Todd Howard

Worldbuilding in Tamriel and Beyond

Wendi Sierra (Texas Christian University, USA)

$49.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Bloomsbury Academic USA
24 December 2020

Media studies; Game theory; Games development & programming

Series: Influential Video Game Designers

The newest addition to our Influential Video Game Designers series explores the work of Todd Howard, executive producer at Bethesda Studios, known for how he consistently pushes the boundaries of open-world gaming and player agency.

Howard’s games create worlds in which players can design their own characters and tell their own stories. While many games tell the story of the game’s main character, Todd Howard’s worldbuilding approach to game design focuses more on telling the story of the game’s world, whether it be the high fantasy environments of the Elder Scrolls series or the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the Fallout series. This focus on sculpting the world allows for remarkable amounts of player freedom and choice in an expansive game environment by creating a landscape rich with open opportunity.

Drawing on both academic discussions of narrative, world design, and game design, as well as on officially released interviews, speeches, and presentations given by Howard and other designers at Bethesda Games, Wendi Sierra highlights three core areas set Howard’s design perspective apart from other designers: micronarratives, iterative design, and the sharing of design tools. Taken as a whole, these three elements demonstrate how Howard has used a worldbuilding perspective to shape his games. In doing so, he has impacted not only Bethesda Studios, but also the landscape of game design itself.

By: Wendi Sierra (Texas Christian University USA)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm,
Weight: 214g
ISBN: 9781501350962
ISBN 10: 150135096X
Series: Influential Video Game Designers
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 24 December 2020
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Wendi Sierra is an Assistant Professor at Texas Christian University, where she teaches classes on game design, history, and analysis. Her research has appeared in edited collections about Pokemon Go and Skyrim. She is currently developing a culture and language game about the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, tentatively titled A Strong Fire.

Reviews for Todd Howard: Worldbuilding in Tamriel and Beyond

In Todd Howard: Worldbuilding in Tamriel and Beyond, Wendi Sierra illuminates this beloved game developer's mind, his struggles and passions, the history of his career from humble beginnings to towering success, and his visions for the future of games. Choosing to highlight his excellence in worldbuilding, she examines how rich, expansive game worlds like Tamriel keep players coming back again and again, logging hundreds or even thousands of in-game hours trudging up and down snowy mountains, collecting herbs, ore, and flowers, and questing for colorful NPCs-and for the sake of a compelling story in which they are the protagonist. This book is an essential guide to one of the greatest worldbuilders in the history of fantasy, and it belongs on the shelves of game scholars and game lovers alike. * Lauren Woolbright, Assistant Professor of Communication and New Media Studies, Alma College, USA *