I finally jumped on the bandwagon. I started watching Game of Thrones.

I’m only on season five, so no spoilers please. But it got me thinking. People are fascinated by GOT’s world-building and characters. Why?

I’m not asking from a place of judgment, as I too am hooked, but from a place of studying what works. I’m always hoping to improve my own writing and share what I learn. Today, I’m focusing on world-building.

There’s arguably no one better to learn from than George R. R. Martin, the author of the books, and David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the creators of the HBO show. The world viewers see in GOTs is epic. There are many different cultures with many different ideas about how to rule and live.

Take for instance, Daenerys Targaryen’s breaker of chains rampage. Her belief in freeing slaves is radically different than the masters’ of Slaver’s Bay.

Or consider the varied and detailed settings of each family’s holdings. From the Starks’ Winterfell castle to the Lannister’s King’s Landing keep, there are many examples of how the wealthy live.

Thus, part of world-building is beliefs.

What does this culture believe collectively to be true? What oaths do they uphold or not? What rules do they play by or break? What’s acceptable and what’s not? Think the Night’s Watch here: they have the oaths to watch the wall and forsake marriage, but many men find other ways to experience love. I’m looking at you Sam and Gilly.

Or in season four think of Prince Oberyn from Dorne who says women are protected where he lives, not mistreated, a radically different idea than King’s Landing’s take. So, world-building involves beliefs, but that’s not all.

World-building also relies on settings.

What are the banners of the different houses? What do they wear (both fashions and quality tell us a lot)? What grows on their lands? What do they eat? What is the climate like? What technology do they have? Is there magic and what does it look like?

All of these questions contribute to the overall look and feel of a place. Think how different the Vale and the Iron Islands look. They have different vibes, different fashions, different diets.

So, I think it boils down to these two things. Beliefs and settings. Rules and environments. And no one does it better than the people who created Game of Thrones.

What TV series, book, or movie has helped you with world-building? What other questions do you consider when building your worlds?