...game industry terminology is just really weak or undeveloped, we make a note of it, and usually emphasize a more robust concept from architecture...

History of the level designer
How the level designer role was invented and professionalized across the game industry, including its golden age in 1993...

Massing
The feel and logic of the core structural shapes
What is massing?
In architecture, massing is the overall feeling and logic of shape...

Circulation
how areas link to other areas, the "connectivity" of a map
In architecture, circulation generally refers to the "in-between" areas that connect...

...general sense of how big the game world feels.
In level design we usually follow real world architecture built at a human scale. That...

...This book is still useful for sidescrolling platformers, top-down strategy games, or non-combat games. But for better or worse, most level design...

...General landscape architecture books
Form and Fabric in Landscape Architecture by Catherine Dee
The Fundamentals of Landscape Architecture by Tim Waterman
Theory in Landscape...

...Within a game level, this is usually like an architectural feature or a decorative lamp prop.
This is not the same as an in...

...existing place, game, or level (e.g. the intro to The Beginner's Guide is an homage to de_dust)
1%
worldbuilding, architectural patterns
e...

...government / architectural archives, or even 3D scans on SketchFab
From there, perform a study: a prototype that will never appear in the game. Sketch...