Summary
One of the most understated but effective elements of worldbuilding is the use of food. Food can inform many things about a fictional world: culture, technology, resources, and even religion. Like every part of worldbuilding, the food needs to make sense as a part of that world;a hamburger and fries inSkyrimwould be immersion-breaking for any player, and so thought and care needs to go into what food should appear in the setting. For a new IP likeStarfield, this consideration is all the more important.
Video games often use food as a part of environmental storytelling to make worlds feel lived in, but they also have a practical element. Video gamers often see food in games, and know that food can be considered as items that restore health, or other occasionally other temporary effects. Food inStarfieldhas been eagerly anticipated thanks to some teasers ahead of its launch that showcase some delectable food choices.
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Starfield’s Food Should Build More Than a Skill
With a game likeStarfield, where there are entirely new cultures in unfamiliar environments that need to be established, food plays a role in establishing the cultures of the different factions. The ingredients available and kinds of dishes the player is able to create gives clues about the kind of resources available to them. AsStarfieldis a brand-new IP, worldbuilding is going to be especially important to establish authority.
One of the waysStarfieldcan do that is through environmental storytelling, which is conveying information through the game’s environments rather than having characters explain it. For example, people living on a specific planet may specialize in cooking dishes that use a variety of insects with many vegetables but no meat, which communicates information about the culture and climate in a more natural way than reading a codex entry or having an NPC explain it to the player.
The Cultural Influence of Food In and Out of Starfield
While most of the food inStarfieldhasn’t been revealed yet, what has been shown are items such as the Patty Melt, Orange Juice of Transcendence, Alien Jerky, and Boom Pop! Cola. These meals have an American influence, much like the food inFallout 4. As more meals and ingredients are revealed when the game is released and players are free to see what ingredients are available and what dishes can be made from them, there will probably be more food items influenced from other cultures, both real and fictional.
For example, the Ta’ameya Pita, two falafel-stuffed flatbreads drizzled with a yogurt sauce, is taken from Middle-Easten culture, and is sure to be joined by other meals. As there’s a Chef background and the Gastronomy skill dedicated solely to crafting meals from alien and familiar ingredients,the food inStarfieldis bound to be diverseand multicultural.
Food in games doesn’t just affect the story world; it can transcend video games and influence the real world. Such was the case withSkyrim’s sweet roll, which became a cultural sensation and meme, in part thanks to the Hold guards.Starfieldmay have dozens of dishes on its menu, but for it to become truly memorable it needs food that stick with people, like the sweet roll. Dishes ought to be iconic, simple, and easy to replicate at home. The sweet roll was also a food item that was a normal part of every day life inSkyrim; no one questioned its place in the Nord setting. ForStarfield’s food to flourish, players need to be able to accept it as a part of the world without question, just as the sweet roll was a part of Skyrim’s tables.
Starfieldlaunches September 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
