Artur Ganszyniec
@agansz.bsky.social
Consulting Narrative Designer
Poland based game designer, writer, and educator
Co-author of https://howandwhywemake.games
Masterclasses, workshops, mentoring https://narrativedesign.online
Writing about narrative design https://the-narrative-designer.com
Poland based game designer, writer, and educator
Co-author of https://howandwhywemake.games
Masterclasses, workshops, mentoring https://narrativedesign.online
Writing about narrative design https://the-narrative-designer.com
Pinned
Artur Ganszyniec
@agansz.bsky.social
· Nov 21
Short introduction:
- Witcher 1 & 2 Lead Narrative Designer for CDPR
- text-based journalistic indies for Different Tales
- cute mobile puzzle-based games for ATGames
- AA and Tripple-I prototypes for 11 bit studios, Anshar Studios, and BLANK.
- teaching story design at Lodz University of Technology
- Witcher 1 & 2 Lead Narrative Designer for CDPR
- text-based journalistic indies for Different Tales
- cute mobile puzzle-based games for ATGames
- AA and Tripple-I prototypes for 11 bit studios, Anshar Studios, and BLANK.
- teaching story design at Lodz University of Technology
In today’s episode of The Witcher with a designer’s commentary we talk to a ghoul, explore old ruins and go to a posh party, where we meet a princess www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Oe...
Ep. 13 –The Witcher with a designer's commentary: Chapter 3 (part 3)
YouTube video by Artur Ganszyniec
www.youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:59 PM
In today’s episode of The Witcher with a designer’s commentary we talk to a ghoul, explore old ruins and go to a posh party, where we meet a princess www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Oe...
In our The Witcher play through with a designer’s commentary we finally finish the beautifully messy Chapter 2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsn...
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsn...
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
October 25, 2025 at 6:39 AM
In our The Witcher play through with a designer’s commentary we finally finish the beautifully messy Chapter 2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsn...
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsn...
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
I stumbled upon a real treasure (well... my mom did, while cleaning, and she let me know about the finding) – a 2007 publication by CD Projekt advertising an upcoming game called The Witcher. #thewitcher
What a fascinating piece of video game history!
www.the-narrative-designer.com/the-witcher-...
What a fascinating piece of video game history!
www.the-narrative-designer.com/the-witcher-...
October 13, 2025 at 5:24 PM
I stumbled upon a real treasure (well... my mom did, while cleaning, and she let me know about the finding) – a 2007 publication by CD Projekt advertising an upcoming game called The Witcher. #thewitcher
What a fascinating piece of video game history!
www.the-narrative-designer.com/the-witcher-...
What a fascinating piece of video game history!
www.the-narrative-designer.com/the-witcher-...
In another episode of our "The Witcher" adventure, we are trying to solve the investigation in Vyzima, only to realise that we must go back to the swamp forest. Again.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwim...
#witcher #thewitcher #geralt #gamedesign #narrativesedign
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwim...
#witcher #thewitcher #geralt #gamedesign #narrativesedign
Ep. 7 –The Witcher with a designer's commentary: Chapter 2 (part 4)
YouTube video by Artur Ganszyniec
www.youtube.com
October 3, 2025 at 6:45 PM
In another episode of our "The Witcher" adventure, we are trying to solve the investigation in Vyzima, only to realise that we must go back to the swamp forest. Again.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwim...
#witcher #thewitcher #geralt #gamedesign #narrativesedign
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwim...
#witcher #thewitcher #geralt #gamedesign #narrativesedign
In today’s episode of the Witcher play-though with a designer's commentary, we visit the confusing and mosquito-ridden swamp forest.
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
youtu.be/nfAcEpPOJek?...
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
youtu.be/nfAcEpPOJek?...
Ep. 6 –The Witcher with a designer's commentary: Chapter 2 (part 3)
YouTube video by Artur Ganszyniec
youtu.be
September 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
In today’s episode of the Witcher play-though with a designer's commentary, we visit the confusing and mosquito-ridden swamp forest.
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
youtu.be/nfAcEpPOJek?...
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
youtu.be/nfAcEpPOJek?...
Continuing our The Witcher play-through with a designer's commentary we dip our finger in the Temple Quarter of Vizima, meet two the-witcher-team lookalikes and help some working girls. Enjoy :)
youtu.be/AO-zY0dGY8U
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
youtu.be/AO-zY0dGY8U
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
September 12, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Continuing our The Witcher play-through with a designer's commentary we dip our finger in the Temple Quarter of Vizima, meet two the-witcher-team lookalikes and help some working girls. Enjoy :)
youtu.be/AO-zY0dGY8U
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
youtu.be/AO-zY0dGY8U
#witcher #thewitcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
In the third episode of playing The Witcher 18 years after the release, we uncover dark secrets, continue romancing in suspicious circumstances and finish our adventure in the Outskirts of Vizima.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQiV...
#thewitcher #witcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQiV...
#thewitcher #witcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
September 5, 2025 at 5:52 PM
In the third episode of playing The Witcher 18 years after the release, we uncover dark secrets, continue romancing in suspicious circumstances and finish our adventure in the Outskirts of Vizima.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQiV...
#thewitcher #witcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQiV...
#thewitcher #witcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
Today, on the Witcher playthrough with a designer’s commentary, Chapter 1 (part one).
youtu.be/_9lANHosFk0
#thewitcher #witcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
youtu.be/_9lANHosFk0
#thewitcher #witcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
August 30, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Today, on the Witcher playthrough with a designer’s commentary, Chapter 1 (part one).
youtu.be/_9lANHosFk0
#thewitcher #witcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
youtu.be/_9lANHosFk0
#thewitcher #witcher #gamedesign #narrativedesign
Eighteen years after the release, I play The Witcher, a game I worked on as the Lead Story Designer. Come and watch for designer’s commentary and anecdotes from behind the scenes.
The plan is to post new episodes once a week🤞
www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJH...
#thewitcher #narrativedesign
The plan is to post new episodes once a week🤞
www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJH...
#thewitcher #narrativedesign
August 24, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Eighteen years after the release, I play The Witcher, a game I worked on as the Lead Story Designer. Come and watch for designer’s commentary and anecdotes from behind the scenes.
The plan is to post new episodes once a week🤞
www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJH...
#thewitcher #narrativedesign
The plan is to post new episodes once a week🤞
www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJH...
#thewitcher #narrativedesign
Today’s post on The Narrative Designer was triggered by an old photograph, and digs into some ancient gamedev history.
I muse about what happened to the team who made the first Witcher game, and how game studios are like the Ship of Theseus.
www.the-narrative-designer.com/the-question...
I muse about what happened to the team who made the first Witcher game, and how game studios are like the Ship of Theseus.
www.the-narrative-designer.com/the-question...
August 12, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Today’s post on The Narrative Designer was triggered by an old photograph, and digs into some ancient gamedev history.
I muse about what happened to the team who made the first Witcher game, and how game studios are like the Ship of Theseus.
www.the-narrative-designer.com/the-question...
I muse about what happened to the team who made the first Witcher game, and how game studios are like the Ship of Theseus.
www.the-narrative-designer.com/the-question...
In the newest issue of The Narrative Designer, I write about curiosity-based stories. the-narrative-designer.com
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
April 21, 2025 at 10:07 AM
In the newest issue of The Narrative Designer, I write about curiosity-based stories. the-narrative-designer.com
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
My, narrative designerzy, jesteśmy zwykle samoukami. Przy braku formalnej edukacji i platformy do wymiany doświadczeń, wyważamy często drzwi, które inni już nie raz otwarli.
Zapraszam na warsztaty z narrative designu przygotowane przez zawodowca dla zawodowców.
Więcej na narrativedesign.online
Zapraszam na warsztaty z narrative designu przygotowane przez zawodowca dla zawodowców.
Więcej na narrativedesign.online
March 17, 2025 at 5:11 PM
My, narrative designerzy, jesteśmy zwykle samoukami. Przy braku formalnej edukacji i platformy do wymiany doświadczeń, wyważamy często drzwi, które inni już nie raz otwarli.
Zapraszam na warsztaty z narrative designu przygotowane przez zawodowca dla zawodowców.
Więcej na narrativedesign.online
Zapraszam na warsztaty z narrative designu przygotowane przez zawodowca dla zawodowców.
Więcej na narrativedesign.online
What keeps us on the edge of our seats is the tension between hope and fear. To feel it, we must understand what the protagonist wants to achieve and what’s at stake if they fail. This is especially true when, as players, we are responsible for carrying out the plan.
the-narrative-designer.com
the-narrative-designer.com
March 10, 2025 at 9:08 AM
What keeps us on the edge of our seats is the tension between hope and fear. To feel it, we must understand what the protagonist wants to achieve and what’s at stake if they fail. This is especially true when, as players, we are responsible for carrying out the plan.
the-narrative-designer.com
the-narrative-designer.com
So far, on the-narrative-designer.com we’ve discussed the big picture: goals, conflicts, protagonists, story structures, and nonlinearity.
This week we zoom in on the basic building block of any interactive experience, the triad of crisis, struggle, and resolution...
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
This week we zoom in on the basic building block of any interactive experience, the triad of crisis, struggle, and resolution...
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
February 25, 2025 at 5:32 PM
So far, on the-narrative-designer.com we’ve discussed the big picture: goals, conflicts, protagonists, story structures, and nonlinearity.
This week we zoom in on the basic building block of any interactive experience, the triad of crisis, struggle, and resolution...
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
This week we zoom in on the basic building block of any interactive experience, the triad of crisis, struggle, and resolution...
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
Zwolniło mi się parę miejsc na warsztaty z narrative designu, które prowadzę w ten i przyszły weekend.
Nie jestem pewien, kiedy będzie kolejna edycja, więc to świetna okazja, żeby rzutem na taśmę dołączyć się do kameralnej grupy i w miłym towarzystwie popracować nad designerskim fachem.
Nie jestem pewien, kiedy będzie kolejna edycja, więc to świetna okazja, żeby rzutem na taśmę dołączyć się do kameralnej grupy i w miłym towarzystwie popracować nad designerskim fachem.
February 24, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Zwolniło mi się parę miejsc na warsztaty z narrative designu, które prowadzę w ten i przyszły weekend.
Nie jestem pewien, kiedy będzie kolejna edycja, więc to świetna okazja, żeby rzutem na taśmę dołączyć się do kameralnej grupy i w miłym towarzystwie popracować nad designerskim fachem.
Nie jestem pewien, kiedy będzie kolejna edycja, więc to świetna okazja, żeby rzutem na taśmę dołączyć się do kameralnej grupy i w miłym towarzystwie popracować nad designerskim fachem.
Projektowanie dobrych historii w grach to fach, którego można się nauczyć.
Warsztaty z narrative designu: 1-2 i 8-9 marca, od 10:00 do 14:30, piguła wiedzy i praktyki z dwudziestu lat doświadczenia, case studies, dyskusje i czas na przećwiczenie narzędzi.
Więcej na narrativedesign.online
Warsztaty z narrative designu: 1-2 i 8-9 marca, od 10:00 do 14:30, piguła wiedzy i praktyki z dwudziestu lat doświadczenia, case studies, dyskusje i czas na przećwiczenie narzędzi.
Więcej na narrativedesign.online
Home - Polski - Narrative Design Workshop
Czego sie nauczysz? My, narrative designerzy, bywamy samoukami. Trudno o formalną edukację w naszej specjalności.We własnej praktyce zawodowej często intuicyjnie czułem, które rozwiązania działają, al...
narrativedesign.online
February 19, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Projektowanie dobrych historii w grach to fach, którego można się nauczyć.
Warsztaty z narrative designu: 1-2 i 8-9 marca, od 10:00 do 14:30, piguła wiedzy i praktyki z dwudziestu lat doświadczenia, case studies, dyskusje i czas na przećwiczenie narzędzi.
Więcej na narrativedesign.online
Warsztaty z narrative designu: 1-2 i 8-9 marca, od 10:00 do 14:30, piguła wiedzy i praktyki z dwudziestu lat doświadczenia, case studies, dyskusje i czas na przećwiczenie narzędzi.
Więcej na narrativedesign.online
Today on the-narrative-designer.com I share some thoughts on how we can structure nonlinear stories.
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
February 14, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Today on the-narrative-designer.com I share some thoughts on how we can structure nonlinear stories.
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
#narrativedesign #gamedesign
Reposted by Artur Ganszyniec
I wish we had different terms for the different play experiences games offer. not to be a gatekeeper (though inevitably they'd show up) but to genuinely help differentiate EVEN A LITTLE between infinite-rabbithole-sandbox vs two-hour-melt-your-heart-story vs collection-of-little-distractions etc
February 7, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I wish we had different terms for the different play experiences games offer. not to be a gatekeeper (though inevitably they'd show up) but to genuinely help differentiate EVEN A LITTLE between infinite-rabbithole-sandbox vs two-hour-melt-your-heart-story vs collection-of-little-distractions etc
Reposted by Artur Ganszyniec
for my latest design piece, I discussed studying game design, why it should be given more respect, and where a lot of developers and critics mess up when analyzing a game game-wisdom.com/critical/str... #indiegamedev
The Struggles of Studying Game Design - Game Wisdom
The ability to study game design continues to elude many people, and I wanted to discuss why this can feel like a mysterious art to some.
game-wisdom.com
February 5, 2025 at 1:55 AM
for my latest design piece, I discussed studying game design, why it should be given more respect, and where a lot of developers and critics mess up when analyzing a game game-wisdom.com/critical/str... #indiegamedev
We are standing on the shoulders of giants. When it comes to shaping stories it’s giants all the way down to Aristotle, who—of course—was standing on top of his own pyramid.
More on story structures in the new article on the-narrative-designer.com
#narrativedesign #gamedesign #gamewriting
More on story structures in the new article on the-narrative-designer.com
#narrativedesign #gamedesign #gamewriting
February 1, 2025 at 9:34 AM
We are standing on the shoulders of giants. When it comes to shaping stories it’s giants all the way down to Aristotle, who—of course—was standing on top of his own pyramid.
More on story structures in the new article on the-narrative-designer.com
#narrativedesign #gamedesign #gamewriting
More on story structures in the new article on the-narrative-designer.com
#narrativedesign #gamedesign #gamewriting
Reposted by Artur Ganszyniec
In gamedev, we joke about how we shouldn't care so much because "we ain't curing cancer" so chill, right?
But you know what? These last few weeks reminded me that the Arts, esp accessible Art like videogames is incredibly important because games have a big place in sculpting cultural norms.
But you know what? These last few weeks reminded me that the Arts, esp accessible Art like videogames is incredibly important because games have a big place in sculpting cultural norms.
February 1, 2025 at 4:17 AM
In gamedev, we joke about how we shouldn't care so much because "we ain't curing cancer" so chill, right?
But you know what? These last few weeks reminded me that the Arts, esp accessible Art like videogames is incredibly important because games have a big place in sculpting cultural norms.
But you know what? These last few weeks reminded me that the Arts, esp accessible Art like videogames is incredibly important because games have a big place in sculpting cultural norms.
Reposted by Artur Ganszyniec
Thinking a lot lately about the idea of “authorial voice” and “system rhetoric” in game design. What are we saying about the world (however indirectly) through our mechanics and systems? (From: How and Why We Make Games, Marta Fijak and Artur Ganszyniec)
January 22, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Thinking a lot lately about the idea of “authorial voice” and “system rhetoric” in game design. What are we saying about the world (however indirectly) through our mechanics and systems? (From: How and Why We Make Games, Marta Fijak and Artur Ganszyniec)
Reposted by Artur Ganszyniec
Sad to see that the GDC State of the Games Industry '25 confirm what I have suspected for a while: narrative roles particularly hard-hit by layoffs in the industry. Narrative is sometimes seen as expendable on a project: when the reviews of our story come out, are we still on the team?
January 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Sad to see that the GDC State of the Games Industry '25 confirm what I have suspected for a while: narrative roles particularly hard-hit by layoffs in the industry. Narrative is sometimes seen as expendable on a project: when the reviews of our story come out, are we still on the team?
A new article on the-narrative-designer.com just dropped. The lead is a bit clickbaity, I admit, but I hope that you find the contents respectable enough :)
January 17, 2025 at 9:52 AM
A new article on the-narrative-designer.com just dropped. The lead is a bit clickbaity, I admit, but I hope that you find the contents respectable enough :)
Reposted by Artur Ganszyniec
I talked to Marta Fijak & Artur Ganszyniec about their new book "How and Why We Make Games. The Creative Confusion" (CRC Press) on "Game Studies" (New Books Network). Please like, listen & share! #gamestudies #podcast
newbooksnetwork.com/how-and-why-...
newbooksnetwork.com/how-and-why-...
Marta Fijak and Artur Ganszyniec, "How and Why We Make Games" (CRC Press, 2024) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
September 18, 2024 at 2:43 PM
I talked to Marta Fijak & Artur Ganszyniec about their new book "How and Why We Make Games. The Creative Confusion" (CRC Press) on "Game Studies" (New Books Network). Please like, listen & share! #gamestudies #podcast
newbooksnetwork.com/how-and-why-...
newbooksnetwork.com/how-and-why-...