The Map Speaks: Communicating Via Maps

Some time ago, the pink bird over at Prismatic Wasteland called for a blog bandwagon on the topic of maps (check the rootring to keep track of any ongoing bandwagons). Here, in its closing days, I finally know what I want to write about: The map and its role as a communication tool. All throughout history, humanity has been making maps. If you're interested in the topic, I can strongly recommend picking up Theater of the World by Thomas Reinertsen Berg, which gives a great overview on the different philosophies that have gone into making maps throughout history. When making a map, the big question that should be answered before you really get going is: "What do you want to communicate with this map?" and here it is extremely important to remember that the medium is (also) the message. For example, the mere fact of inclusion of a map implies its importance: the game cares about spatial positioning at the level of the map. If it is a detailed map with clear distance markers, the game…