Tropophilia investigates the digital ‘matter’ of virtual landscapes in the video games Baldur’s Gate 3 and Final Fantasy XIV Online. The title refers to the eponymous work by Jon Anderson and Kathryne Erskine (2012), in that “places are… co-constructed by our lived experiences, emotions and cultural attachments” (p. 131). The piece is a series of nine virtual landscapes, preserved and recreated using a digital-to-digital photogrammetric method. The envrionments are presented preserved and immutable, interactive but not interactable, detached from the diagetic operations of their host software (Galloway 2006, p. 8). These works are in tension with the regime of Deleuzean “smooth space” (1987, p. 370) represented in modern graphics technologies, in their fervent quest for “photorealism” (Manovich, 2001, p. 163). Instead, the striations of Tropophilia invite the viewer to play with the very nature of code—ephemeral virtuality.

Click on each scene to load an interactive 3D model.

MORABY BAY

Moraby Bay is a small town located in the area of Lower La Noscea in Final Fantasy XIV. This scene depicts an area overlooking the town’s harbour, where numerous important quests take place.

KUGANE

The central plaza of Kugane city in Final Fantasy XIV. The plaza is the scene of pivotal events in the Stormblood expansion and features the infamous Kugane Tower jumping puzzle.

WANDERERS PALACE

A dungeon featured in Final Fantasy XIV’s A Realm Reborn expansion. The dungeon is notable due to its use of environmental storytelling; having two versions of the dungeon playable before and after the events of a side quest.

LIMSA LOMINSA MARKETS

The infamous market stalls of Limsa Lominsa, the pirate city-state of Final Fantasy XIV. These markets feature Non-Playable Character vendors, but at the end of the hall are Market Boards, which facilitate the player-driven economy of the game.

THE LAVENDER BEDS

The housing district of Lavender Beds is set in the Shroud, a region introduced in the original launch of Final Fantasy XIV. Throughout the game’s development, new housing districts were introduced over several expansions.

GRIDANIA PLAZA

The Gridania Aetheryte Plaza, from the original Final Fantasy XIV launch. While not as well known for role-play as Limsa Lominsa, Gridania remains a popular destination for players to commune.

TAV’S CAMP

The first camp Tav, in Baldur’s Gate 3, visits after awaking on the shores of the Sword Coast. This angle details the central area that features a number of tents belonging to their companions.

CAMP TENTS

A second angle of Tav’s camp. This perspective focuses in on two tents belonging to characters the player meets early on in the game.

INN ROOM IN BALDUR’S GATE

A ‘camp’ the player unlocks in the third act of Baldur’s Gate 3 that is set in an inn room of the eponymous city.

STATUE OF THE BEAR

A statue of a bear found underneath the Druid’s Enclave in the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3.

SHAR STATUE

A statue of an Elven warrior found deep underground in Grymforge, explorable in the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3.

DANK CRYPT

A crypt that serves as the resting place of a character, vital to the narrative and gameplay, in Baldur’s Gate 3.

STATUE OF JERGAL

A statue depicting Jergal, a former god of the dead, located in a crypt in the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3.