Racism and Prejudice in The Witcher

[Kryst90]

Racism and Prejudice in The Witcher

Hello Everyone!

From some time I have been working on an essay about how games with imaginary worlds take up the issue of racial discrimination / mature problems of real world. I am mainly focused on Witcher series not only because it is my favorite game of all time but because I think it perfectly fits into topic of my reflections.

I want to ask you what is your opinion about how racism and discrimination was presented in Witcher. Did it influence you in anyway? After experiencing it in the game, did you start thinking how it might look like in real world? Or do you just treat it as a part of world without any deeper meaning reflecting the current state of world outside of the game?

Generally I think this is my favorite part of the world created in the Witcher. In my opinion it makes Witcher much more realistic from "personal" side, if it makes sense. So I am also really interested what is your general opinion about it.

Kind Regards,

Krystian

 

[Rafaelbw]

Just makes me want to kill everyone who says something of the sort. ex: "Rain again, damn mages"

 

[Edwelt_Hunter]

I really thing that the example of discrimination in the witcher is good, not the best, not the worst, It goes to the point and gives the message good.

 

[falshadow]

This theme is in the book too. Sad but true.

 

[SigilFey]

Well, I thought it was done a lot better than other games. To me, racism in games tends to come across as relatively over-the-top or in awkward snippets that seem forced. I liked the way it was omnipresent in TW3. Not just in scenes that focused on racial prejudices, but in the way characters were dressed...where they lived...the types of jobs they seemed to have... It all blended together really well to create constant undercurrents of "non-humans" having no welcome place in the society.

 

[Pervejbirk]

Racism in W3 got a bit annoying (mostly because of silly choices from the developers) But I personally liked the touch it gave since it did make the world seem more relaterble (in way) Though at times it just got a bit heavy handed (Like when people stand insulting Geralts a person that just about every person and they flipping grand mothers have heard about and is tought to fear) In that way it got heavy handed.. But then you have the whole Witch hunt and Witch burning and that underlining everything.

 

[DontBlnkBadWolf]

The Witcher Universe, if you break it down, reflects the time of our world in the 20th Century. From the mid 1930s (The rise of Hitler & the Nazi party) to, and through the Cold War. All through the eyes of European citizens. Focusing in on the stripping of land from Poland, how Churchill gave away a 1/3 of Poland to Stalin, in not such a secret way, behind America's back (you can call this part Radovid attacking Kaedwen & Aedrin and seizing land), not to mention the Blitzkrieg into Poland, which is much like how Nilfgaard marched through the North to the Pontar Valley.

Then there is Novigrad. Nilfgaard on one side, Redania on the other. Similar to Berlin with The Soviets on the East and the rest of the free world on the West, except Berlin was not a completely free city, like Novigrad.

 

[Guest 3847602]

Then there is Novigrad. Nilfgaard on one side, Redania on the other. Similar to Berlin with The Soviets on the East and the rest of the free world on the West, except Berlin was not a completely free city, like Novigrad.

The most likely source of inspiration for Novigrad would be medieval/early modern Gdansk (Danzig), imo:
- one of the largest and wealthiest cities within Hanseatic League
- formally part of Poland, but with a fair degree of autonomy (administration, laws, minting own coin)
- trading privileges inside Poland-Lithuania
I don't see much similarity with post-ww2 Berlin, tbh.

 

[Pervejbirk]

The most likely source of inspiration for Novigrad would be medieval/early modern Gdansk (Danzig), imo:
- one of the largest and wealthiest cities within Hanseatic League
- formally part of Poland, but with a fair degree of autonomy (administration, laws, minting own coin)
- trading privileges inside Poland-Lithuania
I don't see much similarity with post-ww2 Berlin, tbh.

I kinda have to agree with this