Spatial meaning as a design principle for virtual worlds: A review of the existing literature

Spatial design has impacted virtual worlds in a variety of ways; from virtual heritage to digital twins of university campuses, many models have shown interest in leveraging space and place in the pursuit of enhancing the user experience. This work presents the opportunities spatial meaning can provide for virtual world design, along with the inherent risks and challenges that over-prioritization on realism can present. We aim to uncover how this has been achieved in the past, along with the considerations needed to ensure a safe and fun environment for the user when interacting with this emerging technology. In this regard, raising awareness of the preventative measures and practices behind privacy and data protection should be a necessity for designers to consider. We also aim to explore gamification in virtual worlds and how this may be applied in a spatial context. Games have often leveraged environmental storytelling as a medium to tell a story and provide meaning to the space players explore. We put the proposition forward that this can be applied spatially within virtual worlds as well. Overall, our main goal is to review the existing literature behind spatiality within virtual worlds and explore the design principles and opportunities behind their applications within various contexts.