Worldbuilding

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Worldbuilding is the process of creating fictional worlds for books, games, tv shows, and similar. It includes the big stuff, such as maps, planets, nations, civilizations, gods and heroes and subtle things such as architecture, costumes, and what people eat.

Worldbuilding in games

Worldbuilding is helpful in multiple genres and games. For example, a group of friends could play a game of Dungeons and Dragons without worldbuilding and have a mediocre, chaotic, and relatively fun time together. Not gonna lie, it can be a good time. However, when the DM works hard at creating a world (and the players aren't SKUBS and go along with stories instead of getting drunk and wasting time smashing hoes), the game just gets so much DEEPER! Worlds take on life and depth as players interact with deep, fun NPCs, and emotional investments that just take everything to a higher level.

Worldbuilding in tv shows

TV shows with good world-building are rare. Oftentimes the shows take place on earth and boom everything is easy. Occasionally, however, the directors will grow a pair and do some really brave and detailed world-building. Some examples of this are 1). Avatar the Last Airbender. A fully realized world with several nations, cultures, and customs 2) Adventure Time, which starts on a somewhat bromidic fantasy trope and creates a weirdly detailed post-apocalyptic mythology around it.

Worldbuilding in Books

Something that is often the deciding factor for good and GREAT books is worldbuilding. Many many many books have good writing. Tons can have intricate worlds, but they waste time on the world and history instead of focusing on the story, and the readers lose interest. It seems that the majority of books have decent amount of worldbuilding, but don't give those little details that truly make a world come alive. They could miss money systems, or different languages, or country/city relations, whether those be trade or war. When an author can have excellent national systems, histories, cultures, and keep the story from getting boring, they truly have become the masters of their craft. Some famous authors that have done this extremely well: JRR Tolkein, and Brandon Sanderson. (please add more these are the two I can think of) Here is a list of books/series that have excellent worldbuilding. • The Lord of the Rings/ The Silmarillion • The Stormilght Archive •

Note

For speculative fiction, worldbuilding is generally important if a not critical part of what makes them work. Indeed many people get into works of fiction because of the worlds built for them and look out for series with good worldbuilding in it. Never the less it is only one part of what's required to make a good story. There is a reason why The Lord of the Rings (an actual story about people caught up in events involving hobbits, elves, orcs, rings, a dark lord, etc) has outsold the Silmarillion (a History of Arda). Worldbuilding on its own is like reading a history book, engaging to those who are into that but also dry.

Traditional Games can get away with abnormally high worldbuilding to everything else content since what they are selling is not a story as much as a framework for stories that other people make as they go.

Settings with Good Worldbuilding

• Middle Earth
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• The Stormlight Archives
• Thomas the Tank Engine - (We're Not Kidding)

See also

• Fluff