Prediciting the Behavior of Game Players - Space Syntax and Urban Planning Theory as a Predictive Tool in Game Design

In this research, a virtual world of an Austrian town centre was created to teach German language commands to high school students. Urban planning and space syntax theory offers interesting insights into the strategies game players employ when looking for the correct path through an urban space. Specifically, the path of game players lost in a virtual urban space can be predicted. The research findings from this investigation suggests that the urban plan and character of the architectural space in a game may be helpful in predicting the first line of action taken by game players as they navigate through a virtual world in which verbal clues may not be understood.