Racism, Antisemitism, Xenophobia – The Witcher 2. 11 video games with a powerful message
Table of Contents
Once upon a time there was an article on the web, which denounced The Witcher 3 for having only white heroes and characters. Well, the author of the famous saga (Andrzej Sapkowski) would probably have never expected such an accusation, especially since the theme of racism, or perhaps even anti-Semitism, is strongly outlined in the books. The same applies to The Witcher 2 video game. The key point here, of course, is the issue of mutual hatred between people and non-human characters, that is, all fantasy races like elves, dwarves, as well as witches and other strange creatures. In the universe created by Sapkowski, there are regular massacres of non-human beings, that are accused of all kinds of misfortunes, even the post-war poverty.
In retaliation, the Scoia'tael militia, which consisted mainly of Elves and Dwarves, was formed to properly respond to the acts of brutal human aggression. Their story is quite important in the second part of the game: The Assassins of Kings, in which Geralt has to choose a side: help Iorweth (The Squirrels) or support Roche (humans). In the first case, we end up in a prison on a barge. Once we're there, we have to make another choice – help elvish prostitutes who are being imprisoned or let the enemy to burn them alive.
As in CDPR video games, there are many shades of grey in every decision of that kind and it is never clearly stated which side is more noble than the other. There is no clear indication that human beings are evil and Scoia'tael is the good faction. Every player has to make his or her own choice in these matters. The fact is, however, that the general hatred between people and non-human beings exists on a racist basis, which is even more highlighted in the books.
