This session will take attendees on a remarkable journey back to a time when the Polish video game industry was beginning to emerge behind the Iron Curtain. The presentation will explore how American pop culture including films, literature, music, VHS tapes, and satellite television found its way to young creators growing up in the communist era, sparking imagination and creative ambition in a vastly different reality. What began as a fascination with American culture ultimately evolved into the creation of globally acclaimed titles such as The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077, This War of Mine, and Dying Light. The talk will ultimately reveal how such a vibrant and innovative game development scene flourished in a part of the world once considered distant and inaccessible, and why PAX West has become a natural place for this story to be shared.
Our goal is to engage and inspire the American audience by demonstrating how pop culture and soft power can serve as a bridge – one that played a significant role in shaping the global video game industry as we know it today.
Panelist: Ryszard Chojnowski
Sun, Sep 6, 2026
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Firebird Theatre (LVL 5, Signature Room)
