At SAE, we offer a huge range of creative media courses including game design courses.
From Game Art & Animation to Games Programming, we provide many opportunities for you to take your gaming passions to the next level. Here, our student Andrea Thorley gives us her insights on why safe spaces in games are so important.
My name is Andrea Thorley. I’m currently studying Game Art & Animation at SAE. My hobbies are landscape photography and drawing – specifically animals. My favorite games from the last few years are the Spiderman game that came out in 2018, Hollow Knight, and I have to admit I’ve always had a soft spot for Need for Speed.
For my Advanced Specialist Project (ASP), I created a 3D environment using a modular workflow; so I can reuse things multiple times and the file wouldn’t be too big. So it saves on processing and resources. The main idea for the ASP and leading into my major project was to create a contrasting game environment to see how it would emotionally impact the viewer or player. This technique is typically used in placing safe spaces in games.
What are safe spaces?
Safe spaces are areas in games where the player knows they won’t be attacked and tend to be relaxed environments.
Why are safe spaces so important in games?
Resting in safe spaces tends to have a positive impact on a player because it gives them a chance to have a bit of a pause and to reassess what they’ve previously completed in a game.
It gives you a nice break without actually having to turn your game off, which a lot of times you don’t want to do. This means that it helps to increase flow state, which basically means you can stay in your perfect gaming mode for way longer. By implementing a rest spot in games, you can keep playing and you don’t get too mentally stressed. Your brain is always getting rewarded.
I think many times you won’t be able to complete games because you won’t have time to assess what you need to do next. For instance, something like Grand Theft Auto (GTA), characters have their apartment, so as soon as they go into their house or their apartment they’re safe. You need that in GTA because otherwise you just die every minute and you would never get to your next mission.
Do all games need SAFE Spaces?
I can’t say that all games definitely need them, but some that would suit them best are open-world or horror games. I would even say that some platform games would benefit from them because they have developed to the point where it basically is open world. So you still need to have that moment where you sit down, sometimes change weapons, reassess where you’re going, or even just check new mission goals.
A lot of times if you’re wandering around the world before, you can forget why you’re wandering around it. So if you have a resting place, you can sit down and actually remember what your purpose is.
How can you create a safe space in a game?
My approach to creating a safe space is making it in contrast to what’s already around.
So even if you’re in a nice visually appealing place, there needs to be something significant that will totally indicate to the players that once you step into this area, you’re now safe.
In GTA, it’s a bit easier because it’s just a home or in Spiderman, it’s like a laboratory. In Hollow Knight, it’s a bench. It’s something that’s very subtle, it has a white light next to it whereas in most other areas in the game, the lighting is perhaps orange or blue.
In my project, I went with a circular layout in the middle because circles are generally considered to be safe objects. In contrast to this, I had jagged lines and zigzags like broken rubble around because they’re all things that we would associate with non-safety. So it’s taking relevance and a layout, then making sure it’s in contrast with the rest of the environment.
Study game art and Animation at SAE
At SAE, we offer a range of game design courses for students looking to advance their careers in this innovative and exciting field.
Students can learn in a collaborative environment with our tutors to develop skills in games programming and development.
