Playing with Abstractions, Understanding Spaces: Applying Christaller’s Theory in Video Games

Walter Christaller’s central space theory is a crucial component of video games with gameplay mechanics that involve resource management and development tied to virtual places. In games such as Sim City series or Stellaris, Christaller’s influence is assumed on the background more than actively followed. Due to central space theory’s use of geometry, it is relatively easy to scale it up and apply to the algorithms necessary to run the ruleset of a video game. This method effectively creates a predictable pattern for the management of space. This standardization becomes particularly interesting when a deviation on the spatial model is implemented. The discussion of anomalies often unfolds in concrete terms, instead of the abstraction inherent in Christaller’s theory. That perspective implies a change in video game genre and thus, from the usual strategy and management video games that rely upon the central place theory. The gameplay implications shift to a narrative approach found in role playing and adventure games, as the cases of Dragon Age: Origins, Disco Elysium and Horizon Zero Dawn show.