How To Start Worldbuilding

Episode 1: Worldbuilding Concepts and Goals
In this video we discuss how to establish a worldbuilding concept, how to set goals for the worldbuilding process, as well as why setting those concepts and goals is important to begin with.
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WORLDBUILDING CORNER: www.worldbuildingcorner.com
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All music, images, and other media used in this video are available for commercial use with Creative Commons licensing, found on www.pixabay.com and www.pexels.com.

[@SebRomu]

Good first video for the series. We worldbuilders often get asked "what started you on the project?", or "How does one start?" You've given a good answer here, for both of those questions. I hope to see your channel grow and every success upon you.

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

I think starting is one of the hardest parts for new worldbuilders, so wanted to address those questions definitely. Thanks for the feedback and the good wishes! Much appreciated :)

[@violetswindlehurst5555]

I adore world building

[@SotraEngine4]

Absolutely. Although, I think each person have their own way

[@roquea.deleon6175]

The layering of the different general concepts was really helpful. Allows you to think of 1 thing at a time instead of trying to solve it all right away in 1 sentence.

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Absolutely, it's important to keep things manageable! Glad you found the video helpful :)

[@andyzhang7890]

I have feeling I’m gonna enjoy this channel 👀 One of aspects of world building i find the most fascinating is trying to tie it together with plot, themes, and character arcs, as I feel my favourite stories usually have them all working in tandem. It’s not always my first step, but as an aspiring comic writer/ artist I’ve found it super helpful to think about

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

It's so satisfying when everything all finally comes together too! And I feel that learning the process makes me appreciate the effort behind the scenes in other literary works. Best wishes for your comics!

[@commandereclipse5373]

I just discovered this channel the other day and I can tell going through this backlog is gonna be so satisfying. I adore worldbuilding, but most of my attempts come off as hodgepodge "i just thought of something cool"/"I just saw something cool in a game or movie i saw" that gets thrown together with weak connective tissue. See a world get developed from the ground up should really help me figure out a stronger foundation for my world. Already the 5 concept outline is giving me ideas. Can't wait for more!

[@agustinacaceres8672]

I'm so glad I found this channel, I've been struggling to write my story and I knew that an important thing was to establish the worldbuilding first but I didnt know where and how to start. quite different to other people's videos, you explain really well thank you

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Glad you have found the videos helpful! Thank you for your positive words, welcome to the channel and good luck with your own project :)

[@drivingbritt9617]

Just be careful not to get so caught up in the worldbuilding that you never end up actually writing the story. Believe me, it's an easy trap to fall into!

[@RVK-1]

As someone who loves data and various scientific fields and engineering, I am building my own extensive multiverse that is essentially a studium generale, and that tries to be as logical and realistic as possible. And I'm having a lot of fun with not only experimenting with what can be proven right now, but also including some science that has been debunked but was believed in the past - especially for explaining how certain societies in my world function, what they prioritise in their daily lives, etc. - and science that is theorised about such as String Theory and some abysses in the world of Quantum Physics. In my world-building, I basically ask the question: "Let's take the theory physicists are talking about and assume it is real..." I am so excited to have found a channel, and judging by the number of likes, views, and comments, an entire group of writers and world-builders, who are intrigued by a similar idea: Taking science as a foundation to build a fantasy world/universe/multiverse. I hope there is even more coming up in the future, especially related to developing societies with a focus on what they perceive as normal, such as ethics/morals, daily lives, occupations, social hierarchies, etc.

[@tavaroevanis8744]

I am about halfway through this series and I came back to the first video to post how much I'm enjoying it! As an evolutionary biologist, I wholeheartedly endorse the accuracy of the information and the manner it is presented. Clearly, you did your due diligence and employed the science throughout the series at a depth appropriate for fictional world building. You're a great instructor! I cannot wait to see the rest!

[@InvictusFTW]

I find a great newer KZbin channel with quality content on a subject I personally love, I queue up every video they've made. I'm a simple man. Started with your current newest about Fantasy Races, started watching the final biome video for the planet and went back and queued up your whole channel. Keep up the good work.

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Thanks for the positive feedback! I'm glad you have enjoyed the content so far, lots more to come!

[@quigley_cav]

I just backtracked here all the way from the geography episode, each step backwards going, “Surely, this must be the origin; he can’t have gone THAT deep into it…”😅 Looking forward to watching the series, though!

[@Jasper-wb8ry]

I just found this channel, and am super exited to watch this series. I am going to craft a new world alongside you using these videos as a guide.

[@garrettwhite3922]

I needed this series so bad. Ive been trying to organize my western low fantasy setting and have sych a hard time

[@terrorcop101]

You're right about not being scientists, but I do find that being a good researcher is the perfect skill to have for this type of worldbuilding. For example, one world that I've partially constructed was meant to be home to angels. At first, I was going to have the world be pretty generic and the angels look like what you'd expect, but the more I thought about it, the less I could justify a human-like species growing giant wings. My solution was to set the world on a gas giant, which, after some quick Googling, I learned was already a primordial soup of oxygen, carbon, tons of other gases and elements, and crystalized water. It didn't take much to imagine a gas giant that found itself orbiting a goldilocks zone and, somehow, getting just the right conditions for the planet to transform into conditions stable enough to allow life to evolve. Even better, after some more research I learned about colonial organisms, creatures that are actually bunches of different animals co-evolved so each one fulfills a need of the whole; I figured if bacteria could evolve in a water and oxygen rich sky, they'd probably turn into colonial organisms resembling Earth's deep-sea fish and thus create some of the most alien-looking angels anyone's ever seen.

[@jehandesains8674]

Stumbled upon this channel and have already watched multiple videos. It's quite interesting, especially since I'm trying to worldbuild for D&D, where we have a creation event, the formation of elements (elementals), a history of great wyrms vs titans, a catastrophic war, and then begin the D&D campaigns with a stone age setting for the first races (dragonborn, firbolg, goliath). Then gradually move through the ages to the late space age, which deals with galactic level situations, where many planets each see their own evolution of certain races. For example, a jungle world for lizardfolk, yuan-ti, wood elves and the like, an oceanic world for tritons, sahuagin, kuo-toa, etc. Or a savage world of orcs, goblins, bugbears, etc. But also earthlike, with humans, dwarves, elves, etc. Different worlds, different races evolving together, vying for control. Some races may go extinct, other planets may see federations built of the different races, some will be pro-magic, others focus on technology or even persecute and hunt magic users. Plenty of options, but also plenty of work!

[@vadalyiahomes7048]

I really find this series very useful I’m making a fictional world for a TTRPG

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Glad you are finding it useful! My primary avenue for worldbuilding is also for designing worlds for TTRPG's, I think it adds so much flavour to the gaming experience. Good luck with your worldbuilding project!

[@albpoolshark]

I've been worldbuilding on my own with 5 similar concepts for a few months now and found this when searching for help. Truly invaluable and really easy to follow along while plugging in my own lore!

[@carlborneke8641]

You have gained over 10000 subscribers, me included, in less than a year. That’s an absolute amazing achievement and I am so happy that I found your channel.

[@user-ky6xu2ce8o]

You have extremely kind eyes and I'm subbing because I trust your knowledge. Can't wait to tear through this playlist:)

[@wigpiipgiw1582]

I would never have guessed that this was the first video on this channel, well done

[@GraysonOhnstad]

I've struggled with the pull between Earth-like and alien since starting worldbuilding. On the one hand, you have ease of storytelling from relatability, on the other hand, your imagination gets to run wild and any scientific/fantastical rationale can be taken to any weird conclusion without regard for what that conclusion might be. I see you've chosen Earth-like. Was it a tough decision for you, or a no-brainer?

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

This was originally a really difficult decision, because I absolutely love series like Biblaridion's Alien Biospheres, as well as many other science fiction series with foreign non-earth like worlds. Honestly, my own understanding of the science behind everything is nowhere near on the level of making plausible non-earth like planets capable of introducing life, that still make sense within real-life scientific bounds. I'd also argue that most people's scientific knowledge isn't there as well, and I wanted the series to be accessible. As humans, I feel as though we connect more with earth-like settings. I want this series to end in a fully functional world with creatures and civilisations that people like, and I believe making it earth-like will help with that endeavour. Thanks for the question! And welcome to the channel :)

[@lelduck6388]

I think with enough skill you can make a very alien creature relatable. This can be achieved by putting them in familiar settings like playing a video game, getting killed by a teammate and raging, or trying to cook a meal for their spouse and it being lackluster. I think that if more authors put in the work this relatability issue would go down.

[@peanuts8272]

Kudos! I subscribed before even viewing any of your videos. Why? cause I was hooked by your thumbnails and titles. I thought, "This! This level of detail is exactly what I've been looking for". Now, I'm off to binge your series.

[@adria.3363]

Thank you for all the videos you uploaded. I noticed you stopped doing and I hope you keep doing your work because it is amazing. I hope you create series about character building and also societies building. Will ve so interesting. Have a nice day and I hope we can see you again very soon.

[@nephalos666]

Definitely subscribing, just for this series alone.

[@JimWeaving-ty6tr]

Excellent. I need to watch a series like this to help get me on my way!

[@Schattennebel]

5:12 My take, version 2: 1. Earthlike but with noticable differenses 2. Fantasy based 3. Include mythology 4. Science only as much it fit in 5. Multiple intelligens species

[@KevinWarburton-tv2iy]

That's what I'm all about ...Realist Fantasy!

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Welcome aboard this realistic fantasy train then!

[@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim]

I love this channel and these videos. Had they existed years ago, I probably would have had better luck locking down my setting ive been trying to build, lol

[@AphroditeLee]

so glad I found you!

[@archabe]

This is exactly what I have bin looking for.

[@stevesmith1810]

oh yeah, this is gonna be one of my new fav channels...thanks m8!

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Glad you are enjoying the content! Welcome to the channel :)

[@demonfox3619]

This is exactly what I needed

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Good luck with your worldbuilding!

[@settratheimperishable4093]

This is creative gold

[@wesleynotsley]

Great video! I recently wanted to start a new worldbuilding journey and this seems like a great starting point!

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful :)

[@haydenwarren253]

This is very helpful. i’ve been wanting to do world building so i always have something to draw and be creative with but it’s quite overwhelming ! lol

[@DenisTrebushnikov]

5:00 10 years I haven't seen so clear picture in my head to write something valuable, I'll stole that concept of a loving couple on a moon near some Jupiter-like planet, who had come to investigate ancient sword origin they found somewhere else in Galaxy, but atmosphere of this moon was burnt out by asteroid during their research, and they have to decide how to survive and/or who should survive. That will be a great short story for cleaning my rusty writing skills. Thanks.

[@Max_Griswald]

Hey, I connect with Doomslug and Boomslug quite well!

[@larstollefsen1236]

When you pitched the 5 scifi points, I immediately thought of Titan AE.

[@adamjenkins7653]

I started a world building project, based on mmo's problems. That is things I didn't like about them. So: Levels may exist, but should not become irrelevant. Everything should be able to kill the powerful. Crafting weapons and Items should have reason behind them. Race should matter. These became: Mana causes evolution. So fantasy with a pokemon/digimon style twist. But mana should not effect new borns, thus mana concentration becomes "levels". So I have a semi specular evolution, on a fantasy world where mana changes life to make it more powerful. As a result I can't keep it too close to earth, as there's a whole host of issues as a result. More base species, means more mana evolution forms. So simplify the world and I get something more manageable, every dog species is in fact a single species that have changed due to mana evolution for example. Thus how you raise the dog changes what dog breed you get as a result. So quickly decide on sentient species. Currently I have 4 in mind, but 3 more planned out. Humans (the magic race originating from the equatorial forests where the mana of the world is so concentrated you would die if you tried to absorb it), dogmen/kobold (the mid race, can use magic, and can evolve through mana), and Arach (human spider hybrids created by the old kobold civilisation. No magic just mana evolution).

[@DavidGlenn]

I should've done this before I got started. I'm worldbuilding to have a setting for my story (and to make sure I understand the rules of how that world works. I'd have to say my world is Earth-based, is science fiction, is based on prehistory, science based, and only a couple of intelligent creatures.

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

You can always add concepts and goals in later in the worldbuilding process! (Though admittedly it is easier at the start) What you've described for your world allows you a huge amount of sources of inspiration. I imagine it will be less difficult finding inspiration and more finding what fits for the world you have in mind! Sometimes that can be just as much of a challenge haha

[@DavidGlenn]

@@WorldbuildingCorner I see. Thanks for that

[@ailkoclaeys182]

You sir, get a subscribe

[@WorldbuildingCorner]

Welcome!

[@rawkeh]

Haha, you've just described Majipoor

[@drivingbritt9617]

In my experience, it's often better to start with ideas for interesting characters before establishing the finer details of worldbuilding, since that has a way of creating more compelling stories. Themes and grander ideas should complement the characters. After all, Middle-Earth would not have been nearly as interesting on it's own, without Frodo, Sam, Bilbo, Aragorn, Gandalf, etc. Characters should drive the world forward, not the other way around.

[@Void_Orbits]

8:13 Wtf, why'd u have to add that statue though-💀👀👀

[@LWolf12]

Oh, is the Bunyip gonna show up?

[@Whodidyoudieto]

i just want to make a world for my conlangs 😔

[@Whodidyoudieto]

you know what i'm using wikipedia speak up man

[@naolucillerandom5280]

My concepts: > Barbie and the Fairy Secret > But instead of pastels the colors are cyberpunk And: > A comment said dwarves could be evolved neanderthals and I thought it was funny And who could forget: > I tried to make a massive anime crossover have a cohesive magic system > I don't know how I ended up with a whole planet this was supposed to be a high school AU > This has been consuming the past 5 years of my life somebody save me Lol

[@caitlinwarren461]

As an astrobiologist, I can't wait 😅