Siber uzay çağında mimari potansiyeller: Dijital oyunlar üzerinden bir takım güncelleştirmeler
Architectural potentials in the cyberspace era: Updates through digital games
Yazar: YILMAZ BERKAY DEMİR
Danışman: PROF. DR. NURBİN PAKER KAHVECİOĞLU
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Mimarlık Ana Bilim Dalı / Mimari Tasarım Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2023
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture

Özet:
Mekân, tanımı ne olursa olsun, insan yaşamının merkezinde yer alır. Yaşadığımız
tüm olaylar mekânda gerçekleşir ve mekânda algılanır. Ancak günümüz dünyasında
mekân olgusunu yeniden değerlendirmemiz gerekmektedir. Yirminci yüzyılın sonu,
bilgisayar teknolojilerinin insan yaşamına geniş çaplı entegrasyonuna sahne olurken,
yeni milenyumun başlangıcı ise, bu teknolojilerin etkisiyle algılanabilir mekânsal
sınırlarımızın hızla genişlemesine neden olmaktadır. İletişim ve bilgi
teknolojilerindeki gelişmeler sonucu ortaya çıkan bu durum, mekânla kurduğumuz
ilişkileri radikal bir şekilde yeniden düzenlememizi gerektirmektedir. Bu ilişkilerin
yeniden ele alınmasına internetin artık hayatımızın vazgeçilmez bir parçası olduğunu
kabul ederek başlayabiliriz. Geride bıraktığımız 30 yıl içerisinde yaşanan teknolojik
gelişmeler, internetin son kullanıcı adına daha hızlı ulaşılabilir ve kullanılabilir hale
gelmesini hedeflemiştir. Bu durum, internetteki deneyimi daha pürüzsüz hale
getirmekte ve şahısların arasındaki sanal bağı kuvvetlendirmektedir. Bahsedilen
teknolojik bilgi akışı ve kişiler arası ilişkiler, 1990'larda üzerine çok konuşulan bir
terim olan siber uzayda gerçekleşmektedir.
Siberuzay, uygulamalar, web siteleri ve dijital oyunlar da dahil olmak üzere,
insanların bilgisayar, telefon veya tablet gibi yaygın teknolojik cihazlar aracılığıyla
birbirleriyle etkileşim kurduğu yeni medya alanlarını kapsamaktadır. Siber uzay,
dijital oyun mekânlarının yanı sıra, sanal dünyalar ve sosyal medya platformları gibi
diğer bilgi ve fikirlerin paylaşılabildiği sanal mecraları da kapsayan bir tür "metaortam"
olarak görülebilir. Bu sanal mekânlar birbiriyle bağlantılı ve birbirine
bağımlıdır. Teknolojiyle doğrudan bağlantılı olan bu alanlarla etkileşimimiz, her yeni
teknolojik gelişmeyle birlikte doğal olarak değişmektedir. Bu değişimler sonucunda
gelen her yeni etkileşim şekli, insanın kendisine bakışında yeni bir pencere
açmaktadır.
Bu noktada insanlık olarak nereye gittiğimizi anlamak için, 20. yüzyılın başında
modernizmle birlikte başlayan hareket dalgası ile yenilenen toplumsal normların
doğrultusunda ortaya çıkması planlanan yeni insan ve yeni mekânın
çözümlenmesindeki öncü pratiklerden biri olarak kabul edilen mimarlıktan
faydalanabiliriz. Ancak 21. yüzyıla geldiğimizde mimarlık bu entelektüel
kimliğinden uzaklaşmıştır. Bu kaybın nedenini neo-liberal ekonominin getirdiği
değişimler olarak görebiliriz. Mimarlık, uygulama, kültürel gereklilikler, yapı
düzenlemeleri ve ekonomik verimlilik arasında sıkışmış ve böylece eskiden sahip
olduğu toplumsal yön gösterici olma etkisini kaybetmiştir. İletişim ve bilgi
teknolojilerinin gelişmesi ile beraber bilgisayarlar ucuz, hızlı, kesintisiz, anlık
iletişim sağlamakta ve sanal gerçeklik çalışmaları insanlara deneyimlemediği
mekânsal durumları sunmaktadır. Sürükleyici sanal dünyalar, dijital oyunlar,
telekonferanslar, kişiye özel reklamlar, kimlik hırsızları ve bilgisayar korsanları
arasında verdiğimiz siber uzayda yön bulma çabaları sadece bugüne bakış açımızı
değil, geçmişi yorumlama biçimimizi de yeniden şekillendirmektedir.
Mevcut paradigma değişimi dünyayı algılayışımızı değiştirerek bize yeni
perspektifler kazandırmaktadır. Tıpkı bir önceki yüzyılda olduğu gibi, mimarlık alanı
bir kez daha insan kültüründeki bu değişime yanıt olarak harekete geçmeye
çağrılmaktadır. Ancak mimarlığın siber uzaya uyum sağlayabilmesi için belirli
güncellemelere ihtiyacı vardır. Bu araştırmada mimarlık pratiği, ortaya çıkan yeni
insanı ve yeni mekânı anlamak, bugünün ve geleceğin potansiyel senaryolarını
mekânlar üzerinden okumak için bir aracı olarak kullanılmaktadır. Bu yaklaşım ile
beraber siber uzayın önemli bir parçası olan dijital oyunlar üzerine okumalar
gerçekleştirilip mimarlığa sunabileceği potansiyeller incelenmiştir.
Mimari pratiğin siber uzaya adaptasyonunun dijital oyunlar üzerinden yapılması, bu
araştırmanın temelini oluşturmaktadır. Dijital oyunlar, birçok araştırmacı yazar
tarafından 21.yy'ın dominant estetik anlayışı olarak kabul edilmektedir. Çalışmada
kültürel ve ekonomik olarak toplumdaki etkisinin hızla artmasından dolayı dijital
oyunlar, günümüzü ve geleceği anlamak açısından araştırma alanı olarak seçilmiştir.
Araştırma boyunca siber uzay ile mimarlık pratiğinin arasındaki ilişki irdelenecek ve
bu ilişkinin iki taraf adına hangi tür mekânsal potansiyeller barındırdığı dijital
oyunlar üzerinden teori ve örneklerle incelenecektir.

Abstract:
Regardless of the definition used, space is at the center of human life. Events take
place and are perceived in space. At the end of the 20th century, we are witnessing
the rapid expansion of the potential movement limits of the space phenomenon in the
millennium that we have entered with the completion of the integration of human
into technology. Developments in communication and information technologies have
required us to radically reorganize our relationship with space. As we accept that the
Internet is now an indispensable part of our lives, all technological developments for
the end user are aimed at making the relationship between the Internet and the
individual fast and smooth. The aforementioned flow of information and
interpersonal relations takes place in cyberspace, which is often talked about in the
technological world of the 90s.
Cyberspace encompasses new media spaces, including social media, websites, and
digital games, where people can interact with each other or with "things" and share
information and ideas through computer-based technological devices. Cyberspace
can be seen as a kind of "meta-environment" that encompasses the virtual spaces of
digital games as well as other virtual environments such as virtual worlds and social
media platforms. These virtual spaces are interconnected and interdependent. Our
interaction with these places, which are directly related to technology, naturally
changes with each new technological development, and each change opens a new
window in people's self-understanding.
While the practice of architecture was one of the pioneering practices in analyzing
the new people and the new space that emerged as a result of the changing social
norms with the wave that began with modernism at the beginning of the 20th
century, in the 21st century, the neoliberal economy brought with it cultural norms,
building codes, and economic efficiency that were stuck and lost their old influence
on the base of society. With the development of communication and information
technologies, computers provide cheap, fast, 24/7 instant communication, and
"virtual reality" studies take people to spatial realities where they have never been.
The effort to find one's way in cyberspace among the advertisements that know the
person well and explode from everywhere, the virtual worlds lost in it, the digital
games and teleconferences, not only changes our view of the present; it also changes
our understanding of the past.
The current paradigm shift is changing our perception of the world, giving us new
perspectives. As in the previous century, the field of architecture is once again called
upon to respond to this shift in human culture. However, architecture needs certain
updates to adapt to cyberspace. In this research, the practice of architecture is used as
a tool to understand the emerging new human and new space, and to read the
potential scenarios of the present and future through spaces. With this approach,
readings on digital games, which are an important part of cyberspace, are carried out
and the potentials they can offer to architecture are examined.
Cyberspace, as a concept, refers to the virtual space created by computer networks,
particularly the internet. In this virtual space, users can manipulate and interact with
digital information in ways that are not possible in the physical world. This ability to
manipulate space and time in virtual environments can have a significant impact on
our understanding and experience of these concepts. For example, in virtual
environments, users can easily move through and navigate space in ways that would
be impossible or impractical in the physical world. This can lead to a different
understanding of space and how it is organized, as well as a different experience of
moving through and interacting with space. Additionally, the ability to manipulate
time in virtual environments can also have an impact on our understanding and
experience of time. In virtual environments, time can be slowed down, sped up, or
even paused, allowing users to experience and interact with time in ways that are not
possible in the physical world. This can lead to a different understanding of the
nature of time and how it can be manipulated.
The adaptation of architectural practice to cyberspace through digital games is
another part of this research. Digital games are recognized by many researchers as
the dominant aesthetic understanding of the 21st century. The emerging digital game
industry's revenue has exceeded the combined revenue of the film and music
industries. In this research, due to the rapid increase in the cultural and economic
impact of digital games in society, it has been chosen as a research area in order to
understand the present and the future. Throughout the research, the relationship
between cyberspace and architectural practice will be examined and the potentials of
this relationship on behalf of both parties will be examined with theory and examples
through digital games.
According to McLuhan (1964), if we want to understand social and cultural change,
we must first understand the changing media. Following this path, the second chapter
of the research examines what cyberspace and new media, which have emerged as a
result of the development of information and communication technologies, are and
what they contain in terms of content. In addition to focusing on the social and
cultural effects of the new media, the importance of their connection with
architecture is described and the impact of this connection on the current state of
architectural practice is emphasized. Having established the link between cyberspace
and architecture, the chapter discusses how the new media offer a playground for
architecture and how architecture can use this playground to revive the avant-garde
character it has long lost.
In the third section, the reason why digital games have been chosen as a medium for
the study of the relationship between architecture and cyberspace, which has been
framed in the previous section, will be reinforced by the mention of their mediaoriented
features, and the potentials they offer for research as a cultural field will be
revealed. At the beginning of the chapter, the importance of the constantly
developing game industry in the world economy will be emphasized. In the rest of
the chapter, the characteristics of the game space such as 'agency' and 'immersion'
will be mentioned. It also explores what kind of contributions and perspectives the
medium of games can offer to the new human/new space research mentioned in the
previous chapters. By focusing on the similarities and differences between game
designers and architects in terms of practice, the aim is to better understand the
points of intersection between the two practices.
In the fourth section of the study, it is noticed that the tone of the headlines has
changed significantly. Mostly in this section, and strikingly, the study has taken care
to use headlines with a tone close to a slogan. Inspired by visionary practices such as
Dadaism, this approach allows for an effect that grabs the reader's attention and leads
them to deeper reflection. As the reader wanders through the research, these slogans
are intended to trigger new questions in the reader and to develop a questioning
approach to the ideas they present. Moving on from the titles to the content of the
fourth chapter, the concept of "play" is emphasized, and how it can be used as a
practice of extending the boundaries of architecture is explored through various
examples. The unchanging dynamics of game and cyber cultures will be explained
through examples of how individuals take creative freedom into their own hands,
turning the game system on its head, overturning social norms, and proving their
agency in the cyber world. The next example will describe what Massive Multiplayer
Online Games can offer as cyber villages and forms of government of the future, and
how architecture preparing to work in cyberspace can benefit from small cyber
utopias like MMOs. It then focuses on the use of space as a more expressive
production space for individuals, with the implications of facilitating individual
virtual space production. In this context, a selection of places produced with different
meanings by Internet culture will be examined. Finally, we evaluate our contact with
theoretic spatial areas called non-Euclidean spaces through games, since in the
virtual world we are freed from the constraints of this world.
In the fifth and last chapter, after summarizing the potentials offered by all these
relations, future speculations will be evaluated in the light of the information
obtained. Overall, the study of cyberspace as an architectural field of study can
provide insights into the ways that technology and spatial design can shape our
understanding and experience of space and time. This could potentially impact our
understanding of architecture and spatial design, as well as how we approach the
design of virtual environments in the future.
Another goal regarding the content of the research is the effort to remove the
distinction between architect, participant and user. The literary part of the research
was designed with this intention in mind. As a result of setting this tone, there may
be shifts throughout the text from a passive narrative to a third-person narrative or
first-person perspectives using the "I". These shifts are intended to increase the
diversity of language and perspective, to allow for the inclusion of different
experiences and perspectives, to enrich the meaning of the thesis, and to provide the
reader with more opportunities for intellectual engagement.