world state

plural world states · alternative worldstate

1. video gamesThe state of a gameworld at a given time, comprising all player locations, object states, narrative variables, etc.

   The game will come up with a default world state and give you a description about what’s been going on.

   2013 December, Sam Smith, “Dragon Age: Inqusition”, in Play, page 43

   2 more examples

   Players can edit their decisions from previous games they have played to affect the world state in the newest game in the series: Dragon Age: Inquisition.

   2017, Tyler Paulley, "The Official Rulebook for Choice in Video Games: An Examination of Choice in Modern Narrative Games", thesis submitted to Bellarmine University, page 12

   Skyrim presents players with a variety of actions that they can perform to change the game’s world state.

   2018, John Drake, "Planning For Non-Player Characters By Learning From Demonstration", dissertation submitted to the University of Pennsylvania, page 10