ONLINE Worldbuilding For Stories And Games

Do you have ideas for an imaginary world that you KNOW game players or readers will want to lose themselves within? Whether it is a fantasy world or one that is science fiction-based, creating such a believable and compelling world requires a myriad of details that will need to be defined including geographies, cultures, economies, and bestiaries, which can be overwhelming. In this ONLINE course, you will be guided through a systematic process of the your world resulting in a solid foundation and approach for you to work from even after the course is done.

You will learn:

• Research techniques for inspiration and authenticity
• How to map out your world and develop the societal elements including settlements, cultures, governments, and technologies (or MAGIC!)
• How to design creatures that will inhabit your world
• The process to define the historical timeline of your world to provide context  

Schedule:

• This workshops is taught live online from Monday to Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

Prerequisites:

• No previous knowledge or skills are required for this course.

Technical Requirements:

Students must have access to a computer as well as additional hardware and software. Some programs or courses may indicate additional technology requirements, and not all programs are Mac compatible. See individual course descriptions for more information.

• Windows PC or Mac computer
• Display with minimum resolution of 1024 x 768. While it is not mandatory, it is recommended to have a second monitor connected to the computer to extend the desktop. This allows the student to more easily follow what the instructor is demonstrating while concurrently being able to see the software environment that the student is working within. A good alternative to a second computer monitor is a tablet (eg. iPad, Kindle Fire, etc.) with internet access that could be used to display the instructor's screen.
• Web camera
• Headset with microphone
• Three-button mouse
• Broadband internet connection
• Current, major internet browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari)
• Latest version of Adobe Reader

Orientation Session:

Please note that in order to ensure that students have their home computers set up correctly for the class, and to orientate students to learning in an online environment, there will be a 30-minute scheduled orientation session that will run the week before the workshop is scheduled to start. Information about this will be sent to students 2-weeks prior to the start of the workshop.