conworlders

Conworlders are individuals who construct fully developed fictional universes, often for novels, games, films, or role-playing. The term conworld originates from constructed world; these creators are part of the broader worldbuilding culture. They design histories, geographies, societies, technologies, and mythologies to create coherent settings.

They emphasize internal consistency, plausible sociopolitical systems, linguistic diversity, and cosmologies. Some focus on realism, others on fantasy or speculative ideas. Roles within conworlding include authors, designers, game masters, and collaborators in collaborative worldbuilding projects.

They maintain world bibles, timelines, maps, language sketches, catalogs of cultures, and technology inventories. They use digital tools such as wikis, note-taking apps, mind maps, and GIS-style mapping. Many publish or share widely on platforms like forums or fan wikis; some keep their files private.

Communities encourage critique and iteration, with worldbuilding prompts and coherence checks. Ethics and sensitivity are increasingly discussed, including responsible representation and avoiding harmful stereotypes. Canon management—balancing fixed lore with player or reader agency—and handling multilingual or multicultural contexts are common challenges.

Conworlding informs fiction and game design, illustrating how creativity intersects linguistics, history, and policy. While many participants pursue it as a hobby, professional writers and game designers also engage in conworlding as a foundational planning activity.