Culture

Culture is a living, breathing part of our world, but it's not something we usually think about. It is extremely important to some people, and matters surprisingly little to others. Culture is as much effected by traditions, government and quality of life, as it in turn effects them. Two examples:

"The American Dream" is to have a roof over your head, 2.3 kids and a loving spouse, and a car in the driveway. Not having to worry about whether medical help can be provided, or if the police will bother catching the bad guy. Knowing there will be turkey for Thanksgiving and fireworks on the Fourth of July. All these expectations, whether personally met or not (or exceeded), are small part of our collective culture.

On planet J4-X2Z, there is a violent struggle to provide food and shelter for each other. Blinding winds and savage beasts make the outdoors inaccessible several hours a day. Many songs and dances and games have developed to cope with being crammed together so often. Story tellers from other worlds are prized guests. The few hours that are accessible are spent tending crops and cattle, and ensuring landing sites are cleared of debris just in case of visitors.

Questions to ask when developing a culture:

• who's in charge?
• what is valuable to them?
• what do they do in a day?
• are their holidays?
• what do they eat?
• if/how they travel?