Worldbuilding through Environments – Designing Believable Game Worlds

Abstract:
In this talk, Can Basdogan will explain worldbuilding through environment and visual design, using examples from his own portfolio and professional projects. He will discuss how architecture, props, materials, and spatial design can communicate information about a world to the player.
Coming from a background in Interior Architecture, he will also discuss how thinking of spaces as functional, lived-in environments can support game worldbuilding. What does a building tell us about the people who created it? How does technology change architecture? And most importantly, how can artists create visual rules that make a fictional world feel coherent?

Bio:
Can Basdogan is a Concept Artist specializing in environment design, architecture, and worldbuilding. With a B.A. in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, he transitioned into game development and has worked as a freelance concept artist since 2013. His professional experience includes concept development for SideFX’s Project Grot and visual development for independent game projects. In 2024, he completed his M.A. in Game Development and Research at TH Köln / Cologne Game Lab, focusing on the environmental concept art process through a cyberpunk adaptation of Snow White. Alongside his freelance practice, he teaches Game Art and Game Design and works as a team lead in a non-gaming company.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://th-koeln.zoom-x.de/j/61795234476
Meeting ID: 617 9523 4476
Passcode: 286491