Living Out a Primal Fantasy
Great interactive worlds, as Weisman describes them, are built around what he calls a "Primal Fantasy." The Primal Fantasy is based on the kinds of roles we played out as kids in the backyard: pirates, barbarians, gangsters, knights in armor, cowboys and Indians, policemen and soldiers. Weisman feels the key to a compelling franchise is to build an iconic character (or characters) that embody this notion, someone who players can relate to.
Then, you need to put a spin on it, since people don't tend to invest themselves emotionally if the roles are oversimplified. For example? MechWarrior is just a modern take of "Knights in Shining Armor." It's got all the feudal trappings and family dynasties, but instead of mounting a horse in full platemail, the armor is 30 feet tall and loaded with rockets. But the core fantasy is still the same.
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The next step is to create a world where those iconic heroes belong. The world has to support the protagonists, and the actions of the heroes, in order to let people live out the fantasy. Here, you can get all scientific about it. "Geopolitical and socioeconomic forces create the need for heroes and villains," he explained. All of the Primal Fantasies originated because of historical conditions -- knights in armor existed because a feudal government formed rigid class structures and needed to constantly conquer land in order to thrive. They didn't appear in a vacuum.
Look at Crimson Skies as an example. Here, you get to live out two Primal Fantasies: You get to be a pirate AND a fighter pilot. But you can't have air pirates appear out of nowhere. You have to study piracy -- where historically did piracy happen? (When there were lots of small warring provinces close together and easily accessible with no strong central government.) What makes piracy possible? (Valuable unprotected prey.) By answering these questions the world of Crimson Skies comes to life: A shattered United States in they heyday of aviation experimentation, using zeppelins to haul precious cargo around.
