Geography and Video Games
The relationship between geography and video games is growing ever closer and more multifaceted, transforming gaming into a tool for exploration, learning and spatial design. Games like GeoGuessr use Google Maps to teleport players to real locations, challenging them to identify their position based on the surrounding environment, vegetation and architecture. Many video games reconstruct real places or places inspired by real geography, influencing how those locations are perceived. Examples include the spectacular settings in India in titles like Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, where the morphology of the terrain and ancient temples become an integral part of the narrative experience.
uncharted
Uncharted is set in various real geographical areas of the world, including the jungles of the Amazon, the peaks of the Himalayas, the deserts of the Middle East and the coasts of Madagascar. The title literally means “unmapped” and follows the search for legendary cities such as El Dorado or Libertalia, hidden in remote corners of the Earth. The player must interpret historical paper maps to navigate the real terrain.
Grand Theft Auto
The GTA series offers an extraordinary geographical analysis of the United States through iconic cities: Los Santos faithfully recreates Los Angeles, spanning from luxury districts to the Grand Senora desert; Liberty City is an accurate portrait of New York, while Vice City draws inspiration from the swamps and coastline of Miami. These are not mere copies of landmarks, but a deep simulation of American urbanism and climate. The precision of the terrain, such as Mount Chiliad, transforms the game into a true digital exploration that reflects the connections between nature, architecture and the social differences of the real world.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the geography of New York becomes even larger and more precise. Beyond the island of Manhattan, the game adds the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn, separated by the East River. This expansion does not simply enlarge the map, but showcases the real differences within the city: from the towering skyscrapers of downtown to the low-rise houses and gardens typical of residential neighbourhoods. The map is a very faithful reproduction of the American metropolis, where real landmarks such as the Empire State Building coexist with locations from Marvel comics. Moving between buildings allows the city to be explored vertically, offering a bird’s-eye view that highlights the accuracy of the streets and parks compared to real New York.