Spatial poetics of art games: a topology of subjective experience in the works of Russian digital artists
Abstract
The aim of this study is to systematize spatial strategies in Russian art games as specific methods of constructing game spaces for the representation of subjective experience. Drawing on the works of key figures in the Russian independent game scene, the article analyzes approaches to constructing game spaces and their connection to the representation of subjective experience. The author examines level architecture, navigational mechanics, and modes of player-environment interaction as tools for articulating such experiential modes as social anxiety, memory, historical consciousness, and existential uncertainty. The scholarly novelty of this research lies in applying an original theoretical-methodological synthesis of the concepts of Henri Lefebvre (the production of space) and Espen Aarseth (cybertext and game space as symbolic structure) to the analysis of Russian art games – a field that has until now remained on the periphery of art-historical attention. The author develops a typology of spatial strategies in Russian art games, identifying four consistent configurations: the space of social relations, the space of memory, historical space, and existential space. The analysis reveals distinctive features of the Russian tradition: a gravitation toward intimate, enclosed environments; an emphasis on verticality as a dimension of introspection; a problematization of Soviet and post-Soviet spatial heritage; attention to marginal topoi (restrooms, basements, vestibules); a prevalence of spaces of solitude; and an acceptance of boundaries as a condition of experience.
Research materials
- Явцева А. Фантастическая digital-поэзия и где она обитает // Библиотека поэзии: сайт. https://poetlib.ru/fantastic-digital-poetry
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Author information
About this article
Publication history
- Received: December 10, 2025.
- Published: January 27, 2026.
Keywords
- арт-гейм
- игровое пространство
- российская независимая игровая сцена
- пространственный нарратив
- производство пространства
- art game
- game space
- Russian independent game scene
- spatial narrative
- production of space
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
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