Architectural "Place" in video games

I found this while I was looking through some of my thesis work from last year.

A feeling of "place" in Aquaria is tied to the character interactions and lighting.

1. If a place is dark and full of creatures, it feels hostile.
   
2. If a place is bright and full of creatures, it feels vibrant and full of life.
3. If a place is bright and full of non-enemies, it also feels peaceful, joyous.
4. If a place is bright and empty, it is lonely but contemplative.
5. If a place is dark and empty, it's spooky (ex: the ruins)
6. If a place is dark entirely (no light at all), it feels claustrophobic and inspires despair.

The type of space also matters:
- Complicated/simple - affects frustration and disorientation
- Open/closed - affects claustrophobia or freedom
- Obstacles and enemies? - affects tension/frustration

Music/sound also affects this a great deal. Happy music can even make a dark space feel non-threatening. Ominous music can even make a bright space feel spooky. Tense music can add drama even to easy battles.

I thought some of this might be fairly obvious, but it's good to get it all down. I have tried to abstract the rules enough that they apply to other games or other media. But the unique thing for games is the interactions and movement through the space. The important thing is to make the place in the game match the plot. If a place is said to be scary, it should actually be scary to the player.