I’m just going to come out and say it. You are not the main character of The Elder Scrolls games. Now, after you’ve had a second to reel in your incredulity, do me a favor. Take a good look at the map above. What do you see? Tamriel? Provinces? Landmasses? Cities? Towns? Lakes? Mountains? All of these are correct. Add them all up and what do you get? You get a world – a living, breathing, massive, open world ready for you to explore. So really, the main character of Elder Scrolls games isn’t a who, it’s a what.
The world has been, and always will be, the main character of any Elder Scrolls game. Don’t believe me? Ok, fair enough. But let’s just take a look at the titles of all the numbered TES games, shall we? In order, we have:
- Arena (1994)
- Daggerfall (1996)
- Morrowind (2002)
- Oblivion (2006)
- Skyrim (2011)
Yes, these games do have their respective expansions which in turn have different names, I get that. But to delve into that level of granularity would only prove to be irrelevant, redundant, and frankly, pedantic. So therefore, let us focus on the games listed above.
What do the games above have in common? Their names are derived from locations, and not the name of the player’s character. Confused? Let’s look at Skyrim as an example.
Mr. Phillip G Dovahkiin
We are all familiar with the image above. It’s incredibly iconic. We all know that the character in that image is in fact the Dovahkiin, the player character. You slay dragons, master the Thu’um, and delve into the depths of the world. And yet, for all your glory and splendor, you are a visitor in the grand scheme of things.
Every so often in my travels throughout Tamriel, I come across various ruins, like the one pictured above. I find myself stopping and staring at them. I can’t help but ask myself where the ruins could have come from. Who built them? How old are they? How were they destroyed? No doubt, I am not the only one who is filled with such questions. You get the feeling that the world as been there long before you arrived, and will remain long after you have departed. You can’t help shake the feeling that the world is a living, breathing entity.
Want further proof of the world’s perpetual existence? Just take a stroll through any town from any game, and you’ll see it right before your eyes. There lies Riverwood at dawn. Even before you arrive, you know, you absolutely know that Alvor is waking up and prepping his forge for the day ahead. You know that Lucan and Camilla Valerius are getting ready to open Riverwood Traders, rubbing their eyes as they do so in an attempt to banish the remnants of sleep that so desperately wants to cling on. You know that those people are living out their lives, waiting for you, the Dovahkiin, to walk into their town.
And so, here you sit, basking in the magnificence of the world that Bethesda has created. It doesn’t matter which one of the games you play, the feeling you get from each of them is the same. You close your eyes and realize one irrefutable fact. The world is alive. You can see it every time you enter a town. You can feel it every time the crisp morning breeze grazes across your face. You can hear it every time you wander the forests as your ears are filled with the sounds of animals and birds. You can smell it every time you near a campfire and see a rabbit roast rotating slowly over the flame.
Only then, after you’ve taken in the world – the living, breathing world – do you truly realize that you are not the main character. You are simply a visitor in these lands, your existence a mere blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things.
The world, this glorious world, is and always will be the main character. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Shadow hide you.
Absolutely great piece, Shank. Definitely a new way to look at this game series.
Great stuff Shank, though I gotta say it’s a punch to the gut saying it’s not all about me! Hahaha… But really, you’re right. These games have always been so much bigger than my characters. The game may follow me around, but really that’s just Tamriel’s way of getting me to get out and see all of her. I hope ESO feels this way too, and stays away from the standard MMO trap of, “focus on your character and build to be the ultimate warrior! That’s all that matters.” I’m fairly confident it’s going to be fine, it’s just that your article has raised an interesting talking point, and I hope ZOS is talking about it!
Fantastic piece! Its the world that shines for me whenever I’m running around pretending to know what I’m doing. My little brother has begged me time and time again to write him novels as he just never wants to leave the place and he cannot find much written fiction set in Tamriel, alas, I tell him I just don’t know enough about the incredible world they’ve built to do it any justice for him. They simply did that good of a job XD
As an aspiring level designer, Skyrim is an incredible feat for me to witness each time I play. My ultimate goal would be to work for Bethesda because I so admire those who work there. I love how if I take a moment to look at a door, a statue, a tree, or even a cave, there is such a great level of detail to appreciate. I play and enjoy the beautiful vistas that can be viewed from places high up, and I always take moments to stop and just look at the world around me, drinking in the shear scale of the world and all it’s detail.
Not to mention Bethesda’s incredible foresight in their support for the modding community. This collaboration alone brings their games from great to absolutely amazing.
My first clue that the game wasn’t all about me was the first time that I showed up for a battle, but it was already over. One side had won, while the other side lay strewn about all over the battlefield. I had missed the fight.. in a single player game.
That is a very weird concept to wrap your head around, but also very immersive.
Well said. ‘Nuff said.
I think the one thing that holds me back on really getting this deep into the TES -exploration- madness is, you have always been held to opening up only parts of the world that Shank is talking about. Whether it is Morrowind or Skyrim or whatever TES game you play, you are only given a piece of the world. I don’t know how I totally feel about this yet. Any thoughts? I guess what I am saying is, I want the ability to cross in Skyrim, down to Cyrodill and then back towards Morrowind? But I’d need to take out game disks for this to happen. – Ten