Worldbuilding with Constraints

Constraints are the best collaborators. They narrow the infinite into a set of meaningful decisions. Pick a few non‑negotiables—energy source, geography, technology threshold—and let them ripple through art direction, level design, and narrative logic. If a city runs on wind, architecture must accommodate turbines; clothing and props inherit material choices; traversal and hazards echo the climate.

Document your rules: what exists, what doesn’t, and why. A short rulebook keeps teams aligned when production accelerates. Use constraints to guide economy: what is rare and valuable? How do factions form around scarcity? Give designers levers to bend the rules in exception spaces—ancient ruins or off‑world anomalies—so curiosity stays alive.

Finally, let constraints shape UI and audio. Typography, icon silhouettes, and instrument palettes carry the world in every interaction. When limitations are coherent, your world feels inevitable—and players internalize its logic faster.