User blog comment:The Milkman/Phantasy Philosophy: Elder Scrolls/@comment-3492791-20120913054143

"I don't play video games to experience more of the same, I play them to see something new!"

As a Cynic, this makes me laugh.

Anyway, fantasy has often been tolkienesque fantasy, and nothing else. The brave and industrious humans, the noble and majestic elves, the fierce and mighty dwarves, the bloodthirsty and beastal orcs, forests and medieval castles as far as the eye can see, and all manner of medieval weaponry and magic! Elves are good at archery and magic, but are tree huggers and highborn asses that live longer than everyone else. Dwarves are brutish and bearded, live underground, and love smashing things in the face. Humans are the aristocratic and the everyman, and don't commit to anything because we're so special.

Sound like every fantasy game yet?

Real Fantasy-- Scratch that. Real fiction forgoes reality and expectation. Now this doesn't mean that absolutely nothing in it can be at all recognizable (Giant flying mushroom men wage war on the green gas giant of Zuuliafdiin against the native longstriders over control of the Finderious and ultimate political dominance over sentient cheese wheels of the Federation of Burathialk), but good fantasy as you said is alien on the outside, but familiar on the inside. It requires an interesting world that is alien, but the populace and socity draw real world parallels. Great examples of fantasy done well are Dusk/Dawn (Separate titles btw) by Tim Lebbon. Aside from being my two favorite books of all time, it creates a rich world unique world that is for the most part devoid of stereotypical Tolkien fantasy.

I hate it in a game where it feels like i'm the only competence person in the universe. A real immersive, living world has things that happen on their own. Imagine if not all events are frozen in time until you choose to take an interest in them. Maybe if you ignored the civil war quest for too long, one side wins the war themselves. Or if visit a small town after a while, it's been sacked by bandits. Or better yet you just hear about it getting sacked, and some noble hero other than yourself came to the town's aid and saved them. Maybe even you hear about this famed hero stealing all the odd jobs you were meant to do. Cities devolop and conclude political conquests. Waring factions destroy each other. etc etc. Make it feel like you are part of the world, not the driving force for the entire world.

Things like Dragons were an interesting step in good fantasy (not just dragons in general I mean). You see a fearsome creature, giant winged lizard that is easily 4-5 times you size, however it's not a simple beast, but a sentient race of intellegent beings with their own system of writing and culture. THAT is the essence of fantasy. Alien on the outside, relatable on the inside. Not like the Argonians that are bipedal humoniod lizards with tits.

...wait, you wrote three other sections too? Damn it!