Playtest and talk
A Beastial Guide to Historical In/Authenticity In Game Writing and Narrative Design
With Michał Mochocki (False Prophet) and Benjamin Hanussek (PJAIT Game Lab)
Organisation: Austrian Cultural Forum in Warsaw
Partner: Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, PJAIT Game Lab

A writer, a designer, and a professor walk into a game studio... what can go wrong? A clash of academic theory and hands-on practice is bound to ensue. This is what went on in my 3-year period as a game writer, historical consultant, and a bit of narrative designer on the BEAST: False Prophet game. And the same is going to happen in our talk. First, you’ll be served a piece of academic game studies: a multidimensional framework of historical realism and heritage authenticity. Then, we’ll see how easily the analytical framework can be converted to a design toolkit used for calibration of (inevitably selective!) authenticity. Finally - a peek behind the scenes! - we’ll see how it played out in storyworld-building and writing for the BEAST.

Find out more about BEAST: False Prophet on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145630/BEAST_False_Prophet/

Michał Mochocki, Dr. habil., is associate professor at the Department of Anglophone Literatures, Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland. His main research interests are world-building and character enactment in historical role-playing games, examined through the lenses of transmedia narratology and heritage studies. He was Lead Writer at False Prophet in the "BEAST: False Prophet" videogame.

Benjamin Hanussek works as a Localization QA Specialist at Wargaming, a leading game developer and publisher known for "World of Tanks". Drawing from his previous experience as an educator and researcher in Game Studies, he continues to engage with the community by organizing events related to games and culture on behalf of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology and the Austrian Cultural Forum in Warsaw.


02.03.2024 (Sat.)
Playtest from 5 p.m., discussion at 7 p.m. 
Austrian Cultural Forum
ul.Prtóżna 7/9, Warsaw
Free admission
In English