OLD BUT GOLD

        As a child, I played many video games. I’ll admit it now, I’m a nerd. But these games were not only just fun distractions for a rainy day. As weird as it sounds, these video games affected me and my childhood. The video game that affected and influenced me the most, was Morrowind: The Elder Scrolls III, which was released on PC and Xbox. Many of you may know the game Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls V. Morrowind came out nearly a decade before Skyrim, and several years before the Elder Scroll IV game, Oblivion. In Morrowind, you, the player character, arrive on the strange island of Vvardenfell. You have been sent to Vvardenfell in hopes that you are the reincarnation of a local cultural hero and military leader, Indoril Nerevar and can fulfill an ancient prophecy. Nerevar's reincarnation (the Nerevarine) is expected to defeat the local evil god/Satanic figure, Dagoth Ur. Morrowind's main plot follows your quest to take up the role of the Nerevarine and unite Vvardenfell's disparate factions against Dagoth Ur.

        However, this game is not just an average game about evil gods and brave heroes. It explores topics that are rarely breached in books, let alone video games. For example, your character is sent on this quest by the three gods of the Tribunal, the religious pantheon of Morrowind. The three gods, Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, are (SPOILER ALERT) later revealed to have betrayed and killed the same ancient hero of which you may be the reincarnation. Furthermore, even after discovering this, you still must work with the Tribunal to take down Dagoth Ur! This game brings up many difficult choices. For a fantasy game with magic, giant bat creatures, and adventuring heroes, this game surprisingly feels more realistic than any other role-playing game I’ve played, and it is because of these believable choices and scenarios. Morrowind has taught me valuable lessons about making choices and dealing with the consequences.

        Not only this, but in this game, every single person talks. Everyone has something to say. And not just a few lines of dialogue about a handful of topics. Characters in Morrowind have paragraphs of dialogue, about nearly everything in the game, and it is nearly all different from character to character. All the characters, from the priest of the Tribunal to a lowly book merchant, has opinions and beliefs. I have never encountered another game that has this much attention to the individual characters. This attention to detail makes this game even better. You have to deal with religious troubles, political strife, and personal issues, as well as killing monsters and collecting treasure. With all these factors, this game is one of the best games I’ve ever played. Having grown up with the massive variety of people in the game, I think it really helped me understand that many people have many different perspectives and their own personal lives. In Morrowind, the Nerevarine is not the center of world, and is in the same boat as every other character, just as in real life we are not in the center of the world. I think that playing Morrowind helped me understand this.

        Speaking of the world, the world in which Morrowind takes place is one of the most amazing settings I’ve ever encountered. Despite its massive differences from the world we live in, it seems like real place. Of course, this game was released in 2002, so the graphics are not the most realistic and innovative. Yet, they are entirely made up for by the sounds and stories. For example, the soundtrack is one of the best ever soundtracks I have ever heard. It fully complements every aspect of the game, and sets a tone for everything you (and your

character) do. Along with the beautiful soundtrack, and the main plot, the countless sidequests help amazingly flesh out the world. Whether you are helping a merchant and his pack animal navigate the dangerous trade routes, or delivering a love letter to a bandit, you are immersed in the world. This in-depth world is not only an amazing place, but it is an also amazing feat for the designers and writers, as it appears real and tangible, with its own unique beauty and lore. This world was and still is a great escape from our world.

        I’ve talked quite a bit about the game, but Morrowind is much more than a sum of it’s parts. If you truly get into the game and really play it to its full potential, it can impact your thoughts and emotions just as much as a great book or a wonderful work of art. This game has made me feel more than any other video game I have ever played. It has given me perspectives on society, on people, and on our world itself. Without playing as a child, I don’t feel I would have had quite the same outlook on life. As I look back on my childhood, I would definitely say that this game has impacted me.