Homo Ludens 1(11) / 2018

Creation of the fictional world

in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Krzysztof Jański
University of Wrocław | krzysiekjanski@wp.pl

Abstract: The article focuses on worldbuilding techniques used in

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in order to create a self-contained fictional world.
Firstly, an overview of the characteristics of game spaces is provided. Sec-
ondly, following a brief introduction to Andrzej Sapkowski’s fiction, the
article discusses the design methods the game uses for representing to-
pography, architecture, human and nonhuman activity, as well as for pro-
viding background information about various locations. It is concluded
that the game space may be seen as an independent ontological construct
and not only a framework for gameplay.

Keywords: worldbuilding, video games, The Witcher

Homo Ludens 1(11) / 2018 | ISSN 2080–4555 | © Polskie Towarzystwo Badania Gier 2018
DOI: 10.14746/hl.2018.11.7 | received 31.12.2016 | revised 21.05.2017 | accepted 02.09.2018
1. Introduction

The immense success of The Witcher game series (2007–2016), and in

particular its final installment, excited much interest for the characters
and settings which make up that which is popularly referred to as ‘the
Witcher’s universe’. The games fall within the cRPG genre and focus on
the character of Geralt, a  professional monster slayer. They are set in
a medievalesque, low-fantasy world which is an adaptation1 of Andrzej
Sapkowki’s prose. The Polish writer published two collections of short
stories and six novels that revolve around Geralt’s adventures. Since
their release, Sapkowski’s books became a  phenomenon, especially in
Poland, but also in a number of other countries. The acclaim the books
earned is traced by critics, for instance, to an ingenious employment and
transformation of various themes and genres combined with the skilled
use of irony and humour (Wróblewska, 2015, p. 96), or to the successful
encouragement of readers to tackle difficult contemporary issues from
a  safe distance, through the lens of fantasy that, nonetheless, remains
grounded in reality (Gemra, 2001, p. 185). Notwithstanding, The Witcher
as a franchise gained exponentially growing international popularity only
after the release of the games.
The aim of this article is to discuss the worldbuilding methods
employed by CD Projekt Red in the development of The Witcher 3: Wild
Hunt2 (including the two official expansions, Heart of Stone and Blood
and Wine) in order to indicate how the game contributed to the growth
of the franchise, primarily through the introduction of extensive, self-
contained fictional spaces whose purpose extends beyond the necessity
of providing a  framework for the gameplay and narrative. The discus-
sion is limited to official material only and aims to avoid references

1 It is important to note that the game series is not an adaptation per se, but rather
a  spin-off. Sapkowski fervently stands by his conviction and denies that the in-game
content, being an adaptation, is in any way canonically related to the books. The author
states that “in no way can it be considered to be an ‘alternative version’, nor a  ‘sequel’
to the witcher Geralt stories. Because this can only be told by Geralt’s creator. A certain
Andrzej Sapkowski” (Purchase, 2012). Without raising the poststructural questions about
authorial intent, there is no doubt that the games are currently embraced as canon (or
part of ‘the Witcher’s universe’) by the majority of fans.
2 Abbreviated to TW3.

Krzysztof Jański | Creation of the fictional world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 119
to other works in The Witcher franchise (graphic novels, film adaptations,
role-playing games, board games). This restrictiveness is motivated by
reasons of space and on the grounds that, arguably, TW3 offers players
a well-developed world. Moreover, as Maria Garda accurately noted, the
source of worldbuilding in ‘the Witcher’s universe’ has clearly shifted
from Sapkowski’s fiction to the new media (2010, p.  25), games in par-
ticular. Considering its size, TW3 aspires to be a major contributor to the
expansion and actualisation of the world of The Witcher franchise and,
in fact, succeeds in doing so by providing much required content: a vast,
immersive virtual topography that supports a plenitude of events, char-
acters and supplementary lore.

2. Worlds in Video Games

With our focus on spaces in TW3, it seems reasonable to cite Espen

Aarseth, who in the paper “Allegories of Space” makes a claim that “the
defining element in computer games is spatiality” and continues that
“games are essentially concerned with spatial representation and nego-
tiation” (2007, p. 44). This seems particularly relevant when we consider
a  vast, open-world game such as TW3. Aarseth posits that video game
spaces are in fact not spatial, but, as a  result of a  reductive operation,
symbolic and bound by mechanics, which makes gameplay possible (2007,
p. 45). By involving the concept of allegory, he concludes the article stat-
ing that games “pretend to portray space in ever more realistic ways, but
rely on their deviation from reality in order to make the illusion playable”
(2007, p. 47). In other words, game spaces imitate a kind of a reality in
order to support the mechanics and gameplay.
The relationship between an illusionary world of a video game and
the game mechanics lies at the heart of game studies. In his semi-
nal Half-Real (2005), Jesper Juul articulates an important distinction,
namely, that rules in games are always nonnegotiable, while fictional
elements, if present, are always arbitrary and incomplete. Therefore,
for a  ludologist, worldbuilding serves an ancillary purpose. Jan-Noël
Thon, a representative of narratologists, comments on fictional worlds
in video games:

120 Homo Ludens 1(11) / 2018 | ISSN 2080-4555 | © Polskie Towarzystwo Badania Gier 2018
 All presentations of fictional worlds are necessarily incomplete and players – adhering
to what is known as the “reality principle” (…) or the “principle of minimal departure”
(…) – use their world knowledge to ‘fill in the blanks’ when trying to imagine these
worlds. While the question of how we construct mental representations of fictional
worlds is certainly relevant, it has to be emphasized that fictional worlds are neither
their medial presentations nor their mental representations (2009, p. 2).

Thon reiterates and adjusts to a  new medium Wolfgang Iser’s (1995)

influential phenomenological approach to fiction, wherein the meaning
of a text is an end-product of the material the author provides; the mate-
rial whose elements are always to an extent incomplete, and the reader’s
creative participation, i.e. the introduction of subjective contributions,
is necessary to resolve the text’s indeterminacy. In other words, recep-
tion of video games is a result of negotiations between the (audiovisual)
material, (fixed) mechanics and player’s participation.
In consideration of the above, Michael Nitsche proposes a  method
of analysing game spaces which reconciles the preferences of narratolo-
gists and ludologists. His comprehensive model accounts for the game
mechanics, the player’s subjective contribution and their interaction with
the game, as well as with other players. He divides game spaces into five
planes, all of which are required in order to produce enjoyable gameplay:
rule-based space, mediated space, fictional space, play space, social space
(2008, p. 15–16). Let us consider Nietche’s comments on the interaction
between the first three:

The rule-based space is defined by the code, the data, and hardware restrictions.
It  is the world of the functional restrictions that often mirror architectural struc-
turing of video game spaces. This world is the basis for the mediated space, which
consists of all the output the system can provide in order to present the rule-based
game universe to the player. In the case of commercial video games this layer consists
mainly of audiovisual and tactile output that provides a  form of presentation. The
player is confronted with this presentation and imagines a world from the provided
information—the fictional space. Based on the fictional world players decide on actions
to affect the game space (2008, p. 16).

The following discussion of worldbuilding in TW3 is narrowed down

to the first three planes, with a particular emphasis of the second one.
As pointed out above, fictional worlds are by their nature incomplete.
While various media have their own means of diminishing any existing

Krzysztof Jański | Creation of the fictional world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 121
 indeterminacies (some common methods being the convergence of other
media or the utilisation of the recipient’s prior knowledge, experience
and expectations related to the medium or a genre), video games most
notably make use of such mechanisms as interactivation, visualisation,
auralisation, to apply the terminology proposed by Mark  J. P.  Wolf in
Building Imaginary Worlds (2012). Therefore, they are capable of render-
ing refined, believable fictional environments as sets for stories within
the available, yet ever-expanding technological boundaries. Some critics
also indicate the potential for video games to excel in building worlds. For
example, Henry Jenkins argues, video games “may more fully realize the
spatiality of these stories, giving a much more immersive and compelling
representation of their narrative worlds” (2002, p. 5). We may also refer
to Lev Manovich, who in a relatively early survey of new media considers
“navigating through space [in a video game], both as tool of narration and
of exploration” and adds that “exploring the game world, examining its
details and enjoying its images, is as important for the success of games
such as Myst and its followers as progressing through the narrative” (2001,
p. 247). These observations are particularly accurate when we consider
cRPG as a genre, where much emphasis is placed on the well-developed
structure of the constructed world which offers players many a location
to investigate.

3. Worldbuilding in TW3

3.1 Source Material

Because TW3 is an extrapolation from the literary setting created by
Sapkowski, it is difficult, or even counterproductive, to completely avoid
reference to the books. However, it must be underscored that a detailed
discussion of the source material emergent from the short stories and
novels is beyond the scope of this article. And at any rate, the background
information of the originals is scarce. As such, it proves to be insufficient
for Geralt’s adventures to be regarded as set in a  full-fledged fictional
world, in particular in the context of organised spatiality. This assertion
reflects what Sapkowski admitted himself in an interview, reiterating

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that he created “a pseudo-world, merely a background” which “is a cer-
tain ontological construct, but which is ancillary to the plot and not its
own fantastically bizarre ontology”3 (Bereś, Sapkowski, 2005, p. 274).
It  seems that Sapkowski was aware that his creation lacks the detail
many other fantasy worlds have: an abundance of content, a consistent
history and mythology, an organised fictional space.4 The image that
emerges from the prose is that of a gritty, low fantasy setting imbued with
moral ambiguity, brutality, racial and religious prejudice and persecution
typically associated with the Dark Ages. Sapkowski also draws heavily on
Slavic folklore and demonology5 which he combines with Arthurian and
Nordic material, more typical of fantasy as a  whole; furthermore, the
novels and short stories are highly intertextual.6
Sapkowski’s writing style is drawn-out, yet even though some of his
descriptions of characters and locations may be picturesque and lengthy
(interestingly, many of such descriptions appear to be used only for aes-
thetic or rhetoric purposes and ultimately prove to serve as introductions
of episodic, irrelevant places, characters or histories which play an inci-
dental role in the main plot), most are rather laconic. For instance, one
can try in vain to find a detailed depiction of Geralt. What stands out the
most in the author’s style is how talkative, witty and philosophical his
characters are: extensive dialogues are one of Sapkowski’s chief world-
building methods and, therefore, serve as a  major source of character
and setting exposition. While these features make for an interesting read,
they are not so useful for developing a systematic setting. In particular,
due to a  lack of a  metatextual spatial framework, it is difficult to map
these rather incidental descriptions of locations and events.

3 Author’s translation.
4 Unlike authors who create detailed worlds for their fiction, Sapkowski did not pre-
pare maps for his setting. Whereas the first maps were drawn by fans in collaboration
with the author, the first official maps were only appended to the games.
5 For a  discussion of motifs borrowed from Slavic mythology in Sapkowski’s texts,
refer to Paweł Zaborowski’s article “Mitologia słowiańska w cyklu o wiedźminie” (2015).
6 The description is necessarily succinct. For a extensive discussion, see the pioneer-
ing work by Katarzyna Kaczor, Geralt, czarownice i wampir (2006), which offers a detailed
description of characters, plot patterns, inspirations and motifs. For an in-depth analysis
of intertextuality, in particular of the borrowings contained in mottos or stylised excerpts
provided by Sapkowski before each chapter, refer to Maciej Kuster’s article (2015).

Krzysztof Jański | Creation of the fictional world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 123
3.2. In-game Worldbuilding Techniques
As inspiring and successful as Sapkowski’s writing might have been, the
characteristics of the literary originals (the dominant role of dialogues,
the patchwork nature of the created setting, the limited source material,
but also Polish folk, which may be regarded as ‘exotic’ by foreign recipi-
ents7) posed a number of challenges for CD Projekt from a game develop-
ment standpoint. For instance, by transferring the setting to another
medium intended for an international audience, the developers had
to ensure that the world they present is attractive to all potential recipi-
ents: both those familiar with and new to Sapkowski’s writing and the
previous games in the series. TW3 assumes that the player is familiar
with the key characters and the specifics of the setting. Newcomers are
provided with an in-game summary of lore, either delivered via dialogues
(and notably a lengthy exposition of the nature, history and politics of the
world offered after the prologue sequence) or journal entries. Despite
this, initially TW3 may be overwhelming and confusing to new audiences,
as it requires a degree of familiarity with the setting. This is largely attrib-
utable to the game being a part of a larger franchise. In this regard, TW3
is an example of situation discussed by Jenkins where a game offers an
independent experience (and its game spaces are a useful tool to unfold
immersive and memorable narratives), yet the entirety of the narration
is only available when we peruse other media which form a larger nar-
rative system (2002, p. 7).
The game makes use of audio-visual effects and interactivity to con-
struct its world.8 Regarding the graphics and the music in TW3 (after
passing the minimum hardware requirements threshold), the game’s
engine is capable of generating compelling, picturesque environments.
To quote Wolf and his categorisation of game spaces, TW3 presents us

7 TW3 returns to a  more Slavic aesthetic, after a  departure towards a  more generic
fantasy art style of The Witcher 2.
8 Still, the game remains somewhat faithful to the original in its dependence on dia-
logues (both interactive and cut‑scenes). TW3 is a fully voice-acted game and the number
and runtime of dialogues and cut-scenes is sometimes criticised as being too extensive.
On the one hand, this may be regarded as having a potentially negative influence on the
game’s reception; at times the game may resemble an interactive film. On the other hand,
the well‑acted dialogues offer much information about characters, locations, quests, etc.,
contributing to the overall shape of the world.

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with an ‘interactive three-dimensional environment’ in which “spaces and
the objects in them can be viewed from multiple angles and viewpoints,
which are all linked together in such a way as to make the diegetic world
appear to have at least enough spatial consistency as to be navigable by
the player” (Wolf 1997, p. 20). The presented locales are a digital actualisa-
tion of a portion of the setting which may be inferred from Sapkowski’s
writing, albeit it must be noted that the virtual spatiality of the locations
is almost entirely the product of the developer’s efforts. According to the
claims CD Projekt made, no part of the virtual environment was gener-
ated automatically (Klepek, 2015). The game boasts a  vast, semi-open
world that is composed of several regions accessible by fast travel. The
regions are divided as follows: two small locations, White Orchard and
Royal Palace in Vizima (the latter mentioned in the books and present in
the first Witcher game); two connected massive areas, Velen and Novigrad
(the latter described in the books); and three large areas, Skellige, Tous-
saint and Kaer Morhen (all settings for events in the books).
Considering its scope, the world depicted in TW3 is well-constructed,
despite certain shortcomings largely determined by today’s technical
limitations. Moreover, as numerous relevant themes of Sapkowski’s writ-
ing were transferred to the game (in particular the harsh realities and
moral ambiguities of the setting), it is successful in encapsulating the
atmosphere of the originals. In order to diminish the shortcomings of the
rendered game spaces and conceal any gaps in their immersive backdrop,
CD Projekt made use of the assumed players’ prior knowledge, experi-
ences and expectations. Similarly to the literary originals, TW3 adapts
(but also subverts) elements typical of medieval-based fantasy in gen-
eral, cRPG as a genre, but also common-sense expectations of audiences
derived from the primary world.
The game offers a  broad selection of unique locations: there are
marshes, forests, plains, rivers, seas, lakes, hills, mountains, villages,
and larger settlements, including sprawling cities consisting of vari-
ous idiosyncratic districts and relevant infrastructure. Each major loca-
tion is characterised by an overriding theme. Velen (also referred
to as No Man’s Land) is a predominantly marshy and foresty area inhab-
ited chiefly by stricken villagers living in various scattered settlements.
It is also a site of an upcoming clash between Redania and Nilfgaard, the

Krzysztof Jański | Creation of the fictional world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 125
two major political forces in the background of TW3. Velen is a  rendi-
tion of an impoverished Polish countryside. The Free City of Novigrad
is a large, prosperous port: it is a centre of trade and commerce, divided
into numerous districts for the rich and the poor, full of vendors and
providers of various services. The city is inhabited by various people,
including nonhumans, and is an arena of religious and racial turmoil
akin to the workings of the primary world’s inquisition. Skellige is an
archipelago of mountainous islands ruled by Viking-like people, broken
into conflicting clans, a harsh folk who are primarily fisherman, sailors
and costal raiders. The overall atmosphere, the architecture, the aesthet-
ics of the ships and gear (e.g. the islanders use drakkars) as well as the
political system and religious beliefs of the isles draw heavily on Scan-
dinavian themes. Finally, Toussaint is a prosperous duchy, which is not
spoilt by war, and is famous for superb wines and knights-errant who
guard its borders. The major sources of inspirations for this location are
French geography and culture and the tradition of chivalric romances. In
addition to the abundance of landscapes, the locations represent various
climates (the temperate climate of Velen/Novigrad resembling Central
Europe, the cold climate of Skellige resembling Scandinavia, the warm
climate of Toussaint resembling Southern France) and the game uses
a  dynamic day, night and weather cycle to add to the rendered game
spaces’ realism. Moreover, on certain occasions, the game references
realms and events outside of its depicted world, but within the setting
drafted by Sapkowski, which offers a sense that the areas represented in
TW3 are a part of a larger construct.
The developers implemented many architectural solutions to TW3. For
a discussion of the creation of game spaces and their functions let us refer
to Enest W. Adams’ article, “The Construction of Ludic Spaces”, in which
he juxtaposes real-world architecture with video game architecture. The
author contends that the primary function of virtual spatiality is the
support of gameplay mechanics; however, he also admits that a fictional
world “has a secondary, and still highly valuable role to play: to inform
and entertain in its own right” (2003, p. 12). With our emphasis on world-
building (i.e. mediated and fictional spaces), let us take a  closer look
at Adams’ secondary functions of architecture in games and examples
of how these were employed by CD Projekt in the development of TW3.

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Table 1. Secondary Functions of Architecture in TW39

Function Description of function Example in TW3

“Familiar locations offer cues Borsodi’s’ Auction House: players may
Familiarity (or
to a place’s function and the infer that an auction will be held in
architectural
events that are likely to oc- the building and that they will be able
clichés9)
cur there” (ibid., p. 12). to purchase exotic items.
Novigrad: the various districts and
“Game architecture can make landmarks (the market square, port,
reference to real buildings or temple district) have their unique ar-
architectural styles to take chitectures which help to establish the
Allusion
advantage of the ideas or background of the city (e.g. the wealth
emotions that they suggest” of the dwellers, the function of lo-
(ibid., p. 13). cations). Also, the crane in Novigrad
resembles the crane in Gdańsk.
To cause a sense of unfa-
The alien landscapes visited during the
Novelty miliarity, lack of a frame
“Through Time and Space” quest.
of reference (ibid., p. 14).
“Surrealism creates a sense
of mystery and more impor- The uncanny, fairy tale locations and
Surrealism tantly, it warns the player buildings in the “Beyond Hill and Dale”
that things are not what quest.
they seem” (ibid., p. 15).
Kaer Morhen, a derelict keep where
This function aims at evoking witchers used to be trained. The state
Atmosphere specific emotions (ibid., of disrepair of the once grand fortress
p. 16) adds to the feeling of nihilism which
pervades the entire universe.
Difficult to find, but arguably the entire
“Not all game worlds are
Toussaint area, with its light-hearted
familiar, dangerous, or
theme and overdrawn, professional
Comedic effect strange; some are supposed
knights-errant (who receive pay for
to be lighthearted and funny”
their deeds from the Ducal Camerlengo
(ibid., p. 16)
or who corrupt the ideals of chivalry).

The functions are used with varying frequency but they all contribute
to the  creation of an immersive world. However, not only spaces and
architecture are employed to that end. TW3 uses typical cRPG devices
used for representing human activity. Villages and urban areas are
densely inhabited by NPCs preoccupied with various business. Their

9 Considering that TW3 represents the fantasy genre, it seems that we may without
loss collapse these two functions into one. Adams himself notes their proximity, comment-
ing that architectural clichés are a “variation on the principle of familiarity, without the
benefit of being informed by real-life examples” (ibid., p. 17).

Krzysztof Jański | Creation of the fictional world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 127
appearance and manner of speaking are adjusted to fit the nature of the
place they live in, their social class and profession (or lack thereof). Elves,
dwarves or Nilfgaardians will also speak in their unique, respective lan-
guages.10 Moreover, NPCs perform activities suitable to their status and
occupation. By doing so, they drop hints on how the fictional world they
inhabit may function. All of this takes place in the background and may
be to a  great extent ignored, but it offers an illusion of a  world which
is alive. In performing their daily routines NPCs also utter a  number
of lines; for instance, they comment on the weather, provide informa-
tion about local lore, speak of superstition and traditions, spread gossip
or comment on the player’s actions (regarding a completed quest, which
changes the dynamics of the region or the entire world11). As a rule, NPCs
also react to the presence of the player’s avatar: they try to sell goods,
make comments about the odd looks of the avatar or insult him. This
adds to a sense of depth of the in-game world and reduces a sense that
its function is just to support the game mechanics and primary narration.
What further complements the complexity of the game spaces in TW3
is the information about all human settlements provided by the develop-
ers in the form of short notes accessible via the world map by hovering
the cursor over fast travel icons. Players may also find message boards
which, from a  mechanical perspective, are sources of quests, but also
display local adverts (which do not initiate quests) adding flavour and

10 Unlike Tolkien, Sapkowski did not create fully fledged languages. The languages we
can hear in the games are therefore invented by the developers based on existing languages
and samples of utterances invented for the purposes of the books. Noteworthy are the fans’
attempts to create a  dictionary of Hen Llinge; an example is available at http://witcher.
wikia.com/wiki/Elder_Speech.
11 Although the article avoids reference to community-created content, it is important
to expand upon Jenkins’ remarks on convergence cited above to indicate the community’s
impact on the reception and shape of a fictional world, in particular that of a game as large
as TW3. In Convergence Culture, Jenkins writes that “to fully experience any fictional world,
consumers must (…) chase down bits of the story across media channels, compare notes
with each other via online discussion groups, and collaborate to ensure that everyone who
invests time and effort will come away with a  richer entertainment experience” (2006,
p. 21). The game’s world is vast and even a single playthrough is time-consuming (accord-
ing to submissions on HLTB, a  completion of the main story and extras, excluding the
expansions, takes on average in excess of 100 hours). Thus, in order to explore the world
created by CD Projekt more fully, the players will have to resort to discover the in-game
content in different channels (e.g. message boards, Reddit, YouTube).

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creating an impression that there is a functioning society that exists in
the background, regardless of the player’s actions and beyond the game’s
mechanics. In addition, TW3 offers information about locations and char-
acters (but also politics, history, religion, etc.) in the form of journal
entries, which may be revised later,12 or through books, letter, notes and
the like, scattered throughout the world (these are often associated with
side-quests or points of interest). The abovementioned details rarely have
any bearing on the plot, yet their purpose is to offer a sense that the world
is a  multi-layered construct emulating the primary world’s complexi-
ties. This method of worldbuilding contrasts an approach often assumed
in cRPGs, whereby there are only disjoined locations necessary for the
gameplay, tied to the main narrative, not rarely organised into ‘hub’ cit-
ies surrounded by swathes of wilderness. There are instances when the
shortcomings of the game are laid bare and the reception of the rendered
world is distorted; yet most of these may be traced to technicalities.13
For example, there is a limited number of NPC models (which becomes
most starkly obvious during quests, when players happen to encounter
two identical‑looking characters who are in fact different NPCs) who
utter a limited number of lines or who, in the majority of situations, fail
to react when the player’s avatar enters their property and loots their
personal belongings. Another issue may be traced to enemies, and espe-
cially bandits, who insist on attacking Geralt head-on, in spite of the fact
that they should recognise that they challenge a hardened, well-equipped
witcher.14
Finally, the game also represents spaces ruled by nature. In the wil-
derness, specific areas are habitats to wild animals and monsters who
behave in ways typical of their species, as suggested by primary world
knowledge or intuition stemming from folklore. These creatures usually
correspond to the type of environment they inhabit; e.g. drowners and

12 The in-game journal may serve as a  concise Witcher encyclopedia, as it records

a player’s progress and often refers to lore outside of the game. All entries are written in
a stylized manner, as created by Dandelion, a bard and one of the major characters.
13 The discussion is limited to the game “as intended”, therefore this article does not
consider possible glitches and bugs that may further affect a player’s reception.
14 Although these encounters are motivated by game mechanics (questing and levelling
systems), situations like these may have a negative bearing on immersion, as well as the
consistency of the created world.

Krzysztof Jański | Creation of the fictional world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 129
waterhags are found near water reservoirs or bogs; ghouls and wraiths
are located in the vicinity of human remains; leshen dwell in forests;
animals hunt in the wilds, wolves in packs and bears in solitude. Thanks
to this, encounters with wildlife do not seem out of place. Apart from
fighting monsters or bandits during travel from one location to another,
there is much to be discovered off the beaten track, as the world is dotted
with points of interest which encourage exploration. Similarly to the
case of human settlements, many seemingly insignificant locations in
the wilds have their back stories, often introduced through a discovery
of a note or letter (or a related flavoured side quest), which adds depth
and realism to the setting.

4. Conclusions

The article outlines and summarises the major world-building devices

used by CD Projekt to craft believable fictional spaces in TW3. By mak-
ing use of the available resources (often resolving to intertextuality and
transmediality, drawing from Sapkowski’s originals, as well as other
works of popular culture), of the heritage of cRPG as a genre and of their
own creativity, the developers successfully managed to bring Sapkowski’s
creation to life by producing a detailed, generally consistent ontological
construct. It is important to bear in mind that in order to experience the
world in TW3 more completely, a certain degree of familiarity with the
franchise is required, though the game offers assistance to newcomers in
diminishing the gap of knowledge between the player and the in-game
material. The diverse environments, including historiographical, socio-
logical and political backgrounds, are an artistic rendition of the scarce
source material and offer sufficient content to create a holistic simulation
of a  believable, organic medieval fantasy world, which in its complex
structure turned out to be much more than merely a scaffolding to sup-
port the gameplay and plot.15 They are also a major contribution to the

15 Considering the extent and detail of the world created, one might get the impression
that CD Projekt created a world for its own sake. The task of exploring large areas of the
map is left for the players’ curiosity alone because from a mechanical perspective the game
provides little to none incentive to do so. Firstly, the main quests and major side quests

130 Homo Ludens 1(11) / 2018 | ISSN 2080-4555 | © Polskie Towarzystwo Badania Gier 2018
development of the lore of The Witcher franchise and the depth of that
franchise’s budding universe.

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Krzysztof Jański M. A. – doctoral candidate at the Department of English Studies,

University of Wrocław.

Budowa fikcyjnego świata w grze Wiedźmin 3: Dziki Gon

Abstrakt: Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie metod tworzenia świata
wykorzystanych w grze Wiedźmin 3: Dziki Gon, które pozwoliły na wypra-
cowanie samodzielnej fikcyjnej konstrukcji. Pierwsza część tekstu omawia
cechy miejsc w grach wideo. Następnie, po krótkim wprowadzeniu do twór-
czości Andrzeja Sapkowskiego, artykuł przedstawia sposoby, za pomocą
których Wiedźmin 3 imituje topografię, architekturę, ludzką i pozaludzką
działalność oraz dostarcza informacje o poszczególnych lokacjach. Omó-
wione właściwości tytułu sprawiają, że miejsca stworzone na potrzeby gry
tworzą niezależny ontologiczny konstrukt, a nie wyłącznie szkielet umoż-
liwiający rozgrywkę.

Słowa kluczowe: kreacja świata, gry wideo, Wiedźmin

Krzysztof Jański | Creation of the fictional world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 133