How to Worldbuild Hobbies Unique to your Sci Fi Setting
- Casey Hudson
- Sep 8
- 6 min read
Our diversionary activities say a lot about who we are as individuals and as a culture. And it's how your characters express their personality… especially in a fictional world.
Here are some vital questions to explore when designing unique hobbies.
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Baseline for Worldbuilding Hobbies: Popularity and Values
I never thought much about hobbies. …until it was time to develop characters for my Drifting Amalgams universe.
And while I could just pick an arbitrary hobby for each individual, there’s real benefit in being more thoughtful about this aspect of worldbuilding culture.
Because, speaking more broadly, hobbies are just as much about cultures as they are about individuals. They’re quiet messages about value systems and social norms.
Just think: I enjoy reading. Common hobby, right? Well, it is within cultures that value literacy. And when slavery was widespread in North America, someone like me wasn’t likely to read anything out in the open. Eventually, North American culture began valuing literacy so much that the invention of the printing press was embraced.
Now, most children are taught to read. That’s a pretty significant cultural investment. The fact that we invest this much in reading says a lot about how important it is to us.
But that’s not all. As adults, we’re not forced to read. At least not for pleasure. We want to read. Because we’re drawn to story. A desire that says a lot about who we are as human beings.
So I like to worldbuild hobbies as an extension of worldbuilding culture. Starting with value systems.
Tadaribrae are one of the fastest flying species in my universe. And many tadaribrae-inclusive cultures have educational systems that teach engineering at an early age. As their societies evolved, they industrialized and began engineering fast vehicles …that eventually travelled the stars.
So what’s a common hobby in their world? Spaceship racing.
But I wasn’t satisfied with just saying that spaceship racing exists as a hobby. Because then, it doesn’t work as well as a narrative device. Before I can make my hobby important to the story, I have to develop it.
How does the hobby reflect cultural values or norms? How popular is this hobby within the society as a whole?
For the tadaribrae, spaceship racing reflects their values of speed, flying, engineering, and industrialization. And like motorsport here on Earth, spaceship racing was a slow burn. Something initially for the elite. People who could afford vehicles. But as vehicles became more commonplace, so did racing them.
As personal space travel became routine, racing in space evolved into one of the most popular sports for amateurs and professionals.
I’ve built this hobby to be a natural extension of the culture that I’ve created.
But remember: this is about worldbuilding culture in a way that makes sense for the story you want to tell. So whether or not hobbies even exist in your culture says
something about that culture. Maybe this is a world where diversionary activities are frowned upon. Or maybe no one even has time for a hobby. Maybe hobbies are a luxury of sorts. These are all reasonable worldbuilding choices… as long as you understand why that culture is hobby free.
Mind and Body Aspects Essential for Worldbuilding Hobbies
We subconsciously understand that hobbies are extensions of mind and body. But, when worlds are fictional, that can mean a mind that’s technologically augmented. Or a body that’s gelatinous.
Or maybe the culture is full of people with vastly differing physiologies or mental capabilities.
Even when a culture includes a variety of species, there should be a shared baseline. That baseline could be directly physical or mental, but it could also be about mindset. Something emotional or spiritual.
Looking at hobby through this lens gives you a chance to think inventively or turn a common hobby on its side. Take travel. Often a hobby for an adventurous mindset. But what if a culture’s people can’t physically traverse terrain that interests them. In a sci-fi world, that may mean that holographic travel is a common hobby.
However you build or adapt a hobby, mind and body is a great place to begin exploring nuance.
What physical skills do your hobbyists have in common? Endurance? Dexterity? What about mental ones? Creativity? Tactical thinking, maybe?
For my spaceship racing, gravity sensing and strong sensory perception are key. The fact that tadaribrae can experience sensory overload around strongly magnetic fields means this hobby is about pushing the edge and mind / body discipline.
Great! But how do these details add narrative value once world becomes story?
For me, this worldbuild was prompted because I needed to move my plot forward.
Take a look at this passage from an early draft:
The trip from headquarters to Big Odalee was longer than Yaneon had expected. His assistant filled the time by talking.
A lot.
“This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in my entire life—including that one time I got to meet the single most trophied flyballer in the league. Rayesz Kunthalo is my absolute favorite spaceship racer in the galaxy. I can’t believe she’s going to be on Big Odalee while we’re there! She’s so amazing—and daring—to have done the gravity races and won. And she didn’t just win, she set a new record—still hasn’t been beaten. And the black hole challenge that caused everyone else in the race to go insane? Not figuratively—literally insane! She did it twice—Twice! Oh. Oh! Did I tell you about the binary star system she flew through without any gravitational sensors activated on the ship?! You can’t do that. You just can’t! But she did!…”
Yaneon stopped listening after a time, but checked in occasionally to make sure there wasn’t anything pertinent to the inspection. He tuned back in when his assistant mentioned one of the deceased.
“…those are the rumors, anyway. The way I figure it, it doesn’t matter whether they are or they aren’t. The race results are what matters, and KJ is one of the best race engineers in the division. He and Rayesz work so well together I don’t know what she’s going to do now that he’s dead. That’s so devastating—how he died—and so senseless. I hope the races don’t suffer. Do you think…”
“We’re here!” Yaneon announced.
Out of context, this probably sounds expository. And I’d agree if there were any spaceship races in the book. Or any reason to tell the reader that they exist.
But this conversation isn’t about racing. Not really.
This snippet is about the character’s fanatic nature. His awe and admiration for his favorite racing team. A mentality that leads to pivotal actions later in the novel.
When my character gushes about the details I’m building here, he’s actually giving insight into his thoughts and feelings. And, later, his motivation.
Equipment and Environment: Details for Worldbuilding Hobbies
If you’re looking to dig even deeper into worldbuilding hobbies, the next step is detailing equipment and environment.
Not every hobby needs equipment or environment. But you’ll want to look out for aspects that are mundane enough to be ignored.
Indoor hobbies like playing video games need a game console. Cooking needs a stove. But, more fundamentally, they also need electricity. So, do you need to think about how electricity or boiling water works on a different planet?
Hobbies like birdwatching may not need equipment. But there is an option to use binoculars.
Environmentally, birdwatching is usually done “outside,” right? But does outside mean a park or a forest? Maybe birds are uncommon in your world. And you can only view them in their native canyon environment.
Take this opportunity to detail the optional as well as the crucial needs of the hobby.
What environment is ideal for this hobby? Does it occur indoors or outdoors? On a planet or in space? Are there optional environments that offer a more unique experience? And what equipment is vital vs. what equipment is optional?
Obviously, my spaceship races require space and ships. Space-specific obstacles and fast ships.
But that’s a worldbuilding topic all its own.
For now, you can focus on the three basics I outline here as well as the other 14 questions in my Patreon.
Until next time, stay inspired.