In the realm of European game development, Poland frequently stands out. This former Soviet republic is now home to some of the world’s most prominent gaming franchises and continues to thrive with titles like The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077, The Medium, Dying Light, Frostpunk, and Blood of Dawnwalker. But what fuels this remarkable creativity? And why do Polish fantasy and science fiction narratives, while familiar, retain such a distinct and unique character?
While numerous interpretations exist, the perspective of Jacek Dukaj, a celebrated Polish science fiction author, founder of Dukaj Games, and recipient of the European Union Prize for Literature, offers profound insight. During a recent conversation at the Madeira Summit, Dukaj shared his thoughts on the evolution of Polish sci-fi and its connection to the burgeoning video game industry.
When asked about the global surprise at the richness and talent within Polish science fiction, Dukaj points to a powerful literary movement from the 1970s and 80s known as “sociological science fiction.” He explains, “We were still under the communist regime. These works were thus written under censorship and essentially served as a pretext for in-depth sociological critique of the communist system. Because we could write science fiction criticizing the role of communism, but not what was called ‘serious literature,’ as the censors weren’t really interested in science fiction. As a result, there were many truly excellent works that drew inspiration from the tradition of Orwell, Zamyatin, and all those great dystopian works.”
These foundational works, Dukaj contends, laid the groundwork for subsequent generations of Polish sci-fi authors and, crucially, video game designers. “Those who founded the largest and most successful Polish video game development companies all come from that generation that grew up with these science fiction novels. It’s in their DNA. That’s how the Polish school of science fiction games was born, in a way.”
For Dukaj, the line between his work as a novelist and his involvement in video game writing and gaming itself is remarkably blurred. “I have always played video games and was fascinated by them as a new form of culture, a new art form. So, even in my early writings, there are many elements that can be described as world-building based on a set of rules derived from games. So, you consider the entire world as a kind of game: you establish these rules. You observe how it will evolve. What particularities it will take.”
He cites his novella, Irehare, published years before The Matrix, as an example of this interconnectedness, describing it as “The Matrix with a different aesthetic.” His novel, Line of Resistance, further explores this concept, delving into the theoretical possibilities of viewing one’s entire life as a game and the potential to “gamify” the entirety of human experience.
Dukaj indicates a continued dedication to exploring these themes, suggesting that his future work will undoubtedly venture further in this direction.