman’s Wood. This is a ‘properly’ ancient woodland, and, arguably, how all woodlands in the UK would (should?) look if they were totally left alone. With the added atmosphere of foggy weather, when I walked around the woods there really was a sense of wanting to go into the depths of the woods, and see what beauty and landscape secrets it (and the fog) was hiding. Once again, I had discovered it, but couldn’t quite explore it, despite having explored all the way around it, and it was calling out and pulling me in, so to speak. And perhaps, maybe that heightens the sense of exploration - the unfulfilled element that means the place remains a little mysterious.


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Among others, this kind of impact and concept, the beautiful way that video games deploy it, and the parallels between that and the real world, is something that's going to make Genius Loci such an exciting prospect to write up entirely, and for everyone to read and explore… Keep sharing and we'll get there soon!

Landscape exploration and discovery - and Elden Ring

Despite having a deep love for it, it had been a while since I was in a Mediterranean landscape. Until the end of last month anyway, when a family wedding took us to the Greek island of Paxos. Blue skies, crystal clear waters, a beating sun, scrub-covered rocks, and olive trees galore. All present and accounted for and it was beautiful. It was the idyllic kind of Mediterranean landscape that I had previously seen in books and felt I was born in the wrong place! landscapes. But it was in the properly rustic, dry, and unkept landscapes that I felt the most magic and could draw even more direct lines between games and real landscapes. The wedding itself was lovely (thanks Seb and Katie) of course and it too took place in such a landscape, providing a rough-around-the-edges but beautiful natural backdrop to a special moment in time - a snapshot experience and moment, much like a breathtaking vista or journey across those similar Med-inspired game places that will feature in Genius Loci. Of course, as soon as I was in a rustic grove of olive trees, I was immediately transported to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and also The Witcher 3. The latter formed part of a Eurogamer essay of mine on the use of Summer in games and which trees and plants game developers seem to gravitate toward (in my view). The olive tree is so central to summery and Med-inspired landscapes in games, and I can’t wait to dig deeper to find out what other plants and styles game devs reach for in a similar way when I begin writing Genius Loci. With an updated version of The Witcher 3 coming soon enabling me to experience views and places like the above all over again, a recent release is proving a fine example of a game I’ve not written about before but one that I am earmarking for inclusion in the book. A Plague Tale: Requiem takes place in the Provence region of France, and quickly thrusts you into a beautiful, scrubby, rocky Med landscape. (Before things take an equally quick turn for the dark and the bleak…) I know there’s real-world demand to recreate, praise, and enjoy these kinds of landscapes too: the garden designer James Basson has exhibited several gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the vain of a rustic Provence and Mediterranean style. The effect is quite striking; there are oddly shaped olive trees, dry and dusty soil, uneven rock walls, and fragrant plants like lavender and rosemary thriving. All of this forms just another series of lines to connect games and landscapes, and a series of investigations and appraisals that I can’t wait to get stuck into properly in Genius Loci. Landscapes inspire gardens; landscapes inspire gardens and places; and landscapes inspire game places and environments. And all inspire Genius Loci. Keep sharing, and keep the interest going! As always, thanks so much for the support.

Despite having a deep love for it, it had been a while since I was in a Mediterranean landscape. Until the end of last month anyway, when a family wedding took us to the Greek island of Paxos.

Blue skies, crystal clear waters, a beating sun, scrub-covered rocks, and olive trees galore. All present and accounted for and it was beautiful. It was the idyllic kind of Mediterranean landscape that I had previously seen in books and felt I was born in the wrong place! landscapes.

But it was in the properly rustic, dry, and unkept landscapes that I felt the most magic and could draw even more direct lines between games and real landscapes.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="282" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/greece_update_2.jpg?v=1690915745" width="500">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="282" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/greece_update_1.jpg?v=1690915745" width="500">


The wedding itself was lovely (thanks Seb and Katie) of course and it too took place in such a landscape, providing a rough-around-the-edges but beautiful natural backdrop to a special moment in time - a snapshot experience and moment, much like a breathtaking vista or journey across those similar Med-inspired game places that will feature in Genius Loci.

Of course, as soon as I was in a rustic grove of olive trees, I was immediately transported to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and also The Witcher 3. The latter formed part of a <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/video-games-and-the-life-of-summer">Eurogamer essay of mine on the use of Summer in games</a> and which trees and plants game developers seem to gravitate toward (in my view). The olive tree is so central to summery and Med-inspired landscapes in games, and I can’t wait to dig deeper to find out what other plants and styles game devs reach for in a similar way when I begin writing Genius Loci.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="281" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Caroberta_Woods_2.jpg?v=1690915745" width="500">


With an updated version of The Witcher 3 coming soon enabling me to experience views and places like the above all over again, a recent release is proving a fine example of a game I’ve not written about before but one that I am earmarking for inclusion in the book. A Plague Tale: Requiem takes place in the Provence region of France, and quickly thrusts you into a beautiful, scrubby, rocky Med landscape. (Before things take an equally quick turn for the dark and the bleak…) 


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="281" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/A_Plague_Tale__Requiem_20221026081437.jpg?v=1690915745" width="500">


I know there’s real-world demand to recreate, praise, and enjoy these kinds of landscapes too: the garden designer James Basson has exhibited several gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the vain of a rustic Provence and Mediterranean style. The effect is quite striking; there are oddly shaped olive trees, dry and dusty soil, uneven rock walls, and fragrant plants like lavender and rosemary thriving.

All of this forms just another series of lines to connect games and landscapes, and a series of investigations and appraisals that I can’t wait to get stuck into properly in Genius Loci. Landscapes inspire gardens; landscapes inspire gardens and places; and landscapes inspire game places and environments. And all inspire Genius Loci.

Keep sharing, and keep the interest going! As always, thanks so much for the support.

Mediterranean landscapes and Med-inspired game places...

With spring well and truly sprung, and being outdoors pleasant once more, I’ve been making some parallels between games and places, or landscape features, again. And, as the heading intimates, this one has come from looking at rivers or riverscapes; something that can range from the quietly functional, and peaceful, all the way up to the truly spectacular. The former comes from a regular spot my family meets up on the Thames. We’ve been meeting up at a nice place on the river and in Sonning (outside of Reading) for a while now, and always get a walk in along the river after having lunch. It’s a quiet area in terms of river traffic, and despite there being a proper Lock there (a self-service one that has a resident manager) we’ve never seen much activity. Instead, it’s a quiet riverscape that meanders gently in both directions, allowing for walks along its adjoining lands, and its flora and fauna. A quintessential English river scene, you might say, with echoes of Moley and Ratty... Then, the other end of the scale has come to me after finally (finally) playing Red Dead Redemption 2 - a game some of you might be surprised I haven’t played yet. I know, I know, it’s a beautiful game with a world so detailed and lovingly crafted it would look at home on postcards, and in art galleries - but for some reason/s I just hadn’t got to it yet, or was hoping a newer version might get released. Anyway, I always knew it would be a game I’d love - from the bits I’d seen and heard, and from the story and adventure, to the landscape, and the world. And, lo and behold, only a few hours I knew this - and in the context of this particular update, I found myself gravitating toward the glorious Dakota River and just riding my horse along it finding places to take pictures and just watch the virtual landscape go by… And I know that I haven’t even nearly found the most dramatic riverscapes at all yet! I'm in for a treat (and, by extension, that means you probably are too!). This a parallel between two very different places of course, but the fact that being in one reminded me of the other - and vice versa - shows the imprint both physical and virtual landscapes and places can leave with us, and the connections we can then draw between the two. Particularly considering how rivers help to make and shape landscapes literally, but also their place in vistas, and the interaction between land and water at their edges - there's so much to appreciate and get stuck into. And, you guessed it, this is something I cannot wait to put into black and white in Genius Loci - so thank you again for your support, and keep spreading the word!

With spring well and truly sprung, and being outdoors pleasant once more, I’ve been making some parallels between games and places, or landscape features, again. 

And, as the heading intimates, this one has come from looking at rivers or riverscapes; something that can range from the quietly functional, and peaceful, all the way up to the truly spectacular. 

The former comes from a regular spot my family meets up on the Thames. We’ve been meeting up at a nice place on the river and in Sonning (outside of Reading) for a while now, and always get a walk in along the river after having lunch. It’s a quiet area in terms of river traffic, and despite there being a proper Lock there (a self-service one that has a resident manager) we’ve never seen much activity. Instead, it’s a quiet riverscape that meanders gently in both directions, allowing for walks along its adjoining lands, and its flora and fauna. A quintessential English river scene, you might say, with echoes of Moley and Ratty...


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2023-04-19_at_15.04.14.jpg?v=1690915749" width="500" height="282">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2023-04-19_at_15.04.15.jpg?v=1690915749" width="500" height="282">


Then, the other end of the scale has come to me after finally (finally) playing Red Dead Redemption 2 - a game some of you might be surprised I haven’t played yet. I know, I know, it’s a beautiful game with a world so detailed and lovingly crafted it would look at home on postcards, and in art galleries - but for some reason/s I just hadn’t got to it yet, or was hoping a newer version might get released. Anyway, I always knew it would be a game I’d love - from the bits I’d seen and heard, and from the story and adventure, to the landscape, and the world. And, lo and behold, only a few hours I knew this - and in the context of this particular update, I found myself gravitating toward the glorious Dakota River and just riding my horse along it finding places to take pictures and just watch the virtual landscape go by… And I know that I haven’t even nearly found the most dramatic riverscapes at all yet! I'm in for a treat (and, by extension, that means you probably are too!).

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Red_Dead_Redemption_2_20230416090244.jpg?v=1690915749" width="500" height="281"> 
 
<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Red_Dead_Redemption_2_20230416083125.jpg?v=1690915749" width="500" height="281">

This a parallel between two very different places of course, but the fact that being in one reminded me of the other - and vice versa - shows the imprint both physical and virtual landscapes and places can leave with us, and the connections we can then draw between the two. Particularly considering how rivers help to make and shape landscapes literally, but also their place in vistas, and the interaction between land and water at their edges - there's so much to appreciate and get stuck into.

And, you guessed it, this is something I cannot wait to put into black and white in Genius Loci - so thank you again for your support, and keep spreading the word!

Of Rivers and Red Dead

It’s supposed to be the most gloriously sunny and warm time of year but both have proved somewhat elusive across our UK landscapes - particularly in any great measure. It’s been a pretty unreliable summer. It’s a time of walking in fields of wheat or barley for me, my wife, and the dog - something so evocative and also a key bit of iconography from my favourite film, Gladiator - and also outdoor events, weddings, and, of course, harvest. And all this, and the weather, came to the fore recently. I have two best friends and we play online games at least once a week together. One is a farmer so is right in the middle of harvest, and one was getting married last week. Thus both were keeping a keen eye on the weather. In fact, all three of us were in a strange position of wanting it to both be raining in one part of Essex - to give the farmer some time off to attend the wedding - and a glorious summer's day in another part - to ensure the wedding was not ruined by wet weather. It all just reinforced the fact that when you have events in gardens or landscapes, or when your very livelihood is literally in the landscape, the weather is friend and foe, but ultimately, overpowering and influencing. It all worked out fine, of course, but reminds me how important a part the climate and weather have in creating a landscape’s use, function, level of enjoyment, and sense of place. In games, I have been taking a small break from large landscapes and returned to an older game on my PS3: Dead Space. This sci-fi horror game from 2008 was recently announced to be getting a remake in the next couple of years, but I wanted to go back to its eerie, claustrophobic spaceship, the USG Ishimura, and experience it as it was first imagined. I wrote about this game a while ago for Eurogamer and how it effectively used close-quarter design. (Spoilers: it uses it brilliantly, creating an exceptional setting thick with its own genius loci.) But just like a great Elder Scrolls game reveal at the very beginning of Oblivion or Skyrim, coming out of something so claustrophobic, and then getting released back into a wonderful and expansive landscape is something of an experience in itself, so I’m looking forward to a belated return to a lush, green, and verdant virtual landscape again soon. -------------------------------------------------- A summer sensation and action that never gets old or tiresome for me..... .....And nor does the famous imagery from Gladiator The wonderfully characterful Bruisyard Hall, a 14th Century place, host to the wedding I mentioned.

It’s supposed to be the most gloriously sunny and warm time of year but both have proved somewhat elusive across our UK landscapes - particularly in any great measure. It’s been a pretty unreliable summer.

It’s a time of walking in fields of wheat or barley for me, my wife, and the dog - something so evocative and also a key bit of iconography from my favourite film, Gladiator - and also outdoor events, weddings, and, of course, harvest. And all this, and the weather, came to the fore recently. I have two best friends and we play online games at least once a week together. One is a farmer so is right in the middle of harvest, and one was getting married last week. Thus both were keeping a keen eye on the weather. In fact, all three of us were in a strange position of wanting it to both be raining in one part of Essex - to give the farmer some time off to attend the wedding - and a glorious summer's day in another part - to ensure the wedding was not ruined by wet weather. It all just reinforced the fact that when you have events in gardens or landscapes, or when your very livelihood is literally in the landscape, the weather is friend and foe, but ultimately, overpowering and influencing.

It all worked out fine, of course, but reminds me how important a part the climate and weather have in creating a landscape’s use, function, level of enjoyment, and sense of place. 

In games, I have been taking a small break from large landscapes and returned to an older game on my PS3: Dead Space. This sci-fi horror game from 2008 was recently announced to be getting a remake in the next couple of years, but I wanted to go back to its eerie, claustrophobic spaceship, the USG Ishimura, and experience it as it was first imagined. I wrote about this game a while ago for Eurogamer and how it effectively used close-quarter design. (Spoilers: it uses it brilliantly, creating an exceptional setting thick with its own genius loci.)

But just like a great Elder Scrolls game reveal at the very beginning of Oblivion or Skyrim, coming out of something so claustrophobic, and then getting released back into a wonderful and expansive landscape is something of an experience in itself, so I’m looking forward to a belated return to a lush, green, and verdant virtual landscape again soon.

--------------------------------------------------


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A summer sensation and action that never gets old or tiresome for me.....

 


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="281" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2021-08-20_at_18.10.45.jpg?v=1690915752" width="500">


.....And nor does the famous imagery from Gladiator

 


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The wonderfully characterful Bruisyard Hall, a 14th Century place, host to the wedding I mentioned.

Of weddings and harvests

I’m not religious at all but I have always been interested in religious, sacred, and spiritual landscapes - this mainly comes from my interest in meaning, narratives, and stories in landscape design. From sacred olive groves in the Mediterranean to western Christian cemeteries, and from ancient sacred landscapes (like Stonehenge in my previous update) to natural landscapes which humans have imbued spiritual qualities on, they can be as rich in meaning as any. A recent trip to Wells Cathedral brought this back for me ‘in the flesh’. The main star of the show is of course, the beautiful cathedral itself, but there are pockets of landscape around it that make up modern open green spaces (that used to be the cemetery), an inner cloister-like cemetery landscape in the middle of the cathedral’s site, and parts like the Bishop’s Palace’s own gardens and landscape. It was an inspirational trip, and even those snippets bring a landscape’s character and meaning to the fore: big yew trees - synonymous with cemeteries, stand in the middle of graveyards, enormous specimen trees are scattered across the land, and the peaceful and uncluttered landscape makes a fine approach and setting for the intricate architecture. Though said architecture also features interior elements which evoke the sense of trees and canopies. Such places are also great examples of how architecture and buildings have to work beautifully with the landscape and the design of outdoor spaces. This can be considered right down to the literal point where a building’s vertical walls meet the landscape’s horizontal plane and often makes for interesting design questions. As a landscape designer this is an area of research and history that really interests me, but as a games writer, writing Genius Loci, it also greatly interests me; after all, a spiritual quality or element is key to a place’s Genius Loci and this can readily be found in games. A spiritual element like a god or creator can sometimes appear in games places - Andrew Ryan and imposed philosophy over BioShock’s Rapture immediately comes to mind as an example, the religious architecture that‘s woven into the landscape in Dragon Age Inquisition another, and the clearly designed-in reverence, sense of journey, and sacredness of temple or church gardens in the Assassin’s Creed series as one more. Such examples and the concept of sacredness in video game landscapes is something I’ll definitely be exploring in the book and it promises to be an interesting, and beautiful, exploration.

I’m not religious at all but I have always been interested in religious, sacred, and spiritual landscapes - this mainly comes from my interest in meaning, narratives, and stories in landscape design. From sacred olive groves in the Mediterranean to western Christian cemeteries, and from ancient sacred landscapes (like Stonehenge in my previous update) to natural landscapes which humans have imbued spiritual qualities on, they can be as rich in meaning as any.

A recent trip to Wells Cathedral brought this back for me ‘in the flesh’. The main star of the show is of course, the beautiful cathedral itself, but there are pockets of landscape around it that make up modern open green spaces (that used to be the cemetery), an inner cloister-like cemetery landscape in the middle of the cathedral’s site, and parts like the Bishop’s Palace’s own gardens and landscape. It was an inspirational trip, and even those snippets bring a landscape’s character and meaning to the fore: big yew trees - synonymous with cemeteries, stand in the middle of graveyards, enormous specimen trees are scattered across the land, and the peaceful and uncluttered landscape makes a fine approach and setting for the intricate architecture. Though said architecture also features interior elements which evoke the sense of trees and canopies.

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2021-10-23_at_08.13.25.jpg?v=1690915767" width="282"> <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="282" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2021-10-23_at_08.13.26.jpg?v=1690915767" width="500">

Such places are also great examples of how architecture and buildings have to work beautifully with the landscape and the design of outdoor spaces. This can be considered right down to the literal point where a building’s vertical walls meet the landscape’s horizontal plane and often makes for interesting design questions.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="375" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2021-10-04_at_13.04.37.jpg?v=1690915767" width="500">


As a landscape designer this is an area of research and history that really interests me, but as a games writer, writing Genius Loci, it also greatly interests me; after all, a spiritual quality or element is key to a place’s Genius Loci and this can readily be found in games. A spiritual element like a god or creator can sometimes appear in games places - Andrew Ryan and imposed philosophy over BioShock’s Rapture immediately comes to mind as an example, the religious architecture that‘s woven into the landscape in Dragon Age Inquisition another, and the clearly designed-in reverence, sense of journey, and sacredness of temple or church gardens in the Assassin’s Creed series as one more. Such examples and the concept of sacredness in video game landscapes is something I’ll definitely be exploring in the book and it promises to be an interesting, and beautiful, exploration.

Sacred and spiritual landscapes

Good news, everyone! Not to be too morbid, but I survived my shoulder surgery! It was only minor, and something I’m, unfortunately, quite familiar with, but hopefully fixes the pain and trouble I was having before. However, echoing a note on my Twitter profile recently, while this week has seen me finally be able to get rid of all my plasters and steri-strips from said surgery, it also marks my final week in the day job as Commissioning Editor for Hardware at the big games media website, GamesRadar. I’ve had a blast at the website helping to build out the site’s gaming tech coverage, but change is good, and now feels like the right time for a new adventure; there’s nothing like teaming a new year with a new career move (and a fix to one’s body). I’ve always wanted to have a crack at a ‘proper’ games-focused editorial and writing role (as opposed to the tech), and I’m very pleased to say that this new adventure is exactly that: I’ll be the new Games Editor over at wepc.com, joining that team at an exciting time of growth, change, and opportunity. It’s a thrilling time, all in, and I’m genuinely hopeful that this will bring another surge of interest in, and support to, Genius Loci and keep the ball continuing to roll on steadily. We’re approaching 40% funding right now, which is a great feat for such a niche - but very awesome - book! I’ll be back again with more landscape-focused updates soon, particularly when I am fully recovered, but in the meantime, as always, a thousand thank yous for your continued support.

Good news, everyone! Not to be too morbid, but I survived my shoulder surgery! It was only minor, and something I’m, unfortunately, quite familiar with, but hopefully fixes the pain and trouble I was having before.

However, echoing a note on my Twitter profile recently, while this week has seen me finally be able to get rid of all my plasters and steri-strips from said surgery, it also marks my final week in the day job as Commissioning Editor for Hardware at the big games media website, GamesRadar. I’ve had a blast at the website helping to build out the site’s gaming tech coverage, but change is good, and now feels like the right time for a new adventure; there’s nothing like teaming a new year with a new career move (and a fix to one’s body).

I’ve always wanted to have a crack at a ‘proper’ games-focused editorial and writing role (as opposed to the tech), and I’m very pleased to say that this new adventure is exactly that: I’ll be the new Games Editor over at wepc.com, joining that team at an exciting time of growth, change, and opportunity.

It’s a thrilling time, all in, and I’m genuinely hopeful that this will bring another surge of interest in, and support to, Genius Loci and keep the ball continuing to roll on steadily. We’re approaching 40% funding right now, which is a great feat for such a niche - but very awesome - book!

I’ll be back again with more landscape-focused updates soon, particularly when I am fully recovered, but in the meantime, as always, a thousand thank yous for your continued support.

Some personal news, and a bit of change…

With the calendar flipping over to 2022, the one-year anniversary of Genius Loci going live seems much closer than it did a few weeks ago. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long already. However, I’m still just as passionate as ever in spreading the word and making sure the book becomes a reality. I’ll plead your tolerance right from the off here, and ask if you can keep sharing it and spreading it around too - I really hope to reach as many people as I can in both the video game and horticultural spheres. There really is going to be something for everyone in those two realms in Genius Loci. And in order to keep spreading that word, I have done interviews and podcast appearances in recent months - I’ll put the links below - and one in particular this week. The Level Design Podcast is a regular recording hosted by a group of game developers in the UK and they discuss all things, well, level design. It was a genuine pleasure to chat with them, and talk about what landscape and garden considerations there can be for game makers, and how the book will explore them. Before Christmas, Eurogamer - home to many of my freelance video game landscape analysis articles - published an interview with me after I spoke to their features editor, Christian Donlan. This was a pleasure to do and he asked me all about my background and how I got to writing the book as well as the topics and angles I’ll cover. And lastly, I also appeared on the Level Design Lobby podcast with Max Pears in September. Max is a game developer who has worked on the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and has also written about the intricacies and particulars of designing levels in games. He was keen to see how Genius Loci could be a valuable resource to game developers. Below are the links to the article and the podcasts: Level Design Podcast - https://anchor.fm/leveldesign/episodes/Landscape-and-Garden-Exploration-in-Game-Design-with-Rob-Dwiar-e1dp5ip and https://open.spotify.com/episode/47qzOGG88IUTCF9N8ANytM?si=821d5dd2170a4e26 Eurogamer interview - https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-11-28-gardening-and-games-converge-in-genius-loci-a-new-book-about-digital-landscapes Level Design Lobby podcast - https://leveldesignlobby.libsyn.com/level-design-lobby-rob-dwiar-106 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj4haneUVwY I’d be delighted to hear any thoughts you may have on these and whether there are any other podcasts or websites I should approach to shout about Genius Loci. But also, I just hope you might enjoy them too! I shall continue my efforts to get the book and project to as many people as I can as we head toward spring this year, and hopefully the new season will bring another fresh wave of momentum to Genius Loci. All the best for now, RD

With the calendar flipping over to 2022, the one-year anniversary of Genius Loci going live seems much closer than it did a few weeks ago. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long already.

However, I’m still just as passionate as ever in spreading the word and making sure the book becomes a reality. I’ll plead your tolerance right from the off here, and ask if you can keep sharing it and spreading it around too - I really hope to reach as many people as I can in both the video game and horticultural spheres. There really is going to be something for everyone in those two realms in Genius Loci.

And in order to keep spreading that word, I have done interviews and podcast appearances in recent months - I’ll put the links below - and one in particular this week. The Level Design Podcast is a regular recording hosted by a group of game developers in the UK and they discuss all things, well, level design. It was a genuine pleasure to chat with them, and talk about what landscape and garden considerations there can be for game makers, and how the book will explore them. 

Before Christmas, Eurogamer - home to many of my freelance video game landscape analysis articles - published an interview with me after I spoke to their features editor, Christian Donlan. This was a pleasure to do and he asked me all about my background and how I got to writing the book as well as the topics and angles I’ll cover.

And lastly, I also appeared on the Level Design Lobby podcast with Max Pears in September. Max is a game developer who has worked on the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and has also written about the intricacies and particulars of designing levels in games. He was keen to see how Genius Loci could be a valuable resource to game developers.

Below are the links to the article and the podcasts:

<ul>
	<li>Level Design Podcast - https://anchor.fm/leveldesign/episodes/Landscape-and-Garden-Exploration-in-Game-Design-with-Rob-Dwiar-e1dp5ip and https://open.spotify.com/episode/47qzOGG88IUTCF9N8ANytM?si=821d5dd2170a4e26</li>
	<li>Eurogamer interview - https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-11-28-gardening-and-games-converge-in-genius-loci-a-new-book-about-digital-landscapes</li>
	<li>Level Design Lobby podcast - https://leveldesignlobby.libsyn.com/level-design-lobby-rob-dwiar-106 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj4haneUVwY</li>
</ul>

I’d be delighted to hear any thoughts you may have on these and whether there are any other podcasts or websites I should approach to shout about Genius Loci. But also, I just hope you might enjoy them too!

I shall continue my efforts to get the book and project to as many people as I can as we head toward spring this year, and hopefully the new season will bring another fresh wave of momentum to Genius Loci.

All the best for now,

 

RD

Spreading the word - podcasts and interviews

With the calendar flipping over to 2022, the one-year anniversary of Genius Loci going live seems much closer than it did a few weeks ago. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long already. However, I’m still just as passionate as ever in spreading the word and making sure the book becomes a reality. I’ll plead your tolerance right from the off here, and ask if you can keep sharing it and spreading it around too - I really hope to reach as many people as I can in both the video game and horticultural spheres. There really is going to be something for everyone in those two realms in Genius Loci. And in order to keep spreading that word, I have done interviews and podcast appearances in recent months - I’ll put the links below - and one in particular this week. The Level Design Podcast is a regular recording hosted by a group of game developers in the UK and they discuss all things, well, level design. It was a genuine pleasure to chat with them, and talk about what landscape and garden considerations there can be for game makers, and how the book will explore them. Before Christmas, Eurogamer - home to many of my freelance video game landscape analysis articles - published an interview with me after I spoke to their features editor, Christian Donlan. This was a pleasure to do and he asked me all about my background and how I got to writing the book as well as the topics and angles I’ll cover. And lastly, I also appeared on the Level Design Lobby podcast with Max Pears in September. Max is a game developer who has worked on the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and has also written about the intricacies and particulars of designing levels in games. He was keen to see how Genius Loci could be a valuable resource to game developers. Below are the links to the article and the podcasts: Level Design Podcast on Anchor FM and on Spotify Eurogamer interview Level Design Lobby podcast on the LDL site and YouTube I’d be delighted to hear any thoughts you may have on these and whether there are any other podcasts or websites I should approach to shout about Genius Loci. But also, I just hope you might enjoy them too! I shall continue my efforts to get the book and project to as many people as I can as we head toward spring this year, and hopefully the new season will bring another fresh wave of momentum to Genius Loci. All the best for now, RD

With the calendar flipping over to 2022, the one-year anniversary of Genius Loci going live seems much closer than it did a few weeks ago. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long already.

However, I’m still just as passionate as ever in spreading the word and making sure the book becomes a reality. I’ll plead your tolerance right from the off here, and ask if you can keep sharing it and spreading it around too - I really hope to reach as many people as I can in both the video game and horticultural spheres. There really is going to be something for everyone in those two realms in Genius Loci.

And in order to keep spreading that word, I have done interviews and podcast appearances in recent months - I’ll put the links below - and one in particular this week. The Level Design Podcast is a regular recording hosted by a group of game developers in the UK and they discuss all things, well, level design. It was a genuine pleasure to chat with them, and talk about what landscape and garden considerations there can be for game makers, and how the book will explore them. 

Before Christmas, Eurogamer - home to many of my freelance video game landscape analysis articles - published an interview with me after I spoke to their features editor, Christian Donlan. This was a pleasure to do and he asked me all about my background and how I got to writing the book as well as the topics and angles I’ll cover.

And lastly, I also appeared on the Level Design Lobby podcast with Max Pears in September. Max is a game developer who has worked on the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and has also written about the intricacies and particulars of designing levels in games. He was keen to see how Genius Loci could be a valuable resource to game developers.

Below are the links to the article and the podcasts:

<ul>
	<li>Level Design Podcast on <a href="https://anchor.fm/leveldesign/episodes/Landscape-and-Garden-Exploration-in-Game-Design-with-Rob-Dwiar-e1dp5ip">Anchor FM</a> and on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/47qzOGG88IUTCF9N8ANytM?si=821d5dd2170a4e26">Spotify</a>
</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-11-28-gardening-and-games-converge-in-genius-loci-a-new-book-about-digital-landscapes">Eurogamer interview</a></li>
	<li>Level Design Lobby podcast on the <a href="https://leveldesignlobby.libsyn.com/level-design-lobby-rob-dwiar-106">LDL site</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj4haneUVwY">YouTube</a> </li>
</ul>

I’d be delighted to hear any thoughts you may have on these and whether there are any other podcasts or websites I should approach to shout about Genius Loci. But also, I just hope you might enjoy them too!

I shall continue my efforts to get the book and project to as many people as I can as we head toward spring this year, and hopefully the new season will bring another fresh wave of momentum to Genius Loci.

All the best for now,

 

RD

Spring is basically here. Or, at least, it is in the landscape, even if the weather maintains a wintry chill. A surefire, tell-tale sign is that even on the most ‘regular’ of dog walks my wife and I have done in recent weeks and days, the pops of colour from spring flowers have started to rise up and present themselves. Even when it has been stormy, incredibly rainy, and just downright sodden through the past month or so. As I said in a recent update, I’m quite a fan of winter but I realise that perhaps spring has a few more fans, particularly with its signs of revitalisation, rejuvenation, and life that accompanies that colours on show. When thinking of spring lands, I’m always taken back to the landscape of the game Horizon Zero Dawn. This is a game set in the post-post-apocalypse and showed humans had regressed to clan living, working with the land, and to quite a primal way of life generally. As humans had regressed after a major apocalyptic event, the game showed them in the early stages of rebirth as a species, as a society, and this was represented beautifully in a spring-filled landscape. Birch trees, spring flower-like plants, and great swathes of yellows, whites, and reds are present in the landscape. It captured it beautifully. This is timely in another way as I’ve been playing the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West since it came out in mid-February. There is less spring on show here, and more summer - though the game does manage to encapsulate different ‘biomes’ across its open-world from deserts to snowy mountain ranges, too. It’s a great place to be in games, and a great game itself, so check it out if you are so inclined. The other game released recently that has really caught my eye from a landscape point of view is Elden Ring. While a brutal and unforgiving game to play, it has a vast, beautiful Romanticist-inspired landscape that I can’t wait to dive into. But that’ll have to wait for another update… As always, keep sharing Genius Loci around to everyone you know or who might be interested - I am hoping that spring will also give us a bit of rejuvenation and revitalisation on the road to the funding target!

Spring is basically here. Or, at least, it is in the landscape, even if the weather maintains a wintry chill. A surefire, tell-tale sign is that even on the most ‘regular’ of dog walks my wife and I have done in recent weeks and days, the pops of colour from spring flowers have started to rise up and present themselves. Even when it has been stormy, incredibly rainy, and just downright sodden through the past month or so.

As I said in a recent update, I’m quite a fan of winter but I realise that perhaps spring has a few more fans, particularly with its signs of revitalisation, rejuvenation, and life that accompanies that colours on show.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2022-03-04_at_12.46.08.jpg?v=1690915772" width="500" height="281">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2022-03-04_at_12.46.08__281_29.jpg?v=1690915772" width="500" height="281">


When thinking of spring lands, I’m always taken back to the landscape of the game Horizon Zero Dawn. This is a game set in the post-post-apocalypse and showed humans had regressed to clan living, working with the land, and to quite a primal way of life generally. As humans had regressed after a major apocalyptic event, the game showed them in the early stages of rebirth as a species, as a society, and this was represented beautifully in a spring-filled landscape. Birch trees, spring flower-like plants, and great swathes of yellows, whites, and reds are present in the landscape. It captured it beautifully.

<img alt="" class="doksoft_image_img" src="/images/17902/preview/medium" width="500" height="281"> 
This is timely in another way as I’ve been playing the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West since it came out in mid-February. There is less spring on show here, and more summer - though the game does manage to encapsulate different ‘biomes’ across its open-world from deserts to snowy mountain ranges, too. It’s a great place to be in games, and a great game itself, so check it out if you are so inclined.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Horizon_Forbidden_West_20220218150620.jpg?v=1690915772" width="500" height="281">


The other game released recently that has really caught my eye from a landscape point of view is Elden Ring. While a brutal and unforgiving game to play, it has a vast, beautiful Romanticist-inspired landscape that I can’t wait to dive into. But that’ll have to wait for another update…

As always, keep sharing Genius Loci around to everyone you know or who might be interested - I am hoping that spring will also give us a bit of rejuvenation and revitalisation on the road to the funding target!

Spring has arrived

I’m not sure how I haven’t done it before now, but recently I made my home work-space (and PC gaming space) very ‘on brand’ for me, Rob Dwiar, the lover of and proponent of the quality of video game landscapes. I’ve sat in this corner of the living room since the early days of the pandemic in 2020 and while I had been trying to keep myself and my setup as pushed into the corner, and away from our living space as possible, this year I decided to change it a bit, and embrace this little space that is mine (and the cat’s, and the dog’s at times too). Needing to rejig a wall due to a new standing desk and the first attempt at some game-storage shelves not working out, I put some thought into how to store a lot of games but also display some art I’ve had my eye on for a while in the form of Displate’s metal posters. After a bit of searching, I was lucky enough to find an artist on the site called Mikael Aguirre who has a small but wonderful collection of his own paintings of video game landscapes and places. I needed no extra motivation and filled my boots - the result is what you see in the images here now. (Yes, that is a Witcher 3 landscape image as my monitor background…) I’ll leave you to guess what the games are - let me know in the comments! (This also gives you a peek into the place where I'll be writing, researching, and working on Genius Loci too - it's the perfect setting, and is supported by my hundreds of game art books and landscapes books on the shelves on the opposite wall!) Overall while this just makes for a very welcome and overall-pleasing place to be at for hours at a time, I’m also finding it deeply motivating and, dare I use a commonly-used word in these updates again, inspirational to have these video game landscapes, beautifully painted and presented right in front of my eyes, surrounding me. Constantly. This is enhanced by the fact that these are not just ‘any’; these are game landscapes or places that are my favourites, that have had an impact on my writing, that genuinely mean something to me, and ones that I couldn’t be in or look at for too long. (Such are the quality of these paintings, I now also have another reason to properly try some other games like the Dark Souls series too!) Anyway, now, whenever I look even just a smidge away from my screen I can get an immediate and thunderous pang of excitement and enjoyment, a bit of direct visual stimulus and inspiration for Genius Loci, and a reminder of what I’m doing with the book - with your help. It’s another way of reminding me that I really can’t wait to get going properly on Genius Loci, and encourage you to keep sharing it and spreading the word to get backers! Progress has been slow and steady, but I see Genius Loci’s journey as a bit of a slow burner; a gentle but progressive walk towards its goal, much like a relaxing landscape stroll… My eternal thanks to you for backing this book, and here’s to a big bit of progress this summer!

I’m not sure how I haven’t done it before now, but recently I made my home work-space (and PC gaming space) very ‘on brand’ for me, Rob Dwiar, the lover of and proponent of the quality of video game landscapes.

I’ve sat in this corner of the living room since the early days of the pandemic in 2020 and while I had been trying to keep myself and my setup as pushed into the corner, and away from our living space as possible, this year I decided to change it a bit, and embrace this little space that is mine (and the cat’s, and the dog’s at times too).

Needing to rejig a wall due to a new standing desk and the first attempt at some game-storage shelves not working out, I put some thought into how to store a lot of games but also display some art I’ve had my eye on for a while in the form of Displate’s metal posters. After a bit of searching, I was lucky enough to find an artist on the site called <a href="https://displate.com/orioto/videogame-landscapes">Mikael Aguirre</a> who has a small but wonderful collection of his own paintings of video game landscapes and places. I needed no extra motivation and filled my boots - the result is what you see in the images here now. (Yes, that is a Witcher 3 landscape image as my monitor background…) I’ll leave you to guess what the games are - let me know in the comments!

(This also gives you a peek into the place where I'll be writing, researching, and working on Genius Loci too - it's the perfect setting, and is supported by my hundreds of game art books and landscapes books on the shelves on the opposite wall!)

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="281" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-02_at_9.23.28_AM__282_29.jpg?v=1690915775" width="500"> 

 


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="281" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-02_at_9.23.28_AM_1.jpg?v=1690915775" width="500">


Overall while this just makes for a very welcome and overall-pleasing place to be at for hours at a time, I’m also finding it deeply motivating and, dare I use a commonly-used word in these updates again, inspirational to have these video game landscapes, beautifully painted and presented right in front of my eyes, surrounding me. Constantly. This is enhanced by the fact that these are not just ‘any’; these are game landscapes or places that are my favourites, that have had an impact on my writing, that genuinely mean something to me, and ones that I couldn’t be in or look at for too long. (Such are the quality of these paintings, I now also have another reason to properly try some other games like the Dark Souls series too!)

Anyway, now, whenever I look even just a smidge away from my screen I can get an immediate and thunderous pang of excitement and enjoyment, a bit of direct visual stimulus and inspiration for Genius Loci, and a reminder of what I’m doing with the book - with your help. It’s another way of reminding me that I really can’t wait to get going properly on Genius Loci, and encourage you to keep sharing it and spreading the word to get backers! Progress has been slow and steady, but I see Genius Loci’s journey as a bit of a slow burner; a gentle but progressive walk towards its goal, much like a relaxing landscape stroll…

My eternal thanks to you for backing this book, and here’s to a big bit of progress this summer!

Surrounding myself with video game landscapes - at home

Winter landscapes are some of my absolute favourites - in real life and in games. Despite being relatively empty (the use of ‘relatively’ is important when looking at winter lands) there’s often a deceptive amount to actually see, identify, and appreciate. I often refer back to the Frederick Gibberd quote “If someone tells me he is a keen gardener I ask to see his garden in February. Has it become a barren waste? Or does it still retain its form?” when thinking about winter landscapes and gardens. I am always interested in seeing the ‘bones’ of a garden or landscape in the winter - if the place doesn’t retain its form, spaces, proportions, and structure in some way then it’s a bit of a disappointment. What’s more, true winter beauty really can be designed into gardens, leaning on those elements which provide said structure. And all this was reinforced recently on a larger scale when I spent the past weekend on friend Sam's farm in northwest Essex, near Saffron Walden. With everything looking ‘scruffy’ and a bit sorry for itself, it’s the hedgerows, tree lines, and occasional man-made features which retain the entire landscape’s structure. The hedgerows, in particular, demonstrate this with the rectilinear demarcations as clear as day in the winter months And these are some of the oldest planned landscape markers too: one of the rows on Sam’s farm is 200-300 years old, thus they are genuine historical landscape features, and ones that can be fully appreciated in the winter; marking the bones of the farm’s landscape… I wrote an article on the power of winter landscapes in games for Eurogamer back in 2017, and it remains one of my most favourite articles I’ve written. It’s also going to be one that will be re-looked at and re-written for the ‘Collection of Articles' pledge level for Genius Loci, too - so I can enjoy it all over again. I picked out a few games that do winter well and for different reasons: Skyrim (naturally) has a fully winter-setting and features symbology and a deep connection with winter lands and specimen trees; Dragon Age Inquisition’s Emprise du Lion region has magic and architectural bones woven through its wintry landscape; and The Witcher 3 demonstrates genuine winter landscape recreation in all its details, from geological bones to very specific plant choice and growing conditions. These are special winter landscapes in games; I can’t wait to revisit them in the aforementioned article, and also shed light on many more in Genius Loci. And before I go, many of my friends and colleagues also put stock in playing a winter-themed game during our own real-world winter and Christmas time - it just feels right, mirroring one with the other, and ‘more right’ than any other time of year for some reason. I started what was supposed to be my ‘December and Christmas game’ on the 3rd of this month - Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. It’s set during Christmas time in New York and really scratched that winter itch. However. I’ve already finished it and so now need to find something else to dive into, sink my teeth right in, and hit that wintry beat that I so enjoy! Thanks again for your support so far, and I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year! (PS. We hit the big 30% mark recently! This is exciting and greatly encouraging, so thanks once again. And, before you finish your Christmas shopping, remember you can buy folks Unbound Gift Cards - these are excellent means through which more folks can pledge to, erm, particular books.....that are titled 'Genius Loci'.....)

Winter landscapes are some of my absolute favourites - in real life and in games. Despite being relatively empty (the use of ‘relatively’ is important when looking at winter lands) there’s often a deceptive amount to actually see, identify, and appreciate.

I often refer back to the Frederick Gibberd quote “If someone tells me he is a keen gardener I ask to see his garden in February. Has it become a barren waste? Or does it still retain its form?” when thinking about winter landscapes and gardens. I am always interested in seeing the ‘bones’ of a garden or landscape in the winter - if the place doesn’t retain its form, spaces, proportions, and structure in some way then it’s a bit of a disappointment. What’s more, true winter beauty really can be designed into gardens, leaning on those elements which provide said structure.

And all this was reinforced recently on a larger scale when I spent the past weekend on friend Sam's farm in northwest Essex, near Saffron Walden. With everything looking ‘scruffy’ and a bit sorry for itself, it’s the hedgerows, tree lines, and occasional man-made features which retain the entire landscape’s structure.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2021-12-14_at_11.57.45__282_29.jpg?v=1690915779" width="500" height="282">


The hedgerows, in particular, demonstrate this with the rectilinear demarcations as clear as day in the winter months And these are some of the oldest planned landscape markers too: one of the rows on Sam’s farm is 200-300 years old, thus they are genuine historical landscape features, and ones that can be fully appreciated in the winter; marking the bones of the farm’s landscape…


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2021-12-14_at_11.57.44.jpg?v=1690915779" width="500" height="282">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2021-12-14_at_11.57.44__281_29.jpg?v=1690915779" width="500" height="282">


I wrote an <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-12-22-video-games-and-the-power-of-winter">article on the power of winter landscapes in games for Eurogamer</a> back in 2017, and it remains one of my most favourite articles I’ve written. It’s also going to be one that will be re-looked at and re-written for the <a href="https://unbound.com/books/geniusloci/levels/11952/">‘Collection of Articles' pledge level</a> for Genius Loci, too - so I can enjoy it all over again. I picked out a few games that do winter well and for different reasons: Skyrim (naturally) has a fully winter-setting and features symbology and a deep connection with winter lands and specimen trees; Dragon Age Inquisition’s Emprise du Lion region has magic and architectural bones woven through its wintry landscape; and The Witcher 3 demonstrates genuine winter landscape recreation in all its details, from geological bones to very specific plant choice and growing conditions. These are special winter landscapes in games; I can’t wait to revisit them in the aforementioned article, and also shed light on many more in Genius Loci.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Dragon_Age_Inquisition_2__E2_80_93_natural_and_designed_landscape_architecture.jpg?v=1690915779" width="500" height="281">


And before I go, many of my friends and colleagues also put stock in playing a winter-themed game during our own real-world winter and Christmas time - it just feels right, mirroring one with the other, and ‘more right’ than any other time of year for some reason. I started what was supposed to be my ‘December and Christmas game’ on the 3rd of this month - Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. It’s set during Christmas time in New York and really scratched that winter itch. However. I’ve already finished it and so now need to find something else to dive into, sink my teeth right in, and hit that wintry beat that I so enjoy!

Thanks again for your support so far, and I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year! 
 
(PS. We hit the big 30% mark recently! This is exciting and greatly encouraging, so thanks once again. And, before you finish your Christmas shopping, remember you can buy folks <a href="https://unbound.com/gifting">Unbound Gift Cards</a> - these are excellent means through which more folks can pledge to, erm, particular books.....that are titled 'Genius Loci'.....)

The bones of winter landscapes

We’re racing toward summer and the best time of year for gardens and landscapes. There really is nothing better than enjoying the lush and vividly green world in the warmth of the summer sun, be it from a window, in your own garden, on dog walks, or on the golf course (to give you a window into my life there). But before that really arrives, this next Genius Loci update comes just after a glorious trip to Venice that my wife and I took. It has long been on our bucket list, and was going to be part of an Italian Tour for our honeymoon back in 2020 - no prizes for guessing what happened to those plans… I’m sure lots of you will have been to Venice - it is one of the most visited cities in Europe after all - but I particularly enjoyed it having had (another) virtual attachment to it as a place through games. I once wrote about the Venice of Assassin’s Creed II and its wonderful representation of a Renaissance city, and, of course, the game’s creation of the green spaces, squares, and how Ventiains used plants throughout the water-bound city. And, although one plays a game in a matter of hours really it was by playing this game, and then writing about it that I formed this latent connection with it. As a result, it was really quite something seeing it in the flesh, compared to it being on the TV screen. There were plenty of opportunities to point out famous places visited in the game by Ezio (the main protagonist and much-loved character from the series), and I could even visualise him climbing up the walls using the braces on the side of buildings, hopping between pillars, and walking through shadowy corners of squares and pocket gardens… It is a movingly-beautiful place - when we went up St. Mark’s Belltower; I felt myself go all quiet all the while we enjoyed the views; resting my head against the wire partition and deeply breathing out - a lot! I’d go back tomorrow if I could. It is this kind of relationship that games and places in games can have on us, and one that will be a central theme to a few of the case studies of Genius Loci that I can’t wait to share with you all. There is a definite connection that one can have to a place virtually through games and ‘being’ in a place (or through books, movies, et al), and this can often only serve to increase the power of the real place, and give it an incredible sense of place, and add an extra layer of meaning. Perhaps I should do more of these real-life trips to Genius Loci locations… Keep sharing, and soon we can make such conversations a reality within Genius Loci. Thanks once more for your support!

We’re racing toward summer and the best time of year for gardens and landscapes. There really is nothing better than enjoying the lush and vividly green world in the warmth of the summer sun, be it from a window, in your own garden, on dog walks, or on the golf course (to give you a window into my life there). 

But before that really arrives, this next Genius Loci update comes just after a glorious trip to Venice that my wife and I took. It has long been on our bucket list, and was going to be part of an Italian Tour for our honeymoon back in 2020 - no prizes for guessing what happened to those plans…

I’m sure lots of you will have been to Venice - it is one of the most visited cities in Europe after all - but I particularly enjoyed it having had (another) virtual attachment to it as a place through games. I once wrote about the Venice of Assassin’s Creed II and its wonderful representation of a Renaissance city, and, of course, the game’s creation of the green spaces, squares, and how Ventiains used plants throughout the water-bound city. And, although one plays a game in a matter of hours really it was by playing this game, and then writing about it that I formed this latent connection with it. As a result, it was really quite something seeing it in the flesh, compared to it being on the TV screen. 

There were plenty of opportunities to point out famous places visited in the game by Ezio (the main protagonist and much-loved character from the series), and I could even visualise him climbing up the walls using the braces on the side of buildings, hopping between pillars, and walking through shadowy corners of squares and pocket gardens…


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Venice_pockets.jpg?v=1690915783" width="500" height="281">
 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2022-05-25_at_6.00.26_PM.jpg?v=1690915783" width="500" height="281">
 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/Venice_greenery.jpg?v=1690915783" width="500" height="281">
 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2022-05-25_at_6.00.26_PM__281_29.jpg?v=1690915783" width="500" height="281">


It is a movingly-beautiful place - when we went up St. Mark’s Belltower; I felt myself go all quiet all the while we enjoyed the views; resting my head against the wire partition and deeply breathing out - a lot! I’d go back tomorrow if I could.

It is this kind of relationship that games and places in games can have on us, and one that will be a central theme to a few of the case studies of Genius Loci that I can’t wait to share with you all. There is a definite connection that one can have to a place virtually through games and ‘being’ in a place (or through books, movies, et al), and this can often only serve to increase the power of the real place, and give it an incredible sense of place, and add an extra layer of meaning.

Perhaps I should do more of these real-life trips to Genius Loci locations… Keep sharing, and soon we can make such conversations a reality within Genius Loci. Thanks once more for your support!


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/WhatsApp_Image_2022-05-25_at_6.00.26_PM__283_29.jpg?v=1690915783" width="500" height="281">

Venetian inspiration - feeling the connection between in-game places and real places

Mathew Clayton

Hello everyone! It’s been a little while; belated happy new year to you - and we’re getting toward spring already! This is just a short update to point you in the direction of an interview about Genius Loci that I have done recently. My friend Duncan Robertson has his own YouTube channel that explores game design and off-the-beaten-track aspects of games. We finally got around to organising time for an interview and to talk about video game landscapes and gardens, and of course, Genius Loci. Duncan recently published the video, and you can watch it here: The Magic of Video Game Landscapes (feat. Rob Dwiar) We talk about storytelling with landscapes, accuracy, and even touch on the impact of procedurally generated environments in games too, among other things. I’d be thrilled if you could all give it a watch. Naturally, a YouTube video like this is also highly and easily shareable - so please do exactly that! Send it on to friends, family members, and colleagues, and let’s spread the word to give Genius Loci another boost. Sometimes it’s easier to get excited about a passion project such as this when one actually sees and hears the person actually talk about it, so I’m hoping that this will do exactly that and resonate with folks. By the way, Duncan’s channel is absolutely worth subscribing to as he often covers such underrated aspects of games or niche ways of looking at them. I’ll be back to my normal posts soon - I recently went to Devon and one spot on the coast in particular was particularly magical from a landscape perspective, and I was instantly drawing parallels to some games. Anyway, that’ll have to wait until next time! All the best and thanks for the support as always!

Pre-Order Books

Published Books

A bit of Irish 'bookspiration'

A Genius Loci update - from a friend

A little springtime reset...

A new year and a new wave of impetus!

An update that's been four years in the making - Thank you

Imagining the experience of ‘new’ landscapes

Landscape exploration and discovery - and Elden Ring

Mediterranean landscapes and Med-inspired game places...

Of Rivers and Red Dead

Of weddings and harvests

Sacred and spiritual landscapes

Some personal news, and a bit of change…

Spreading the word - podcasts and interviews

Spreading the word - podcasts and interviews

Spring has arrived

Surrounding myself with video game landscapes - at home

The bones of winter landscapes

Venetian inspiration - feeling the connection between in-game places and real places

A fireside chat about Genius Loci

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