I have been doing a lot of writing and reflecting on exactly what my skill set is as a writer. One of the major things that I have been coming across when interacting with other writers is that they have been told that I am good at world building. It sort of makes sense given the fields of study of I have engaged in, the type of media I take in, as well as some of my favourite past times. Much of the things I like to do involve this sort of unfolding understanding of what I am working with.
When it came to fighting games I became absorbed by the concept of labbing out the myriad of options available in any one given situation (even if I could not necessarily replicate it in game). If I am watching a video then it is either someone displaying their complete understanding and skill of a game or it is someone looking to gain that understanding of something. Probably the thing that affected my perspective the most was when I was going through university for my English & History B.A. It was here that I was able to completely engage with writers from different places and times. It was the first time in my life where I was capable of being able to pursue the questions presented and had the capacity to do so. I was pulling at the threads of literature and was celebrated for doing so. Curiosity brought understanding which then spurred on more curiosity.
It is this sort of mentality that directs my world building. Often it is as simple as starting off with a simple character or a concept to build around. Then it is through a process of questioning where things go. I described it once as being similar to a drop of water in a pond, there is a single point and then you radiate out. Often when doing this you will stumble into new concepts that you can flesh out, so it becomes another drop to radiate out of. If, for example, you want a character to be a mercenary then you start there and radiate out:
Who is paying for mercenaries? > nobles who need protection > protection from what? > people that are their enemies > who are their enemies? > other nobles > did they do something to make other nobles angry? > no > is it common for nobles to fight each other? > yes... etc.
So, through this process we already have an idea of a culture that is being created. I know that this isn't that novel, considering it is just the Socratic dialogue to yourself, but it is through this process that you can build out a world. Basically, every decision that you make can be built off of and it is through that process that I go through my world building. It really is a process I have come to understand through Dungeons and Dragons and other roleplaying games. As a Game Master, the one running a game, I am required to have at least a base understanding about the world that I am guiding the players through. This means that having this sort of unfolding concept of storytelling allows you to make reasonable conclusions about the information that the story already has.
Another key feature of my world building is video game design. I am not talking about how video game worlds are made but rather level design. So, for those that don't know, there are a myriad of methods that are used for game designers to subtlety guide the player to go where they want them to or to make some conclusion without actively breaking the suspension of disbelief. Sometimes this is as simple as presenting a locked door making you know that there has to be a key or as nuanced as having the illumination around the proper direction be brighter than other places. It is this sort of hand holding that I think is very important to a story. Choosing to simply gesture at some conclusion or even to brush against some larger theme is a powerful tool. All good media is designed to guide the one partaking it to either a conclusion or to leave them with the tools to make their own. So, I understand that "the death of the author" is very real but while the story is being written you are very much alive and very much have a voice that should be made heard.
I do realize that there is a flaw with my style of writing and world building. It requires the reader to engage with an inherent curiosity that some people are just unwilling to do for whatever reason. This is not meant to be a knock against those that wish to engage a story straight on as a roller coaster where they keep their limbs in the car at all times. This is a valid way to engage media. It does mean that the world building needs to be grounded in reality. Really what you are aiming for is the readers to say "Oh, that makes sense...". It might not feel like it but a reader recognizing things functioning in a logical way is them engaging with the narrative. Once they take a bite then you can sink the hook and pull them along into far deeper waters.
Really, what this all hinges upon is the reader engaging with something beyond what is on screen or paper or any other medium. The audience needs to come to some understanding that there was a person behind this media with a goal. Once the idea that every word and statement made is understood by the reader to be chosen by the writer to fulfill a purpose it means that the purpose can now be unpacked. This is where the true effect of world building comes in. You can start to sign post things and elicit the next best response for an audience to have, "Wait, what?". See, an audience connecting the dots to something is grounding for them but when the next logical step only leads to hazy possibilities this is where they need to turn to what IS established. That is what makes good world building, not that there is an answer for every question but rather that the audience can find an answer. This answer doesn't even have to lie within the media. There are numerous times that media bleeds out into the real world as the creators inspirations become understood.
So, world building for me is about trying to lead someone to certain conclusions so that they can share in the emotions that I had while writing something. If they pull back the curtain and see the reason and the interconnection of what I am writing then I hope that they can revel in the creation as much as I did (or at least can appreciate the very apparent stress I put on myself to write this...). The only way for people to be able to do that is to present them the possibility. Basically, curiosity is a reaction. You as the writer needs to instigate it with signposted gaps in the storytelling. It takes some trust and some preliminary work but the sort of engagement that you can bring to your work, in my opinion, is worth it.