Heterotopias 006

The sixth issue of Heterotopias focuses on cities and time.

How can the ageless digital metropolises of games expand on our relationship with time?

006’s cover looks at the history of Gotham City, from Tim Burton's Batman to the recent Batman: Arkham Knight, connecting that iconic city to the history of futurist and even fascist architecture that forged its design. A photo series of the city supports this comprehensive exploration of one of the most influential cities of our time. 

Surrounding this essay are pieces which engage with both the relationships between environment, power and history in Dishonored's Dunwall and Karnacca, and the gendered representation and navigation of Yharnam which distinguishes Bloodborne's gothic worldview from its Victorian inspirations. 

Other features include an expansion of the connections between Shenmue and the rise of Japanese Modernity, exploring the inhuman urbanity of Nier: Automata's ruined Earth, and a look at how Portal 2 represents an exceptional example of games engaging with the passing of time. Supporting this is a unique photo feature which seeks to document the digital artifacts of Vane's vast desert.