Hello everyone. Today I would like to try to broach the topic of fantasy races in video games butting heads and even going so far as to war, steal each other's territory, and a long list of other things.
In my opinion, I believe this can be handled maturely and make a world feel lived in. An avenue that provides political struggles, biases and history in an ever growing cycle.
Overall, I think it is a topic worth talking about.
Why do the races HAVE to get along? Can they? Do they? Have they always? How do they conflict?
I think a great example to approach this subject, especially in writing, is to make everything FAR from clear cut. No real good guys. Just people getting by with their own quirks. Often times screwing each other over in the process.
An example of such a thing being The Elder Scrolls series and the lore and history that you can dig up.
Ultimately, I have found that there are no 'good' people on Nirn. People that are just trying to live? Sure. But everyone to some capacity has been a jerk to another
or worse to some extent, one way or another.
And on a surface level, you could say for example the Nords are just isolationist elf haters... Then you start learning about the elves. From the time of the Ayleids to the modern Thalmor and the Dunmer house of Dres. Yeah...
And it makes you wince. Because everyone has motivations. And no party mentioned are totally nice innocent sweethearts. Not the Nords. Not the beast folk. And not the elves.
So what about Verra? Frankly, I could see all of the races having some kind of beef with one another. The Tul'nar seeing everyone as invaders, the Dunir dwarves seeing Empyrean elves as aloof, haughty and unapproachable knife ears. Pig nose orc, arrogant humans, and you name it.
Dirty kidnapping goblins? Check! Demon worshiping minotaurs? Maybe. Flesh eating nuckelavee that ravage the countryside and terrorize all of known civilization at large? One could hope.
There is a countless amount of possibilities for tension, reactions, culture friction and overall dialogue. From civilized races to the more monstrous.
What do you think? Please keep the conversation civil and be mature about it. This subject is about a fictional world that is not our own.
