We teach spatial storytelling through player-centered design
Since 2019, we've been helping aspiring designers understand how virtual spaces guide behavior and create memorable experiences in 3D environments.
Started by designers who couldn't find the education they needed
Back in 2019, Itziar Uribarri and Esteve Farriol were working on an indie project that kept stalling. Players got lost in their levels. Navigation felt confusing. And the university programs they'd both attended never really addressed these problems.
They realized something — most game design courses taught mechanics, narrative, or art. But almost nobody was teaching spatial thinking. How doors communicate possibility. How lighting shapes movement. How architecture creates emotion without a single word of dialogue.
What makes spatial design different
Most design thinking starts with what you want players to do. We flip that. Our curriculum starts with how people actually explore unfamiliar spaces. What draws attention. What creates anxiety. What makes someone want to go left instead of right.
This isn't about memorizing principles. Students work with real perception psychology, environmental storytelling techniques from architecture, and iterative testing methods borrowed from UX research. The goal isn't to make levels that look impressive in screenshots — it's to build environments that feel intuitive while players are actually moving through them.
We teach a six-month intensive starting in July 2026 and a full-year program beginning in September 2026. Both tracks focus on practical projects rather than theoretical assignments. Students build portfolios with actual playable spaces, not just documentation.
Applications open March 2026
If you're interested in learning how spatial design shapes player experience, we'd like to hear from you. Programs start in summer and fall 2026.
View Program DetailsHow our approach differs from traditional programs
We compared our teaching methods with typical game design curricula. The differences come down to focus, feedback cycles, and how students spend their time.
Player Psychology First
Every lesson starts with how people perceive and navigate space. We build up from cognitive science rather than starting with software tools or genre conventions.
Weekly Playtesting
Students test their environments with real players every week. Not at the end of projects — continuously, so they can see what actually works versus what they assumed would work.
Small Cohorts
We cap classes at twelve students. This matters because level design critique requires detailed spatial analysis. You can't do that effectively in a lecture hall with forty people.
| Teaching Element | Traditional Programs | Myridion Labs Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Game mechanics, technical implementation, art production pipelines | Spatial perception, environmental communication, player movement patterns |
| Project Structure | Semester-long assignments with final presentations | Two-week iterative cycles with continuous playtesting and revision |
| Feedback Methods | Instructor critique on completed work | Live observation of players navigating spaces, heatmap analysis, recorded sessions |
| Tool Training | Comprehensive software tutorials, technical certification paths | Minimal viable toolset — enough to build testable environments quickly |
| Collaboration Style | Team-based game projects with assigned roles | Individual level design with shared playtesting groups and peer critique |
| Portfolio Output | Polished demo reels, documentation, concept presentations | Playable level sequences with analysis of player behavior data |
Who teaches at Myridion
Our instructors came from different parts of game development but kept running into the same problem — talented designers who didn't understand spatial communication.
Itziar Uribarri
Co-Founder, Level Design InstructorItziar spent seven years at a mid-size studio in Barcelona working on third-person adventure games. She kept noticing the same pattern — designers would build elaborate setpieces that confused players during actual gameplay.
After watching too many playtest sessions where people got stuck in beautifully crafted environments, she started researching wayfinding psychology and architectural design principles. That research became the foundation for how we teach spatial design here.
Teaching focus:
Environmental storytelling, navigation design, visual flow analysis, player psychology in 3D spaces
Esteve Farriol
Co-Founder, UX Design InstructorBefore games, Esteve worked in web UX research. He joined the game industry in 2015 and was surprised how little formal usability testing happened during level design. Most feedback came from internal teams who already knew the spaces intimately.
He started adapting user research methods for 3D environments — heatmaps, session recordings, first-time-user protocols. These techniques now form the core of how students evaluate their work throughout our programs.
Teaching focus:
Usability testing methods, behavioral data analysis, accessibility in spatial design, iterative design processes
