Gaming Writer’s Saturday: Arcanum

1I played Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura when it first came out in 2001. I waited for the game only because three of its developers were the people involved in Fallout 2 which I loved, and Arcanum promised a similar game-play, rich story and turn-based combat. I still remember the doubtful thoughts when I’ve learned that Arcanum would not transfer me to a post-apocalyptic world, but instead invite me to the world of fantasy. What interesting and fresh could there be about fantasy in the games mostly dominated back then by Dungeons & Dragons cliches?

Oh, how little I knew. The game had charmed me, and now, after fifteen years, when I came back to the game, it’s still the same. (more…)

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5 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Animations Worth Your Time

5 Speculative Short AnimationsThe life of short films tend to be as long as they are: they flash into existence, and then disappear in the daily stream of the new information, events, and videos. Some get into the limelight when they become viral or are lucky enough to be among the Academy or other award nominees, while others fade even though they deserve attention too, some of the masterpieces of animation, storytelling or evoking emotions.

I’m not on top of every new release, I don’t follow every news, and I’m more likely to stumble upon interesting titles on random websites, forums, or via friends’ recommendations, so I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of interesting projects. Others I’ve forgotten or they simply didn’t strike the right chord to make it to the list below.

But I dare to call the 5 short films I mention here as my favorite ones. I come back to them every once a while, and they not only show the best what this form has to offer, but also spark my writer’s imagination and inspire me to create new stories. (more…)

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Gaming Writer’s Saturday: Divinity Original Sin

1I first learned of Divinity: Original Sin when it was released, but I’ve been playing another game at that time, and I wasn’t keen on spending money on something that I didn’t know much about. Then the positive reviews poured in, and my gaming friends started mentioning it more and more often, so I added it to my wishlist, but of course, I had plenty of other games to play… But in the end I craved for some old-style cRPG, so the game got its chance. And I tell you, it didn’t waste it for sure. (more…)

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Lessons Learned from Reading The Witcher Saga

Lessons Learned from ReadingSome of you might have heard about a successful video game series by CD Project called The Witcher, but probably not many know it all started with a short story sent to a contest organized by a Polish speculative fiction magazine. “The Witcher Saga” by Andrzej Sapkowski that grew out of this one story not only became a source of inspiration for the games, but is also a series on which a whole generation of Polish speculative fiction fans grew up, myself included. (more…)

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Short story available on the website and on Wattpad

NewsENAs you might have noticed, a new section is now available on my website. Read Online is a page listing short stories and other works you can read directly on my website.

The first text I’m publishing is “Miye’s In” – a fantasy story set in the secondary world, in which colonists struggle to survive on the new continent, fearing monsters’ attack, while one girl fall sick with a mysterious disease.

“Miye’s In” is also available on Wattpad, if you prefer to read on this platform. (more…)

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Gaming Writer’s Saturday: This War of Mine

1This War of Mine’s release had been loud enough even for me to hear about it in my little corner of the Internet. The early reviews had nothing but praises for the innovative idea, mature approach to an uneasy topic, and emotional impact it has on players.

I eyed the game once or twice, but I had other things to play and I didn’t get the game until most of the hype already died out. (There was a sale… Don’t blame me!) (more…)

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7 Things Dancing Has Thaught Me About Writing

7 things dancing has taught me about writingLet’s get it out of the way: I’ll never be a professional, or even semi-professional dancer. I’m not even close to being one. I’m a clutz, trip over my own legs, and doing repetitious spins brings my stomach to its limits. And when I dance, I probably look like someone having a severe attack of jitters.

But I love dancing, and when it comes to physical activities, it’s one of my favorites (along with hiking and swimming). And, as surprising as it may be, dancing taught me a lot about writing and about myself. (more…)

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