Videogames Have Terrible Worldbuilding

Check out Aftermath! https://aftermath.site/ Support the channel on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/ArchitectofGames Follow me on bluesky!?: https://bsky.app/profile/architectofgames.bsky.social Worldbuilding is one of the great joys of fiction, not only is it the secret to the success of some of fantasy and science fiction's greatest stories, but it's the only part of storytelling that actively rewards our obsessive interest - so why are videogames so bad at it? For every videogame with a world on par with the greats of literature, cinema and television there are a thousand that shoot for the stars and miss spectacularly, but why? What separates the greats of Mass Effect, Bioshock and The Witcher from... everything else? Well, after wading through a literal sea of backstory, The Architect has a few ideas, and it's starting to seem like it's our obsession with lore itself that's causing quite a few problems... You Saw: Horizon: Forbidden West - 2022 Dragon Quest - 1986 Cyberpunk 2077 - 2020 Hitman 3 - 2021 Mass Effect - 2007 Elden Ring - 2022 Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord - 1980 Metaphor Refantazio - 2024 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 2017 The Legend of Zelda - 1986 Dragon Age: The Veilguard - 2024 System Shock - 1994 Deus Ex - 2001 Deus Ex: Human Revolution - 2011 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - 2016 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - 2024 Dragon Age: Inquisition - 2014 The Witcher 3 - 2015 Dune: Spice Wars - 2022 Control - 2019 Jedi Survivor - 2023 Star Wars Outlaws - 2024 Assassin's Creed Origins - 2017 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - 2017 Destiny 2 - 2017 Ghost of Tsushima - 2020 Caves of Qud - Early Access Frostpunk - 2018 Disco Elysium - 2019 Bioshock - 2007 Death Stranding - 2019 Far Cry 5 - 2018 Assassin's Creed Valhalla - 2020 Red Dead Redemption 2 - 2018 Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League - 2024 Final Fantasy 15 - 2016 Minecraft - 2013 Baldur's Gate 3 - 2023 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 2023 God of War Ragnarök - 2022 Fallout: New Vegas - 2010 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - 2008 Final Fantasy 14 - 2010 Final Fantasy 16 - 2023 World of Warcraft - 2004 The Last of Us - 2013 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - 2003 Mass Effect 3 - 2012 Mass Effect 2 - 2010 Pentiment - 2022 Space Marine 2 - 2024 Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader - 2023 Mask of the Rose - 2023 Sunless Sea - 2015 Sunless Skies - 2019 Horizon Zero Dawn - 2017 Halo Infinite - 2021 Suzerain - 2020 Frostpunk 2 - 2024 Prey - 2017 Viewfinder - 2023 Stellaris - 2016 Fallout 3 - 2008 Bioshock 2 - 2010 Fallout 4 - 2015 The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind - 2002 The Elder Scrolls 3: Oblivion - 2006 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - 2011 Super Paper Mario - 2007 Starfield - 2023 Undertale - 2015 Sid Meir's Alpha Centauri - 1999 Civ Beyond Earth - 2014 Hollow Knight - 2017 XCOM 2 - 2016 Dishonored - 2012 Kingdom Hearts 2 - 2005 DOOM - 2016 Citizen Sleeper - 2022 Borderlands 3 - 2019 Dead Space - 2008 Subnautica: Below Zero - 2019 Pikmin 4 - 2024 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - 2004 Metroid Prime - 2002 Outer Wilds - 2019 New Pokemon Snap - 2021 Pokémon Ultra Moon - 2017 Pokémon Scarlet - 2022 Rimworld - 2018 Hardspace Shipbreaker - 2020 Persona 5 Royal - 2019 Half Life 2 - 2004 Half Life Alyx - 2020 Dune: Awkakening - Not Out Yet Middle-earth: Shadow of War - 2017 War In Middle Earth - 1988 Lord of the rings: Gollum - 2023 Dark Souls 2 - 2014 Dark Souls - 2012 Dark Souls 3 - 2016 Bloodborne - 2015 Psychonauts 2 - 2021 Mass Effect 3 - 2012 Metal Gear Solid 2 - 2001 Crusader Kings 3 - 2020 Sid Meir's Civilization 6 - 2016 Sulfur - Not Out Yet