- Author
- Holly Nielsen, guest writer on the Lunar Division blog
- Published
- 19 August 2025
- Kind
- Developer design diary (number 17), written by the game's co-writer
- Original
- lunardivision.net/micro-and-macro-history/
- Subject
- Games and game design
- Themes
- Invented worlds
What it is
Holly Nielsen is a historian, writer and narrative designer on Amberspire. The post explains one idea from the worldbuilding, the link between macrohistory and microhistory. It uses the mausoleum under the player's city as its example.
What it says
- Nielsen defines macro history as large and long-term, and micro history as everyday life.
- The mausoleum under the city is the macro element. The post says people treat it like the sea.
- Nielsen says abandoned buildings can collapse into the mausoleum because the ground needs constant upkeep.
- Nielsen argues worldbuilding documents should say how things are perceived and felt.
- In the game the micro level is explored mainly through events.
- Nielsen imagines being an in-world historian who studies the game events as microhistory.
What evidence it gives
The post offers the author's reasoning and a quoted worldbuilding note. It gives three event outlines from the game. It shows no player reactions and no test results.
Interests and limits
The author works on the game, and the page links to wishlisting it. The post describes design intent, not how players experience it. It covers one aspect of the narrative. The events are brief outlines, not full text.