Best Practice: Implementing Engaging Spatial Reuse Via Player-Centered Level Design
Yuhao“ Franklin”
Yuhao“ Franklin” WU
Level Design
Best Practice: Implementing Engaging Spatial Reuse Via Player-Centered Level Design
For my Master’ s Thesis, I researched and developed a set of best practices for spatial reuse in video game level design, with a focus on how designers can create levels that feel fresh and engaging each time a player revisits the same space. I chose this topic because spatial reuse is a fundamental but underexplored challenge in level design.
The project took approximately one academic year to complete, encompassing research, analysis of existing game case studies, and the design and production of an original artifact built within the Starfield Creation Kit.
The artifact was a single player quest structured across three interconnected areas: a Main Lobby, a Command and Control Center( Area 1) and a Power Supply Room( Area 2). Each area was designed to demonstrate specific best
practices, including mixing new and reused spatial content at a macro level, establishing clear and distinctive spatial identities, varying gameplay upon revisits, altering flow within reused spaces, and leaving visible signs of player impact.
Through this process, I developed practical skills in level design, encounter design, and environmental storytelling. This research could be valuable to the video game industry by providing level designers with a structured framework for creating replayable, spatially coherent environments that sustain player engagement across extended play sessions.
66 LEVEL DESIGN