# Coming Back Home in The Witcher 3 <span style="font-size: 13px;"> <span style="color: black;">Planted:</span> <span style="color: gray;"> 15 October 2025</span> </span> I recently posted [a blog post on my website about the impact *The Witcher 3* has had on my life](https://www.stephanlevin.com/blog/how-the-witcher-3-shaped-my-path). Basically, in short, this game, which is my favorite video game of all time, introduced me to 3D character art (digital sculpting) and turned me into a massive fan of the fantasy genre. I'm incredibly confident in saying, without *The Witcher 3*, I wouldn't be where I am today. Something I barely explored in that blog was the incredible connection I feel towards the game's world and characters. Certain places, like Novigrad or Kaer Morhen, feel... like home. They evoke the same emotion in me as returning to real places with a homely, nostalgic history. The same goes for the characters. It's genuinely odd how walking paths with these pre-programmed, digital characters can feel like spending time with friends. I sometimes wonder if that's just peak loneliness speaking, or a testament to how incredibly well-crafted and immersive the game is. And also how relatable it is, especially *The Witcher 3* to me. A grim, dark atmosphere and a harsh world clash with the warmth of friendship, love, brotherhood, and the beauty of nature. The dynamic of someone cold on the outside, walking lone paths, yet having connections in his life he'd do anything for. And in the end, perhaps, longing to be with the people he loves; and who love him. This might be a bit stretched and over-interpreted on my part, but I like to see the story from that perspective. Playing *The Witcher 3* these days reminds me how much I miss warmth. The warmth of a home. Of a person. And I'm not speaking literally, but of the sense of being somewhere you belong. The sense of truly being in a place that feels like home, with people who feel like home. I describe this feeling as warmth because, to me, it has that exact sensation. Just like returning to The Rosemary and Thyme after having travelled through No Man's Land. Arriving there after long and challenging travels, fighting monsters, helping folk with their tragedies. Playing Gwent with friends and brothers in the warmth of its interior. Taking a break. Resting. In a way, in that digital respite, I found a blueprint for the warmth I seek in the world beyond the screen. #thoughts