It’s no secret that Brandon Sanderson is a huge fan of video games, and he’s certainly not shy about expressing his feelings about games from every genre. In one of his Five Favorites segments on YouTube, Sanderson speaks with esports journalist Travis Gafford about their favorite video game worlds, and Sanderson has high praise for theElder Scrollsuniverse in particular.
Sanderson begins theYouTubeinterview by talking about how theworld-building inElder Scrollsdoes something that many games in the fantasy genre don’t do very well. He argues that many games try to tap into the Tolkien-esque style of fantasy but fail to make it original, while the Elder Scrolls games don’t"feel like a straight Tolkien knock-off."
Sanderson Thinks The Elder Scrolls Universe Is A Worthy Tolkien-Esque Fantasy World
The Elder Scrolls Reimagines Tolkien’s Concepts Into Something Unique & Original
There are countless games that are clearly inspired by Tolkien’s legendary work, but as Sanderson points out,not many games are able to do this in an original and convincing waythat doesn’t feel like a clear ripoff. TheElder Scrollsuniverse, particularlygames likeOblivion, Morrowind,andSkyrim, manages to establish its own distinct lore and mythos using Tolkien-esque concepts such as dwarves and elves.
Sanderson cites specific examples of this original lore-building, such as the Draugr, an undead group of Nordic warriors, and opines on howElder Scrollsavoids the"generic medieval fantasy"tropesthat many similar games fall victim to. He callsElder Scrollsa"masterclass in how to take [medieval fantasy tropes] and make [them] your own."
Each Entry In Elder Scrolls Avoids Generic Fantasy Tropes
Sanderson Points To Morrowind As “The Gold Standard”
Sanderson believes that the Elder Scrolls universe avoids"generecising"itsmedieval fantasy style in nearly every major entry in the franchise.He callsThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowindthe"gold standard"of avoiding these tropes and establishing a convincing and original world.
The Elder Scrollsis amassive Tolkien-esque worldwith seemingly endless depths to its lore. Each race and region in the various games has its own mythology and folklore that is expanded through environmental storytelling, such as the massive underground"ancient catacombs"that you may explore or the iconicgates inOblivion.
Sanderson’s love for the world-building inThe Elder Scrollsis well-founded, and he makes a great point about the level of immersion and grand scale of the lore. Each game in the franchise expands and elaborates on this world-building while managing to avoid generic tropes and keep things original and exciting. As Sanderson puts it:“Big thumbs-up to the Elder Scrolls team for being able to take something and make it work like that.”
