Of Durians and Other Foods: Our Worldbuilding Workshop Recap!
With November, we say farewell to the technicolour of autumn and bring forth the first of the winter chills, so be sure you’ve curled up with soup and a warm drink for those cold nights! Winter here at Animalia began with the warmth of our community, especially at our Worldbuilding Workshop last Saturday!
In case you missed it, not to worry! This article will give you a lovely recap of our awesome workshop, and the wide variety of interesting ideas our community brought to the table!
It took place on our Discord channel with some of our community members joining in. Our CMO, Peggi, and writer, Ameera, hosted the show.
One important aspect of worldbuilding is food. Food tells a story in its own way because it is so intertwined with culture and has been for centuries. We had people from all across the world join in share ideas and discuss how food can be used as an important tool in creating worlds that are realistic, immersive, and believable.
Animalia draws much of its inspiration from real world biomes, animals, and cultures.
We discussed the different biomes that Animalia draws its inspiration from: such as rainforests, savannahs, tundras, oceans, deserts and more. Furthermore, we also talked about how each biome has a particular parallel that is reflected in the game. For example, the Sierra is inspired by the great mountain ranges across the earth while the Barren is inhabited by the harsh, merciless deserts of the planet like the Sahara, the Atacama, and Gobi deserts.
People shared their favourite foods from the countries they were born in or where they had lived in. From pickled fish of Scandinavia to chicken rice of South East Asia, people shared their most beloved dishes to represent their culture and heritage.
However, our star studded suggestion of the day was the infamous (or famous, depending how you feel about durians) fruit, durians. Durians are a fruit that can be found in Southeast Asia. They have a strong smell and taste that is often described as sweet and creamy.
The durian has been around for centuries and has been used in many different ways. In the past, it was used to make wine, jam, or ice cream.Some people love it while others hate it. It’s important to know what you are getting into before trying durian for the first time.
During our brainstorming session, the community came up with a wide variety of foods that could be found and eaten in each of the respective Landscapes of Animalia. The love-hate sentiment towards the fruit sparked quite a conversation amongst the participants, which had become a suggestion for every Landscape! It was an interesting experience for all of us to learn about different cultures from around the world, the stories behind these dishes and the ingredients used to make them.
It is very likely that we will have Durian to be one of the cards in the game, in the spirit of co-creating with the community! If you want to see your idea being recognised and valued, be sure to participate in our next workshop!
The recording of the workshop will be posted very soon for those who missed out….
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