How The Witcher 3 Shaped my Path

Have you ever read, watched, or played something that had a noticeable, lasting impact on you and your life's path? Perhaps it was a shift in perspective, or the creation of an entirely new one.

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For me, this life changing experience (if you want to go so far as to call it that) was a video game: specifically, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt by CD Projekt Red. An acclaimed dark-fantasy RPG based on the story set by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, set in a fictional world inspired by Polish folklore.

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It was one of the first video games I ever played, and although it may seem like an exaggerated statement, it genuinely had a significant impact on my life and, in a way, definitely changed its course.

For most of my life, I was a stranger to video games. While most people around me grew up with them, I never really caught that train. The reasons remain unclear to me. I actually enjoyed playing them when invited to friends' houses or with the modest collection I had on my trusty Nintendo DS Lite during secondary school. But for some reason, I never felt the urge to get a console myself later on, and aside from Minecraft, which was my occasional guilty pleasure, even that interest faded eventually.

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Shortly before the COVID outbreak, while preparing my portfolio for my application to Industrial Design studies, I started watching gameplays in the background while 3D modeling. Again, for reasons unbeknownst to me. Eventually, this led to the revelation that I could simply get a console myself.

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So, I did; I bought my first ever console, a used Xbox One, at the age of 19. The decision was purely financial, as Xbox consoles were cheaper than PlayStations at the time, and the brand didn’t matter much to me.

To this day, I still don’t know what made me pick The Witcher 3. Up until that point, I couldn’t have been more indifferent toward the fantasy genre. As someone who adored science fiction, Lord of the Rings bored me, Game of Thrones seemed silly, and I just couldn’t connect with the entire genre. Writing this now feels downright crazy.

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But that’s exactly why I have no explanation for why The Witcher caught my attention. After watching a video listing essential games to play, I decided to get it. And I’ll never forget the first time I rode through White Orchard, with its theme playing in the background, conveying the weight of war, grief, and loss, while the wind howled and villagers expressed the heaviness of life in their cries.

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It was an intimidating, yet captivating experience, and in an instant, I was drawn into Geralt of Rivia’s world, traveling through the grim Northern Realms in search of his adoptive daughter, Ciri, hunted by the Wild Hunt, a horde of specters seeking her Elder Blood.

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From that moment on, I spent almost every single day in-game, completely immersed in its world. Overnight, I became a massive fan of the fantasy genre, and video games quickly became my favorite form of media. Today, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, once sources of boredom and indifference, have become some of my all-time favorites. Something simply... clicked.

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And most significantly, The Witcher 3 introduced me to 3D character art and to the creative work behind these fantastical stories. It was the spark that pushed me to try digital sculpting, which by now has become my main focus in personal artwork.

The Witcher 3 remains my favorite video game of all time. I have very fond memories tied to it, and in a way, it became my happy place. The characters, their dynamics, and even certain places like Kaer Morhen, Kaer Trolde, or The Rosemary and Thyme all trigger a very homely feeling, like reconnecting with old friends, or, in the case of the locations, returning home.

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To most, this might sound odd, considering these are fictional characters and places, with no relation to the real world. But it’s a feeling that’s hard to describe in any better way. It’s something I believe you have to experience to truly understand.

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The original media behind The Witcher, the books written by Andrzej Sapkowski, also became dear to me. The Last Wish remains my favorite short story to this day.

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And when it comes to the game’s music, I could easily write an entire blog post just about that. I rarely go a day without listening to ambient music compilations and playlists from Novigrad, Kaer Morhen, or Skellige.

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By now, it has become a tradition for me to replay the entire game during the months of autumn. This tradition is the reason why I’m currently sinking many more hours into it once again, and also why I felt inspired to write this little piece of admiration for the game.

In a way, it's very fair to say that I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for my discovery of video games, but specifically The Witcher 3.

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If that hasn’t already come across in my writing, I can only highly recommend giving the game a shot, even if it doesn’t seem to fit into your preferred genre. And definitely the books, too.

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I'm currently also working my way through the previous games, having started the very first one, and I’m incredibly curious to see what The Witcher IV will be like; I'm definitely looking forward to its release.

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