Tube - Games

In game design, 'Tube' represents linear progression systems that guide players through curated experiences. This design philosophy manifests as corridor levels in shooters, branching dialogue tunnels in RPGs, or skill progression pipelines. Tubes create focused pacing and narrative momentum while limiting player agency—a trade-off between handcrafted excellence and open-world freedom. They symbolize the tension between designer control and player exploration, appearing as literal tunnels, upgrade paths, or even the constrained camera perspectives of classic platformers.