Looking back on his childhood in Ukraine, one of the more memorable games Vasyl Zhytynskyi ever played was a survival horror shooter — “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.”
Zhytynskyi, 24, was 7 when it was released in 2007, living in Ternopil, a town outside the city of Lviv. Limited internet access meant the best way to get games was trading and sharing with friends. Installing the game required multiple disks, and it ran poorly on his family’s computer.
But the title captivated him. He’d play the game for hours, firing at radioactive monsters, military security and other foes in a fictionalized version of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site. Friends of his who were too scared to finish parts that were too chilling called him over to step in.
Zhytynskyi now lives in Harwood Heights, after moving to the Chicago area two years ago, seven months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He was a military linguist before the war and would have stayed, but his loved ones convinced him to leave for better economic opportunities. He’s among the 30,000 Ukrainian refugees living in the Chicago area who came to the U.S. through the Uniting for Ukraine program.
“I didn’t want to leave, I wanted to join the army,” he told the Sun-Times. “But I lost my parents at a really young age, so my family said it would be better for me here.”
So when “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl” was released on PC last month, he jumped at the opportunity to play it. He said the game brings him back to his elementary school days and helps him when he’s feeling homesick.
“Sometimes when it gets lonely, I turn it on,” Zhytynskyi said.
Ukrainian video game studio GSC Game World announced plans for “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2” in 2012, but the game was completed amid the war in Ukraine. Intermittent electricity and rocket fire slowed the game’s development, and some developers left to join the fight when the war started. Developer Volodymyr Yezhov and voice actor Oleksiy Khilskyi were both killed on the front lines; others have become refugees in nearby countries.
That backdrop meant the game took on deeper meaning for the company.
“We are like a Ukrainian flag that’s still fluttering even though it’s been damaged by wind and missiles,” said Anastasiia Turupalova, an executive at GSC Game World in a documentary about the game’s development. “We became a kind of a symbol having made this game.”
Zhytynskyi said the long-promised sequel “became a legend” among fans. GSC Game World wrote in a post on X that the game sold 1 million copies in the 48 hours after its release and has since nearly tripled that — not counting those playing through subscription services.
The game opens with a scene from the perspective of the main character, who just had his home blown up, which Zhytynskyi said echoes the reality of living in the besieged country — even the western parts, where he grew up and where his loved ones currently live.
“Seeing that introduction is a reminder of what really happens in Ukraine, so many people are losing their homes to Russian drones and missiles,” Zhytynskyi said. “People often say video games are beyond politics, but nothing is beyond politics. … That’s a story many Ukrainians are living right now. There’s always risk a missile will hit your building this time.”
The developers’ dedication to making “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2” a Ukrainian game stands out even in the title, where they used the Ukrainian version of the spelling “Chornobyl” instead of the Russian “Chernobyl.” In interviews, they’ve likened its release to Ukrainian athletes bringing Olympic medals home and called it a “love letter to Ukraine.”
Other elements of the game reflect cultural pride, as in-game radio stations play Ukrainian artists and have radio shows talking about Ukrainian food and culture. Zhytynskyi said he’s enjoyed it so much that he started listening to them while he eats dinner.
“There are not many games with Ukrainian voiceovers,” Zhytynskyi said. “I just enjoy hearing my own language in the game.”
Zhytynskyi said he appreciates that the game’s choices are in player’s hands, making him stop to think about what he does and immersing him in the game.
“Sometimes you just play the game and it feels alive,” Zhytynskyi said. “It doesn’t feel scripted, those are just the rules of the Zone.”
It goes beyond just hearing his home language and exploring the environment, though.
Ukrainian schools and businesses in Russian occupied territories have been forced to switch to using Russian. As of July, Russian attacks have destroyed more than 2,000 Ukrainian cultural sites — including hundreds of libraries, art education institutions and museums — along with historical archives, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. The United Nations said several attacks were deliberately targeted.
Zhytynskyi said he hopes the game’s success will spark an interest in those outside Ukraine to learn about its culture, both past and present, and possibly help preserve it as the war rages on.
“We have our own identity and our own language,” Zhytynskyi said. “We have a lot to offer to the world, and that’s our ambition. We want to be part of the globe.”
Contributing: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere, AP