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CD Projekt Red Inspiration

Artist Inspiration In The Witcher Games

First image:

This is one of the promotional images for the upcoming release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The ominous and otherworldy smoke and atmosphere of the background sets the tone for the game, and the model of the main character, the Witcher, Geralt, is extremely realistic, stunning, and just so... human, while still having a sense of the fantastical, especially in his blindingly white mane and glowing yellow eyes with snake-shaped pupils.

The Witcher 3 Engine in Action

This is a gameplay trailer, which means the majority of the scenes are actually in game. The fantasy aspect speaks for itself in the magic Geralt uses called Signs and the strange monsters that Geralt fights. The human experience, I think, is shown very briefly in several scenes. The emotions are palpable.

More examples of the world in which Geralt inhabits can be seen in the previous post on this blog.

Character Model Progression of Geralt

The Witcher 1:

The Witcher 2:

The Witcher 3:

As you can see, Geralt has gotten progressively more realistic--and thus, in my opinion, more relatable. His character model has increased in the number of polygons by a significant amount and the textures have possibly increased in resolution by the thousands. Geralt, particularly in the last picture, obviously looks like he has faced some difficult things in his life. His scars, the condition of his swords and armour, his expression, and the wrinkles on his aged face are all things from which, even if one had no idea who Geralt was or what he did, someone would be able to make fairly accurate inferences about him. The games balance reality (the human experience) and fantasy amazingly well.

How Does This Tie in to My Themes, You Ask?

Good question! I really admire the ability of a video game, book, movie, etc. to be in the fantasy genre, yet simultaneously perfectly encompass the human experience. In the Witcher games, the most appealing part of the game is not the magic or the mythological creatures but experiencing the emotions the characters and plot evoke. Despite the fact that Geralt is a Witcher, a mutated human whose sole purpose is to kill monsters, the player can still relate with his innate humanity. That's the kind of game I love the most; ones that both deal with very real problems and emotions but still have a great imagination and creativity in every facet of the game, from the mythical beasts that roam the land to something as simple as the purpose of a Witcher's medallion. Making these games is what I want to do for the rest of my life, especially with such an admirable company as CD Projekt Red. This year, I would like to work on modeling characters that make these games so relatable and popular.

Read more about CD Projekt Red here: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-06-seeing-red-the-story-of-cd-projekt

All credit for images and logos goes to CD Projekt Red.

Themes in Conceptual Film

The themes that most interest me are the human experience and invention and fantasy. First, the human experience theme of art explores the human psyche and the motivation behind human action; it is about looking inward and uncovering the nature of humanity. I am very much a human rights activist, and especially the oppression of peoples because they differ from the social norm is a very important topic to me. I enjoy debating and raising awareness about current news involving human rights, which most recently includes the LGBTQ movement mainly in America and Africa and women’s rights including the threats and harassment faced by several modern feminists, including Anita Sarkeesian who was forced to leave her home after receiving death threats from people angered by her Youtube series in which she points out the sexist characteristics of games. In art, I would like to explore these facets of the human experience and promote a general peace and equality between all of the different identities.

Example of women's rights in art:

Credits:

The campaign was developed at Grabarz & Partner, Germany, by creative directors Ralf Heuel and Dirk Siebenhaar, copywriter Bent Harmann and art director Julia Ebers, with photographer Veronika Faustmann. Found at the following address: http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2008/stop-the-oppression-of-women-in-the-islamic-world/

I am also interested in the theme of invention and fantasy; some of my favorite books, movies, and video games share this theme, and I am greatly inspired by the Lord of the Rings and the Witcher series. I really want to be a video game designer once I graduate from whatever institution I choose, and I enjoy the design and imagination of video games with fantastical creatures and worlds, but which also do not seem out of place amongst humans in a sort of fascinating alternate dimension. The Witcher video games based on the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski are my favorite video game series, with The Elder Scrolls being a close second, and the Witcher is a mutated human with magical fighting powers called Signs which he uses while defeating the creatures based on ancient Polish mythology and folk tales which plague or co-inhabit with humans in the fantasy world. I would like my art to invoke the imagination and beauty that I have been inspired by in my favorite works of media and literature.

Examples of the fantastical design of The Witcher 3:

All credits for the previous images go to CD Projekt Red and its affiliates. Visit the official The Witcher 3 website here: http://thewitcher.com/witcher3/