Playing Italian

Italy’s place within videogames is well established, but a new initiative seeks to take it to the next level.

- Andrea Dresseno

Developers searching for inspiration now have a new resource thanks to the creation of an organisation dedicated to showcasing the cities and landscapes of Italy. Called the Italian Videogame Program, or IVIPRO, the institution is amassing an enormous database to represent some of the country’s most evocative and culturally rich locations.

IVIPRO, staffed by five people, is building its collection with the help of tourist boards and cultural institutions, but founder Andrea Dresseno knows that certain locations will be of more interest than others. “Ancient villages and villas, fortresses, abandoned buildings, and monuments,” he suggests. “Local folklore mixing in with history and legends can further contribute to the characterisation of a location.”

IVIPRO will also present the histories behind the locations. “A place is not only architecture but also a potential story,” Dresseno says. “I’m thinking of locations where important historical events took place, like in Assassin’s Creed II.” And it’ll present the objects found within them: “Even a painting can become an aesthetic or thematic inspiration for a videogame.”