Science fiction and fantasy are both extremely entertaining genres, generating novels and movies like Star Wars, Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings series, and Harry Potter, and video games like the Mass Effect trilogy, Halo, and The Elder Scrolls saga. But what do all of these have in common? That’s right, worldbuilding!

Worldbuilding, is the act of creating a fictional world. This is, but is certainly not limited to, alternate realities or alternate futures within our own universe or completely new, original worlds with their own histories.

“If it wasn’t for worldbuilding, then the entirety of the fantasy genre would be pretty empty. Worldbuilding is essential to build a coherent and deep story such as the great works of J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin. With their creatures, characters, backstories, and lore is what makes theses stories so successful because it’s easier to tell a grand fantasy when you have a world to put them in,” said Alex Highsmith, a senior and creative writer.

Without worldbuilding, our view of ‘fiction’ would the same as nonfiction. Where else could we get Jedi and the Force, and the rest of the ‘lore’ of the Star Wars universe without worldbuilding?

But it’s more in depth than that. Some worldbuilders are very thorough in what they do. Chuck Sambuchino from writersdigest.com notes that worldbuilders might highlight how citizens of a civilization dress, if there are any ethnic groups in that civilization, and how the majority treat them as a part of a story. They touch on certain aspects of a civilization’s technology, their economy, politics, relations with other civilizations, and their military, if any. It depends on the level in which the creator wishes to go to create a living, breathing world.

All of these, even the smallest of details, is why we enjoy Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings as much as we do. They have unique, interesting worlds that almost completely contrast with our own.

Even in video games, worldbuilding is a key aspect of the developmental process. With space-operas like Halo, being confined to the restrains of our universe is daunting, but the game designers still managed to create an alternate reality. Alex Highsmith agreed with this. “In all of these, they have complicated and detailed descriptions of the races, cultures, backgrounds, and even languages of the unique denizens that inhabit the different planets and galaxies.”

Truly, worldbuilding is essential to our fiction viewing experience.