Level Design In 3D Computer Games - History A...

Level Design In 3D Computer Games - History And Analysis, Part I

The Gamasutra website has been, for quite a few years now, a top destination for anyone dreaming of a career in the gaming industry, and in general for those who aren't satisfied with just the facade news they find every day. If you're one of them, or if you would simply like to learn a bit about the evolution of 3D games ever since 1974, the above mentioned website published the first part of an article that sets off to analyse the history (or historize the analisys?) of 3D games from ancient times on, focusing mainly on Level Design. Here's a brief intro:

"Designing game spaces is not a new phenomenon. Children do it on a daily basis, constructing complicated games governed by rule sets that can change at the drop of a hat. The design of computer game spaces, on the other hand, has existed for only about 30 years and in that narrow timeframe has evolved dramatically.

The level design in most early titles was part and parcel of the game design itself; often the programmer was the person designing the gameplay, as was the case with many titles by Atari Corporation. One person could, much like an auteur, create an entire game alone, but as time went on and games grew more complex the division of labor required led to the creation of a new position; that of the 'level designer'."

The complete article (at least the first part, the second will follow soon) can be found on Gamasutra.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)