Worldbuilder

Worldbuilder is a term used to describe a person who creates the setting for a fictional work or game, and can also refer to software tools designed to construct virtual worlds. In its broad sense, a worldbuilder designs geography, history, cultures, technology, magic or scientific principles, politics, and social systems to produce a coherent backdrop that supports storytelling or gameplay. Effective worldbuilding emphasizes internal consistency, plausibility within the established rules, and enough detail to feel lived-in without overloading the audience with exposition.

Practitioners may maintain a world bible or reference documents to track timelines, maps, species, currencies, and norms. Techniques include creating a map and geography, developing a lore framework and chronology, defining social structures and institutions, and testing how changes to one element affect others. Worldbuilders may collaborate, distributing tasks among authors, artists, and designers, or work alone. The practice is central to genres such as science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction, as well as to tabletop roleplaying games and video games.

Some software tools and game engines include features or standalone programs called Worldbuilder or world-building tools, enabling users to craft environments, edit terrain, place objects, or script rules for interactions. In community contexts, worldbuilding also refers to the collective process of constructing shared universes, with fans contributing ideas and lore to expand a setting.