Why Artifex Mundi?

The literal translation of Artifex Mundi (of course from Latin) is 'world artist' (artifex - an artist, mundus - the world). As a matter of fact, the word artifex has some more meanings, including pejorative ones (an intriguer, a fraudster). However, they are secondary and few people are familiar with them. Anyway, the sound of the world itself refers to the art (ars – the art).

Developing games is like performing simulations of various aspects of reality – bearing this in mind, the other meanings of the word artifex (a master, a creator, a doer) are more up to date. Actually, the reference to the art of creating world could be already seen in the antiquity when Platon, famous Greek philosopher, was writing about Demiurg, the creator, who, almost like a craftsman, was taking out of the chaos the most perfect fragments of matter and made of them gods, spirits and the material world. We do not want to be seen as equal with God or above Him (Demiurg was creating gods). Thus purposely we do not use the obvious Latin word creator and by using the word artifex in our name we put emphasis on the artistic side of the act of creation.

The second part of the name also needs a few words of explanation. Nowadays, the word 'world' is usually exchanged with 'planet Earth' (however including the space which is around, thus making the universe). Nevertheless, the word also has more broad and universal definition: the world is the general reality which is around us; both real and unreal, the fantastic one. The people of olden times did not know the concept of the universe and therefore the second meaning was primary for them. Latin world mundus has also several more meanings, including the universe, the sky, the earth, the mankind and... clothes and toiletries. However, lucky us that still few people know about it... ;-)