We explore the connections between these creative industries
Back in 1972, a new industry came to life with a little creation called Pong. The arcade table tennis game by Atari was simple but a huge sensation that became the spark that fired up the international gaming industry. Now, a report by Accenture estimates the value of the global gaming industry at more than $300 billion with more than 500 million new gamers joining an international community in less than five years.
More gamers are women, more are people of colour and 79% of new gamers are older than 25 years of age. As the gaming world becomes more diverse and is able to cater to the interests of a wider audience, there is a noticeable shift in their approach to developing new content and offerings.
The Crossover of Two Worlds
With a greater demand for richer, more intriguing worlds in games, interior designers and architects are ditching traditional design firms to join the fast-paced world of gaming. Just because these spaces are virtual does not mean that they can’t benefit from the expertise of an interior designer.
Games are aiming for authenticity and every little detail, from door handles to candles, helps make the space more interactive for gamers. It’s more than just responsive movement and player interaction - this is about creating an immersive experience that transports gamers to a new world.
These highly curated environments are also highly lucrative because the level of detail matters so much to the players. Fortnite is free to play but makes over $300 million a month in microtransactions within the game. Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid and Assassins Creed are among the open-world games that gross hundreds of millions of dollars when launched and are renowned for their continually more lifelike, highly detailed environments.
In game design, interior designers effectively do the same thing they’d do in any project. They plan traffic flow, maximise functionality and express the required mood and atmosphere through the choice of colours and textures. Designers also help plan light and assist in making specific locations, time periods or styles feel more authentic with choices of furniture and decor.
Games To Awaken Your Inner Interior Designer
It’s not just that games are hiring interior designers, there’s also another aspect of the connection between these two worlds where anyone can be an interior designer. When game designer Will Wright had to rebuild his life, the experience became the inspiration for The Sims. While the game’s initial focus was architecture, the latest version The Sims 4: Dream Home Decorator turns players into interior designers.
This is one of many new games that encourage creativity and give ordinary people the chance to test out their interior design skills in virtual worlds. These games make bank through in-app purchases, teaching players how to manage their design budgets and make smart purchases to enhance the look and feel of their make-believe spaces.
Another appealing aspect of the interior design game trend is the option for brands to put virtual versions of their physical products inside these games. As the players carefully curate their spaces, they are being marketed furniture and home decor products they can bring into their real-life homes. These are also lucrative opportunities for brand collaborations where both gaming companies and home decor businesses benefit from having the same audience.
Visualisation is the Key
So, besides the gaming industry employing more interior designers and new interior design games attracting amateur decorators, one of the most important connections between gaming and interior design is visualisation. In fact, it is advancing in visualisation that created the overlap between these two sectors.
The ability to take a 2D layout and create a 3D world is a hot innovation for both game design and interior design. There is a true feeling of space, proportion along with the option to control light conditions and all angles of perspective that has transformed the design process and the experience for the end-user.
Twinbru is implementing this innovation in the textile industry where designers are able to create 3D models of furniture pieces with Bru physical fabric textures applied to the design. We also create room scenes where a space can be furnished and decorated and then viewed according to any light condition and from any angle to see the design choices in situ.
The growth of visualisation technology has given rise to many more opportunities for expansive and more personalised design within these sectors. Having them overlap is a natural result and fortunately combines the talent and insight to create beautiful new digital experiences.
Textures in a Virtual World
Twinbru’s digital fabric textures can be a fantastic connection between the interior design and game design worlds. These digital fabric twins are identical digital replicas of market-ready physical fabrics. What makes them truly special is that the ultra-high-resolution digital textures show the true colour and textural characteristics of the fabric, ready to be applied in almost any virtual setting.
So, while a furniture designer can see their new furniture piece upholstered in the Bru fabric of their choice, a game designer can collaborate with an interior designer to create a beautiful home for a game character. This space can be fully furnished with upholstery and drapery from the Twinbru digital texture library that shows these products in such high definition that you might think you could touch them.
Game On!
Whether it’s an indie game design studio or an interior designer creating their imprint on a game, we are able to collaborate with you to bring these dream projects to life. Our digital texture library contains close to 11,000 different textures (and counting!) that can be easily accessed and applied as you need them.
We’d love to collaborate with you! Contact us to discover how Twinbru can close the imagination gap between gaming and interior design. Check out The Lab for a visual showcase.