Quick definition:A game system in which players combine collected materials, following recipes or experimenting, to make new items such as weapons, armour, tools, food or buildings.
Meaning
Crafting turns resources into useful goods. Players gather raw materials by mining, chopping, hunting or looting, then bring them to a workbench, forge or kitchen and combine them. The result may be a weapon, a potion, a piece of clothing or a whole building.
Recipes are learned in different ways. Some are given by the game, others are found in the world or bought from traders, and some are discovered by trial and error. Quality can depend on the skill of the crafter, the materials used or a lucky roll of the dice.
Crafting adds depth by giving value to everyday items and making exploration rewarding. It also creates economies in online games, where skilled crafters sell their goods. Critics warn that complicated systems can drown players in menus, so designers try to keep them clear.
Origin:Crafting is the ordinary English word for making things by hand, and it was applied to games where players created items from gathered resources. It became a standard feature of online role-playing games and later of survival and building games. The word covers many different systems, so the details vary from game to game.
Example:Deep in a forest, Owen collects wood, stone and flax. At a workbench, he follows a recipe to craft an axe, then uses the axe to gather more wood. Later he turns the planks into a small cabin, and the satisfaction of building his own shelter keeps him playing past midnight.
Did you know?Crafting systems range from simple lists of recipes to experiments with unknown combinations. Some games make crafting central, with entire careers based on it, while others keep it as a minor extra for players who enjoy the extra step.
