Creating a dystopian future isn't just about slapping neon lights on every surface and calling it cyberpunk. When I started imagining Neo Kyoto for Neon Veil, I knew I needed something that felt lived-in, authentic, and terrifyingly plausible. By choosing Kyoto over the more ubiquitous Tokyo setting I could anchor the future city in a place already associated with tradition, continuity, and hidden power so when we see Tachibana later as this faceless Corporate bureaucratic monolith it will echo that tradition and continuity.
So here's what I learned about worldbuilding that actually works.
Start With somethign tangible, for me that was the Economy
Before you imagine a single glowing billboard, ask yourself: How do people survive in this world?
In Neo Kyoto, I built the entire society around debt. Medical debt, specifically. The megacorporations don't need to enslave people with violence—they do it with contracts. Miss a payment? Your body becomes collateral. It's horrifying because it's not that far from our reality.
Key Questions to Ask:
- What do people trade for survival?
- Who controls the essential resources?
- What happens when someone can't pay?
Make Technology Feel Used
Cyberpunk isn't about shiny new tech, sure the rich have shiny new tech, but for most people it's about old tech that barely works, held together with duct tape and desperation.
In Neon Veil, neural implants aren't status symbols—they're necessities. Like smartphones today, everyone has them, and they're always breaking. The wealthy have seamless interfaces; the poor make do with glitchy hand-me-downs that overheat. Rin has loader tech rather than shiny robotic arms, they break all the time and they have to jury rig them all the time to make them work again.
Let the World Shape Your Characters
Your protagonist shouldn't just exist in your world—they should be scarred by it.
Kael, my main character, isn't a hero. He's a hacker trying to survive in a city that wants to consume him. Every decision he makes is shaped by Neo Kyoto's brutal economics. He can't afford to be noble. Neither can anyone else. They just need to survive the next 24 hours
Final Thoughts
Worldbuilding for me isn't about creating the coolest setting. It's about building a place that feels inevitable—a place where readers think, "Yeah, this is exactly where we're headed."
That's when you know you've built something that matters.
J.S. Holloway is a dystopian sci-fi author exploring the intersection of technology and humanity. Read more at jsholloway.com.