Social atomism is a theory suggests that social order is brought about through the free negotiations of autonomous individuals seeking to advance private interests. For modern people who have been familiar with using the Internet, although communicati...
Social atomism is a theory suggests that social order is brought about through the free negotiations of autonomous individuals seeking to advance private interests. For modern people who have been familiar with using the Internet, although communication with others has become easier, interpersonal relationships have become more and more distant. After the pandemic, a variety of Covid-19 safety policies have restrained the public from freely enjoying public space, and function of public space has been gradually weakened.
Based on the social atomism theory, this paper studies the problem of the decrease in the availability of public space due to the development and popularity of the Internet. In order to prevent the collapse of public space as a result of the atomization of society, online space and physical space are combined in the form of game. As a form of entertainment that occupies a relatively big amount of people’s time, game can combine online and offline space well. However, existing game that integrate online and offline space are quite sparse and also lack of elements for a sustainable development. Therefore, we propose the principles and guidelines for game design and seek to be a reference for future public space design.
The research method of this paper is firstly to review the literature of social atomization theory, to ascertain the importance of multicultural public space research, and to lay the foundation for the theoretical background of this paper. Secondly, the case study and analysis of online and offline space provide experience for new design methods and determine the research direction. Finally, taking Myeongdong as an example, several scenarios are proposed to supplement the verification of the design principles and guidelines mentioned above. Based on the above research methods, three basic principles have been established for the game design of multicultural public space combining online and offline: interactivity, multiculturalism and flexibility. From these three principles, there are nine basic guidelines that can be followed:
1. Interactivity.
1) Physical space to player: The purpose of the player entering the physical space should be the improvement of the quality of the game experience.
2) Player to player: There should be no obstacles to the interaction between players.
3) Player to online space: The player’s experience in the online space should be able to generate the desire to visit the physical space.
2. Multiculturalism.
4) The attributes of physical space should be transformed from consumption-centered to culture-centered.
5) The online space should maintain a diversified, exoteric and friendly environment.
6) The game context should avoid a large amount of text basis.
3. Flexibility.
7) The physical space should respond flexibly to the design of the online space.
8) The online space should be updated in time for the obvious changes in the physical space.
9) The timeline of the online space should be flexible and traceable.
In summary, in the future multicultural public space design field, online space combines with physical space is an inevitable trend which also can be foreseeable to take game as an approach. It is expected that these design principles and guidelines can be referenced in the future when formulating sustainable urban renewal plans that suitable for multicultural environments.