In the recent years it has been noted a rapid growth of video games with large or
theoretically infinite open worlds and also a dramatic decrease of the available time for
their production. These two conditions have driven into the import and integration of
automated techniques of design, like procedural content generation. This dissertation
studies the use of this technique through the prism of video games.
The general frame of the study is established through the explanation of the terms of
procedural generation, the relations with the different scientific fields and a brief historical
retrospective of the video game industry.
Subsequently the frame of study narrows down at the importance of space in video
games and the different approaches that are used for their creation, in order to clearly
define the parameters that make the produced result identify as procedurally generated.
One of the two main cores of this dissertation are the programming grammars with
emphasis in the shape grammars and their interaction with graph grammars for the
production of diagrams of iterations and spaces and their use is furthermore examined
through the analysis of the way of world creation in Minecraft.
The second basic core includes the game engines Tanagra and Launchpad, that are the
most prominent examples of mixed initiative engines, as well as manner of interaction of
the physical designer with the program. The result of this interaction is the game Endless
Web and its analysis as a specimen of procedural generation based game.
The study finally concludes that procedural generation is a new design methodology with
discrete characteristics that are focused on the programmatic nature of design as well
as the interaction of the physical designer and the program.
theoretically infinite open worlds and also a dramatic decrease of the available time for
their production. These two conditions have driven into the import and integration of
automated techniques of design, like procedural content generation. This dissertation
studies the use of this technique through the prism of video games.
The general frame of the study is established through the explanation of the terms of
procedural generation, the relations with the different scientific fields and a brief historical
retrospective of the video game industry.
Subsequently the frame of study narrows down at the importance of space in video
games and the different approaches that are used for their creation, in order to clearly
define the parameters that make the produced result identify as procedurally generated.
One of the two main cores of this dissertation are the programming grammars with
emphasis in the shape grammars and their interaction with graph grammars for the
production of diagrams of iterations and spaces and their use is furthermore examined
through the analysis of the way of world creation in Minecraft.
The second basic core includes the game engines Tanagra and Launchpad, that are the
most prominent examples of mixed initiative engines, as well as manner of interaction of
the physical designer with the program. The result of this interaction is the game Endless
Web and its analysis as a specimen of procedural generation based game.
The study finally concludes that procedural generation is a new design methodology with
discrete characteristics that are focused on the programmatic nature of design as well
as the interaction of the physical designer and the program.
