What Makes a 'Living, Breathing World' in Video Games, and Why Most Games Don't Qualify

How often have you seen a video game being marketed with the words "living, breathing world" or something along those lines? It's so common nowadays for games to have those words in their product description, and yet there is nothing living or breathing in their game mechanics or features.

In this video, I want to talk about what makes a living, breathing world and how we should evaluate whether a game can actually lay claim to that title. There are games out there that live up to that name, but they are often far and few in between. Distant Worlds: Universe is one of those lesser-known games that meet the criteria.

Skip to:
02:10 - Three Significant Games That Deserve a Mention
05:24 - Automate as Much or as Little as You Want, It’s up to You
08:11 - Pirate Factions Aren’t a Fringe Minority in This True Living, Breathing World
11:07 - The Separation of Private and State Assets
11:41 - Why Most Games out There Aren’t Really Living or Breathing
12:47 - An Attack Is Underway on One of My Planets, Can My Orbital Defenses Hold the Line?
15:24 - Multiple Simultaneous Warfronts Is a Fact of Life in This Game
18:46 - If the AI Can't Beat You on the Frontlines, It Might Try Doing This While You're Not Watching
19:45 - Make Living, Breathing World Games, Not Market Them
22:41 - All Major Empires Started out as Minor Ones, in Time They May Rise Up
24:00 - Just as in Master of Orion 2, You Can Custom-Design Your Space Ships and Structures

Find out more or buy Distant Worlds: Universe on GOG.com: https://www.gog.com/game/distant_worlds_universe

Warhammer 40,000 mod: https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3640729&mpage=21&key=&#4670790

If you're having trouble getting the game to run: https://www.gog.com/forum/distant_worlds_universe/launcher_ok_but_program_does_not_start/post21

Get 5% off at Green Man Gaming: https://greenmangaming.mention-me.com/m/ol/daj-28e66c98bc

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