• How level designers and the art team approach the game world, and how the narrative designer works with them
• Environmental storytelling: how the setting creates mystery, reveals history and furthers the game’s story
• Learn how to create compelling found narrative
• How writers of lore and backstory can learn from real-world research and history
• Tools and techniques for creating compelling audio and video logs

Module 1: Creating a Compelling Game World

• The imagination space - from the game map to player POV to game economies
• Getting started: what's the hook, and how do you find inspiration?

Module 2: Creating Fictional Worlds

• Defining scope and producing the illusion of a larger world
• Collaborative worldbuilding
• How to create mystery and shape player decisions
• Working with established worlds

Module 3: Populating Your World

• Fictional races, cultures and languages
• Fictional places and historical research
• Fictional beasts
• Weapons, equipment, technology and vehicles

Module 4: Animating Your World

• Depicting day-to-day life
• Using environment to motivate exploration
• Soundscapes and audio/video logs
• Found narrative

Module 5: Finessing Your World

• Genre considerations - how the genre (SF, Horror, etc) influences setting
• Common challenges
• Getting players invested in your world