Sailing to Livarno - accessibility and documentation within real-time 3D game spaces

In the medium of 3D real-time environments, the success of the first person shooter style game since the mid 90s has lead to the evolution of a sophisticated language of interaction within highly immersive digital spaces. However, often because of commercial imperatives, this emergent medium has been utilised in only a limited range of gameplay styles and cultural genres by mainstream developers, which limits exposure to new audiences and the new ideas they may potentially bring. Using a modification of one the first highly successful 3D real-time game engines - Quake - this research project seeks to develop a 3D real-time environment that offers a more accessible introduction to the mechanics, history and possibilities of this medium to a wider audience. Through the construction of levels and modified gameplay mechanics this project demonstrates that this medium also has the potential to document itself - to comment, quote, analyse and reflect on its own nature