This book is a theoretical and practical deep dive into the craft of worldbuilding for video games, with an explicit focus on how different job disciplines contribute to worldbuilding. In addition to providing lenses for recognizing the various components in creating fictional and digital worlds, the author positions worldbuilding as a reciprocal and dynamic process, a process which acknowledges that worldbuilding is both created by and instrumental in the design of narrative, gameplay, art, audio, and more. Collaborative Worldbuilding for Video Games encourages mutual respect and collaboration among teams and provides game writers and narrative designers tools for effectively incorporating other job roles into their own worldbuilding practice and vice versa.
Features:
- Provides in-depth exploration of worldbuilding via respective job disciplines
- Deep dives and case studies into a variety of games, both AAA and indie
- Includes boxed articles for deeper interrogation and exploration of key ideas
- Contains templates and checklists for practical tips on worldbuilding
Author(s): Kaitlin Tremblay
Publisher: CRC Press
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 214
City: Boca Raton
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Author
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Being in Awe
How this Book is Structured
What to Expect with this Book
Chapter 1 ◾ Overview of Worldbuilding
What is Worldbuilding?
Why is Worldbuilding Important?
Key Principles of Worldbuilding
Prioritize Believability
Be Expansive/Open
Focus on Tangibility
Find Inherent Pressures
What is Immersion?
Notes
Chapter 2 ◾ A Cross-Discipline Breakdown of Worldbuilding
Narrative
Narrative Collectibles
Naming Conventions
Descriptions
Characters
Dialogue
Gameplay
Systems
Mechanics
Verbs
Quests/Missions
Level Design
Enemies and Creatures
Art
Environment Art
Character Art
Creature Art
Animation
Palettes
UI
HUDs
Menus
Quest Logs
Maps
Programming
Boundaries
AI Behaviors
World Simulation
Physics
Audio
Sound Effects
Foley
Soundtrack
Voice Design/Direction
Case Study: A World Without Words in Gris
Notes
Chapter 3 ◾ How to Get Started Creating a World
Goals
World Bible
World Bible Template
Reminders when Worldbuilding
Notes
Chapter 4 ◾ Collaboration in Worldbuilding: A Series of Deeper Dives
Building the Heart of a World
What Remains of Edith Finch's Ensemble Cast
Neo Cab's Fashion Representing a World in Flux
Character Sheet Template
Determining the Feel of a World
Silent Hill's Fog and The Medium's Semi-Fixed Cameras
Procedural Generation of a World: No Man's Sky's Planets and Watch Dogs: Legion's Population
Creating Compelling Conflict in a World
Finding Yourself in a World: Stonefly's Ecosystem and Sable's Gliding
Psychonauts 2's Externalizing Internal Conflict
Expressing the Environment of a World
Outer Wilds' Entire Solar System
Cloud Gardens' Flora as Protagonist
Environmental Storytelling as Mechanic in Umurangi Generation
Documenting a World's History
Tell Me Why's Personal History
Prey's History of a Place Stuck in Time
Case Study: A World Made for Multiplayer in Sea of Thieves
Notes
Chapter 5 ◾ Identity, World Systems, and Responsibility
Worldbuilding and the Real World: Being Aware of Systems of Harm
Who Are the Heroes?
Who Are the Villains?
Re-Imagining Worlds: Queering Worldbuilding
Queer Heritage, Level Design, and Worldbuilding
Creating Environments in the Wake of Climate Change
Case Study: Boyfriend Dungeon's Messy, Fantastical Real World
Notes
Chapter 6 ◾ Conclusion: It's in the Details
Index
