Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary setting with coherent qualities such as geography, history, and culture. It typically involves the creation of things such as backstory, inhabitants, architecture, flora and fauna, in order to understand the key relationships in the world.
In game development, worldbuilding guides your choices as a gameplay designer/artist/narrative designer/animator/level design etc. Not all of the information you create about your world will be shared directly with a player.
The worldview is all of the information you have about the setting you are creating as a designer. You will always know more about the world you are designing than a player.
The storyview is what a player knows about the world you have designed.
The differences between these two viewpoints can be a powerful tool for storytelling.
You will often hear the term “secondary world” referred to when discussing worldbuilding. The term comes from JRR Tolkein’s distinction between the real world (primary world) and the author’s imagination (secondary world).
There are two methods of world-building: top-down and bottom-up.
Top-down worldbuilding starts with a general overview such as geographic layout, climate, history, and inhabitants, and then becomes more and more detailed. Everything starts with a wide lens and zooms in.
Bottom-up worldbuilding starts with the specific location, which is developed in great detail. Over time, the world is developed around this focal point.
Neither is inherently better than the other, but the viability of each approach is relative to your project’s needs.
Worldbuilding establishes the setting of your narrative. This setting creates context for a player, providing an understanding of the world around them and how they relate to it.
Videogames (particularly commercial videogames) rely on worldbuilding as part of their documentation when pitching projects to ensure that their entire team is in alignment.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be doing some related exercises in worldbuilding and character development. We might refer to this as a “world bible”. You may choose to use this as the basis for your next project in this class, or not!
This exercise will take a “top down” approach to the worldbuilding, with initial focus on understanding the geography, climate, natural history, resources, and biology (flora and fauna) of the world. Then, we’ll continue to zoom in and get an understanding of the cultural history and significant relationships between the world’s inhabitants and focus on developing one character that belongs to this fictional society.
For this exercise you will need:
*If you decide to use pen and paper, you will need to submit a scanned/photographed copy of these documents.
Notes from this exercise here.
Visual novels are interactive narrative games that combine text, character art, and sound to tell stories where player choices shape the outcome. The genre emerged in Japan during the early 1980s, evolving from text-based adventure games into richly illustrated, branching stories.
By the 1990s, visual novels had established distinct styles such as romance, mystery, and science fiction. In the 2000s and 2010s, they expanded globally, bridging game design, literature, and interactive art, while independent creators experimented with new forms and subverted established tropes.
| Year | Title | Developer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Portopia Serial Murder Case | Enix (Yuji Horii) | Foundational detective adventure; widely regarded as the first major visual novel. |
| 1983 | Mystery of Kano | Riverhillsoft | Early graphic mystery game blending text commands and static art. |
| 1986 | J.B. Harold Murder Club | Riverhillsoft | Realistic detective story; featured branching investigations. |
| 1988 | Snatcher | Konami (Hideo Kojima) | Cinematic cyberpunk thriller influenced by Blade Runner. |
| Year | Title | Developer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Tokimeki Memorial | Konami | Popularized dating sim mechanics and school-life settings. |
| 1996 | YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World | ELF Corporation | Introduced timeline-based branching and multiverse storytelling. |
| 1996 | Kizuato | Leaf | Early bishōjo visual novel mixing romance and horror. |
| 1997 | To Heart | Leaf | Expanded character-driven romance narratives and route systems. |
| Year | Title | Developer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Kanon | Key | Established the emotional “nakige” or tearjerker genre. |
| 2000 | AIR | Key | Romantic fantasy emphasizing atmosphere and poetic tone. |
| 2001 | Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney | Capcom | Brought VN-style storytelling to global handheld audiences. |
| 2002 | Ever17: The Out of Infinity | KID | Multi-perspective sci-fi story with intricate plot design. |
| 2004 | Clannad | Key | Deep emotional drama about family, memory, and growth. |
| 2004 | Fate/stay night | Type-Moon | Fantasy VN with branching routes; launched a major media franchise. |
| Year | Title | Developer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors | Spike Chunsoft | Puzzle/VN hybrid with timeline manipulation mechanics. |
| 2009 | Steins;Gate | 5pb. & Nitroplus | Sci-fi time travel narrative acclaimed for intricate design. |
| 2011 | Hatoful Boyfriend | Hato Moa | Parody dating sim that evolves into an emotional narrative. |
| 2012 | Analogue: A Hate Story | Christine Love | English-language VN exploring AI, identity, and archives. |
| 2017 | Doki Doki Literature Club | Team Salvato | Psychological horror and meta-commentary on VN conventions. |
Ren’Py is a free visual novel engine that uses Python for scripting logic. It is designed for interactive storytelling, combining text, images, and sound to create branching narratives, visual dialogue, and player choices. Official site: renpy.org
Create a short playable Ren’Py scene that demonstrates basic storytelling and branching dialogue. This assignment will build on the concepts covered in class and give you a chance to experiment with narrative structure, player choice, and presentation.
Play at least 2 hours of Doki Doki Literature Club by Team Salvato. Feel free to play more if you like.
Note: There is a free download of this if the $10 is out of your budget.
Take notes. What did you like? Dislike? Something that caused a reaction in you? Something you didn’t understand? Favorite moments?
Come to class in two weeks with a two open-ended discussion questions related to your experiences playing the game. There is a Canvas assignment to submit your thoughts.
In the first half of class next week, Caroline “Mado” Zeghibe will be leading a crash course workshop on developing Visual Novel concepts. Please make sure to arrive on-time!
Preparing for a Career in AAA Video Game Development!
The Game Your Future Conference will feature over 30 professional speakers, presentations, and workshops covering a wide range of game industry topics—from development and design to career growth.
This is a great opportunity to meet other regional game developers, students, and industry professionals!