This paper describes ongoing research on the design of space and its experience in digital games from a cinematic and narrative perspective by exploring the relationship among spatial learning and cognition, narrative theories and the cinematic treatment of space. While the highlighted interconnections among the aforementioned fields apply to computer games in general, open world games are studied to identify commonalities between representations of space across different modalities (namely games and cinema). The paper outlines part of a theoretical framework regarding the above aspects of video games that is currently under formulation.