VizChitra 2025

As the highly creative title suggests, I’ll talk about the confluence of immersion and information in game maps. Be it video games or tabletop RPGs, maps offer more than just direction, often shaping the player experience. We’ll discuss, with examples, the following from a player’s persepective:

1. Maps as a game design tool
2. Types of maps (open, exploratory, generative)
3. Narrative and functional design: how maps shape game UX
4. General principles (and how to ignore them)

We will discuss the principles that govern good game maps, and hopefully inspire you to ink your next DnD campaign!

Key takeaways:

1. Principles of game cartography
2. Use of maps in game UX

Audience: Cartography enjoyers and gamers alike. No cats allowed.

About me:
I’m a game UX designer at Playsimple Games. I have 5 years of experience building games and 3x of that playing them. I enjoy crafting stories that translate the joy I get from games on to our players. I’m an alumnus of NID Bengaluru (Information Design) which deeply influenced my love of narrative cartography. I like maps - especially drawing fantasy ones - and yes, I do watch Map Men on YouTube.