Abstract
The purpose of this research is to discover and quantify the minimum amount of information needed for a player to accurately understand an interior room’s fictional purpose. The researcher created a level in Starfield that requires the player to rescue nine hostages aboard a spacestation, each of which is in their own individual room. Hostage rooms were designed with varying levels of appropriateness: the wall texture, room scale, and number of appropriate objects differed. The researcher then recruited thirteen testers to play the level and complete a postsurvey, which asked them to identify the purpose of each of these rooms.
Degree Date
Spring 2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.I.T.
Department
Level Design
Advisor
Katie Wood Clark
Second Advisor
Karl Steiner
Third Advisor
Mike Porter
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank this project’s advising committee: Professor Katie Wood Clark, Professor Mike Porter, and Doctor Karl Steiner. Their support, mindfulness, and care made this research possible. I would also like to thank my parents – Arleen Rodriguez and Peter Rodriguez. Alongside the rest of my family, they provided me with the resources needed to attend the SMU Guildhall and supported my research every step of the way. Further thanks to Professor Myque Ouellette, Doctor Aleshia Hayes, Christina Tsitouris, Nicholas Torres, Jessica Chen, Joshua Ruiz, Anthony Bonilha, Ruben Castellon, and my playtesters. Additionally, thank you to all the staff, faculty, students, and alumni of SMU Guildhall – the environment they have fostered made my experience there unforgettable. Lastly, thank you for taking the time to read my research!
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Rodriguez, Ian, "Predicting Player Perception of a Room’s Purpose Through Context Complexity" (2026). Level Design Theses and Dissertations. 36.
https://scholar.smu.edu/guildhall_leveldesign_etds/36
