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Worldbuilding for Game Designers
Our modern world is dominated by giant media companies, and increasingly they don’t so much sell story, characters or gameplay as they do their setting. Fictional worlds are big business and represent big value to companies and audiences alike, and they are increasingly expected and demanded by both. As yet, however, the art of building worlds has been only taught to writers of novels or films. The same worlds are frequently used across different modes of media, but successfully adapting them to games or building them for this purpose requires a specific approach.
Unlike all other artforms, games mandate participation, with the audience stepping into the world of the game and taking on the roles that the rules and pieces demand of them. Likewise, whenever an audience engages with a fictional world they are inherently playing a game of make-believe and imagining themselves within a different context. This makes world building and gaming a perfect match, with each element giving more power to the other. This book unlocks exactly how the two disciplines are entwined and work together, and how a designer can harness that synergy to the best effect.
The text is composed of short, focused chapters that explain every step of building a compelling world, from getting your first ideas to moving towards publication. It also provides a deeper understanding of the how and why of world creation, and why worlds have so much power over us as players and as people.
Covers every step of world creation from getting ideas to seeking publication A comprehensive analysis of the field Inspirational tricks to break blocks or find new angles Practical exercises at the end of every chapter Simple and accessible for every kind of game or game designer
Unlike all other artforms, games mandate participation, with the audience stepping into the world of the game and taking on the roles that the rules and pieces demand of them. Likewise, whenever an audience engages with a fictional world they are inherently playing a game of make-believe and imagining themselves within a different context. This makes world building and gaming a perfect match, with each element giving more power to the other. This book unlocks exactly how the two disciplines are entwined and work together, and how a designer can harness that synergy to the best effect.
The text is composed of short, focused chapters that explain every step of building a compelling world, from getting your first ideas to moving towards publication. It also provides a deeper understanding of the how and why of world creation, and why worlds have so much power over us as players and as people.
Covers every step of world creation from getting ideas to seeking publication A comprehensive analysis of the field Inspirational tricks to break blocks or find new angles Practical exercises at the end of every chapter Simple and accessible for every kind of game or game designer
298 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2025
6 people want to read
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November 22, 2025
Interesting book but was expecting more of it, it lacks the practical details on how to approach the task and it feels more like it’s a list of advice on what to keep in mind when writing lore (based on the author knowledge of other universes rather than his own experience creating a world). I guess the book is more useful if you’ve got a lot of material already and want to review/improve it
Displaying 1 of 1 review