WORLDING. A Guide for Creators in Changing Times - Ian Cheng

What is a World? How do I create one? How do I keep it alive? And when should I set it free?

There is an unnatural art emerging, ripe for our strange and complex times: Worlding — the practice of creating dynamic systems that take on a life of their own.

Now in print for the first time, WORLDING is an essential handbook for artists, gamers, entrepreneurs and creators navigating uncertain times.

Expanded and updated from prior incarnations, this contemporary cult classic draws on the author’s experience developing complex multi-agent video game worlds. It offers practical methods for building and sustaining Worlds through four creative personas: the Director, Cartoonist, Hacker, and Emissary. Part philosophical reflection, part creative guide, WORLDING explores ways to navigate darkness and sustain agency in a time of unraveling old realities and emerging weird ones.