Defining the Research Question Through Existing Visual Tropes
After identifying architecture as a key interest, I began mapping recurring visual tropes in dystopian animation and games. Cyberpunk cities, monumental concrete buildings, and dense vertical urban spaces appeared repeatedly across different media.
At this stage, my question shifted from what architecture looks like to what it does. Why are certain architectural styles—especially Brutalism and cyberpunk urbanism—so frequently used to represent future societies? What assumptions about power, technology, and humanity are embedded in these visual choices?
This reflection helped refine my research question toward architecture as metaphor, rather than style.
Literature Review: Architecture as Narrative Space
To ground my observations theoretically, I began reviewing academic texts on spatial storytelling. Jenkins’ concept of “narrative architecture” was particularly influential, as it frames built environments as cultural constructions that guide interpretation rather than merely host action.
Nitsche’s discussion of game spaces further supported this approach by emphasizing space as an integrated system of narrative, visual, and experiential information. These readings confirmed that my intuitive response to architecture had an established theoretical foundation.
This stage of research allowed me to shift from visual intuition to academic framing.