Wiedźmin w kontuszu: Komunikacyjna rola literackich nawiązań w medium współczesnych gier wideo

One of the most prominent forms of contemporary cultural expression is video games, which frequently exist in close correspondence and interdependence with literature. The narrative of The Hearts of Stone expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt centers on themes inspired, among others, by Polish literature; accordingly, the analyses presented in this article focus on these literary elements. By examining specific components encountered during gameplay, the article demonstrates that the discourse between video games and literature is defined by mutual interconnections and by the player’s need to reference contexts external to the game itself. Furthermore, the shaping of subsequent exploitation spaces creates further possibilities for transposition. The analysis also confirms the hypothesis that that video games generate a hybrid reality, and that literary references within them serve as key elements in establishing a communicative space between the player, the game world, and its creators.