“Every story would be another story, and unrecognizable if it took up its characters and plot and happened somewhere else… Fiction depends for its life on place. If you could set your story anywhere else, you haven’t given your story a strong enough sense of place.” - Eudora Welty
WHAT IS SETTING?
Setting is where and when the experience takes place. Setting includes the time, location, circumstances, and immediate surroundings of the narrative. Broadly speaking, setting provides the main backdrop for the game. Setting often sets the tone or mood of a story and can sometimes even become a character in the story as well.
Outside the World of Games
Example #1: For the movie Boyz ‘n the Hood, the setting is a violent neighborhood in South-Central Los Angeles
Example #2: For the movie Beauty and the Beast, the setting is the beast’s castle.
Example #3: For the movie Snakes on a Plane, the setting is an airplane flying in the air full of snakes.
Inside the World of Games
Example #1: In the game Minecraft, the setting ranges from the peaceful outdoors to the depths of creepy caves.
Example #2: In the game Hearthstone, the setting is playing a tavern boardgame the World of Warcraft universe.
Example #3: In the game Rocket League, the setting is a packed and buzzing sports stadium for loud and powerful rocket cars.
Challenge #1: Describe the setting of a place you regularly go to.
What does it look like?
What does it sound like?
What do you see?
What kind of mood or tone does this place evoke?
Challenge #2: Think of a game setting that creates a very pleasant feeling in you.
Describe the setting.
Where are you?
What is the lighting like?
What colors are present?
Why are you happy?
Challenge #3: Think of a game setting that creates a great deal of tension in you.
Describe the setting.
Where are you?
What is the lighting like?
What colors are present?
Why are you tense?
Challenge #1: If you could create a game that took place in a new setting that you have seen before, where would it be?
Describe the setting.
Where are you?
What is the lighting like?
What colors are present?
How does it make a visitor feel?
Challenge #2: If you could adapt any current game to a new setting, what would it be? How would the game feel different?
Describe the new and old setting.
How would the lighting change?
How would the colors change?
Should the mechanics remain the same? Would they still make sense?
Within the world of game development, the setting must be considered when creating gameplay mechanics.
Mechanics against the setting:
A historical World War II title might not want players to ride on dragons.
A peaceful world explorer probably shouldn’t require the player to constantly run from monsters.
However, if this mechanic or gameplay is desired, the Game Designer can try to capture those feelings in other ways which are better contextualized to the setting.
Mechanics for the setting:
Harness the feeling of powerful dragons with tanks or fighter planes.
Keep the player moving with collectible pick-ups to lead them through the level at their own speed.