The Elder Scrolls: A Living Franchise (Kamrath)

## Introduction

In HUM 211 we have analysed the phenomenon of what happens when new technologies enter the world, specifically ones that change the way people interact and communicate with each other. One of the most prominent examples of this is the rise of video games and the internet. The two are like technological siblings, relying on each other, and existing within each other. In Plato's Phaedrus, he talks about the fundamental technology that is writing. He insists

that it is not beneficial, and that it will have such detrimental effects as damaging memory and creating false senses of wisdom. This negative view of something new is a continued theme that is as strong today as it was for Plato. There are almost always at least a few things about new technology that are prices to pay for whatever benefits that they may offer, but in the long run, the essence of technology is that these prices are worth paying in order to move into a better future. Looking as far back as the invention of writing gives an idea of how vast the footprint of technology is in human history. It changes not only what people can do but how they do the things they were already

doing. As Walter Ong points out in Writing Restructures Consciousness, technology even changes the way we think. Before the written language was established and accepted by society, cultures were orally based, and knowledge was passed from tongue to ear. As Ong points out,Ideas were presented in non-final forms, as opposed to the sense of finality given by a printed text. As writing became a more ingrained aspect of humanity, people began to change the way they approached things, and developments followed that ultimately got our race to the modern age. This technology of writing did many things that may have caused our technological acceleration, but one of the most important was the connection it created between people. Technology changes the way we think, and the way we communicate. Human beings have always by nature been social creatures, so it follows that things that would effect the way we think would also change the way we interact with each other.

Beginning as far back as the invention of writing, and stretching into the modern age of the wired world, people have steadily been defining and refining collective groups that deal with media that is produced in their society. These communities are the forges that smelt together the ideas of a group into one collection of knowledge. They take the individual contributions of their members and multiply them many times over through cooperation. Some of these communities come together out of great need or for a momentous purpose, while others simply work together towards superficial ends for enjoyment. One example of such a community that has formed around a goal of little consequence is the people who work together to spoil the TV show survivor. There only objective is to discover details about Survivor before they are released to the public, yet the seriousness with which they carry out their mission is astounding. It may sound like a silly goal for a fan community to have, but the spoilers are very good at what they do, and most importantly, they are very organized.

Survivor is not the only media that has gathered such a community of fans around it. There are countless games, movies, books, songs, and TV shows that attract enough people to develop large groups of fans. The reason for this explosion of online communities is the ever growing flexibility of the internet and the technologies that interact with it. As the wired world continues to grow, it also becomes more accessible to the average person, allowing for the rise of a whole new wave of content generated by ordinary people. Fans who feel compelled to gather together can from whatever kind of group they want through the power of modern connection. This environment has become a breeding ground for forums, wiki pages, and blogs concerning a vast range of categories. People use these resources as re-mediation studios in order create fan art, fan fiction, and even modifications to games to put their own unique spin on the media that they love so much. This new means of self expression is a bright contrast to the possible downsides of our wired world. As Stephen Marche considers in his article Is Facebook Making Us Lonely, there is a very real possibility of being harmed by misuse or abuse of the unprecedented state of connection within our society. One of the reasons that these communities are so important is that they show the positive sides of the wired world, which is important when its benefits are called into question. When people like Nicolas Carr consider that the internet might actually be making people less intelligent, it may begin to seem like the transition our culture has made toward greater connection was a mistake. However, despite this point of view it is important to consider the overwhelming benefits brought to us by our connection. James Paul Gee points out that video games are actually good for the soul, giving people things that they could never hope to find in their real lives, and allowing them to feel a sense of meaning. Video games that do this most effectively have become the for front of fan adoration, with one of the most prominent being The Elder Scrolls franchise.

The Elder Scrolls games are the essence of giving an average person the feeling that they can make a name for themselves and even change the world. Becoming a hero chosen by fate to wield limitless power and save the world is only part of the attraction. The fact that the world you are saving is beautifully and masterfully created in such a way as to immerse the player makes it all the more fulfilling. The Elder Scrolls games have been around since 1994, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide, with the last three titles all taking game of the year awards from multiple outlets. As the wired world continues to develop, more and more people are gathering to this franchise to explore its

world and interact with others who have shared the same experiences. People have grown to love the vast world full of so many characters and stories that they have taken it upon themselves, as fans, to expand it further and share it with their communities. If any member of the community becomes lost in their journey, they have only to ask for help on one of the many forums and other members will rush to their aid. People come together to discuss their differing opinions about what the things that they encounter mean, they share their knowledge among other players to improve everyone's player experiences, and they re-mediate the games so that The Elder Scrolls universe can be extended into other aspects of their lives. All of these things are social phenomenons made possible by the ever growing power of connection in our wired world.

## Interpretative Disputes

With so many different ways to play the games, it is easy to see how disputes could arise about how one should approach the world of The Elder Scrolls. You can chose to sneak around, stealing things and stabbing poor innocent NPCs in the back when it serves your purpose, or you can chose to be a warrior of justice, defending the same poor innocent NPCs from bad guys. Even the way the player approaches the game's story is a controversial decision. After the introductory tutorial, the player is given the main quest, but by no means is forced to carry it out. Players can chose to do it immediately, or save it for later and run through the woods looking for side quests, or they could even do a mixture of both. Players also must chose how their hero will deal with its enemies. With all the different skills to invest in, each player comes to develop their own opinions on which ones are the best to use, and which ones require the most or least skill to succeed with. At the end of the day The Elder Scrolls games are completely dependent on things that the player chooses to do, and with an entire community playing the game, there are a variety of ideas on what the best way to play is.

Members of knowledge communities like to debate things like whether certain skill trees are worth investing in. For instance, in the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, the alchemy skill is considered by some to not be worth the time. This also brings up another sensitive issue regarding Skyrim. In the game, there are three skills called enchanting, smithing, and alchemy which if performed in a specific way can be used to infinitely improve the quality of a weapon. Having an infinitely powerful weapon is obviously something that would spark controversy among the community. So why would a player consider alchemy useless if it was part of making a god weapon? This player is making the point that he can simply use the other two skills: smithing and enchanting, to get a weapon that was still ridiculously over-powered while

not having to worry about the alchemy skill at all. In the same post the player brings up another issue, saying that after reaching level 18 the game is simply too easy. The responses are interesting, the first being that alchemy is actually enjoyable, whereas the truly useless skill is cooking. The second response brings up the point that it all depends on your play style, just like how certain players prefer to be sneaky as opposed to going "Leroy Jenkins" on everything. As the thread progresses, the discussion moves from a simple statement that alchemy is useless to a grand accusation that Skyrim in its entirety is a "dumbed down game." Then the thread has people giving their opinion on both issues for a while, then the inevitable post comes offering a mod to fix everything. One of the best parts about Skyrim is that most of the problems players find with the game can be tuned to their liking by simply applying a mod to the game. Sometimes, however, modding itself gives rise to disputes.

There is considerable controversy concerning the right time for a player seeking to spruce up their experience with mods. Some people think it's better to get all the mods they want right off the bat so that they can experience the game the way they want as soon as possible. Other people insist that it is important to play the game without mods for a while to get an idea about what they want changed. This can be seen in a post from a player seeking to mod their game heavily soon after starting the game. The player starts off by saying that he doesn't want to go mad with mods, but then proceeds to post a giant list of ones he is thinking of getting. The very first response is a concise reply telling the player that it is better to play without mods until level ten. Then player looking for mods gets upset and attacks the other community member as well as bashing the entire community itself. Even after the player trash talks the community, there are still later posts that offer exactly what he initially asked for. It is impressive that despite the disputes that take place, the community still moves in a positive direction. Even when the discussion becomes toxic, community members still maturely handle the issue. This is more than can be said for certain governments of nations, and this is a simple fan-made knowledge community about a video game.

## Knowledge Communities

The volume of content in The Elder Scrolls games makes them perfect candidates for groups of people to form collections of information about them. There are multiple sites devoted to the sharing and collecting of information regarding every aspect of the games. The lore that the game is based off of is extensive, with only parts of it ever actually finding its way into published titles. The games themselves even contain books that the player can pick up and read. These books range from brief histories to extensive tales of wars between kingdoms. There were 820 books released in the original Skyrim game, and all of them could be found in the world and read by the player. Players that don't care so much for the books can choose to ditch them or sell them, while players looking for more immersion that are interested in the lore can read to their hearts content.

### The Elder Scrolls Wiki

Just like any game with a moderate following, there is a Wiki for The Elder Scrolls. The Elder Scrolls wiki is, as are many other wikis for games, a place where players can come together to share information and form organized groups that work together to improve the experience of the game. This Wiki is well organized and carefully managed so that all of its users can receive as much help and information as possible. Users can come together and talk about things as simple as which kind of books withing the game they like to read. This shows an interesting side to The Elder Scrolls community, because it is evidence that not everyone plays these games simply to kill everything that moves

and beat the main quest and then never touch it again. The people in this thread are so immersed in The Elder Scrolls universe that they actually search for specific books in the world and read them for enjoyment. Some people like them because they expand on the game's lore, and others say they simply enjoy the stories as what they are. The Elder Scrolls Wiki also has an impressive form of government in the form of a weekly meeting which they call a moot. The moot is a weekly meeting of The Elder Scrolls Wiki community held to discuss topics of importance concerning the site. It is run as an open floor meeting, so anyone can provide input on situations, although users who plan to present ideas can sign up for a time slot and not have to worry about being interrupted. Rules are enforced, and it is made clear that trouble makers will be kicked out, but it is impressive that a Wiki site has such a sophisticated method of keeping the community actively involved and always moving in a forward direction. Although it is undoubtedly one of the most popular and mature knowledge communities devoted to The Elder Scrolls, it is one among many.

### The Nexus Forums

Another knowledge community can be found on a site similar to Wikia called Nexus. The Nexus forums are very similar to The Elder Scrolls Wiki, with the major difference being that because the Nexus is the center for The Elder Scrolls' modding activity its forums also contain a lot of traffic concerning those mods. Players come here to get advice on which mods are the best or which mods will contribute positively to their preferred play style. Any player seeking advice about modding just has to post here and other members of the community will gladly give their input as to what mods are essential, and even what mods are just nice to have to add little perks to the game. While a good portion of the Nexus Forums does deal with modding related threads, just has much has little or nothing to do with

mods. Some people even post things like little chunks of lore they have discovered while searching through old Elder Scrolls games that people have forgotten about or never experienced. Another member even comments in the thread that it amazes them how much of the lore they don't ever see in the games. Part of the vast feeling of The Elder Scrolls comes from the fact that they don't actually tell you every bit of lore in the games. Most of it is just hinted about, or not even mentioned at all. The effect is that the player is experiencing the outcome of a bunch of stuff that remains a mystery to them. This creates a nice contrast between the player's limitless power to vanquish foes and change the world and the fact that they are just a small part of a rich history.

## Remediation

The Elder Scrolls games have been re-mediated in many different ways. There are books based off of the lore established by the games, there are multiple sites bursting with helpful information for new players looking to find ways to beat quests or locate powerful items, and there is even a massively multiplayer online game based off of the original franchise, which I would consider remediation because of its distance from the original concept of the franchise. Another, and perhaps the most amazing form of remediation is the massive modding community that has risen around The Elder Scrolls games. Mods are player generated content that can be applied to the game as they please, opening their experience up to endless modification. There are so many mods that the running joke is that an Elder Scrolls game is not truly complete until the modding community has been altering it for a while.

### The Elder Scrolls Books: The Infernal City and The Lord of Souls

It wasn't long before The Elder Scrolls games were re-mediated into books. The first book was The Infernal City by Greg Keys. This book was an official Elder Scrolls Novel, as opposed to fan fiction, and it was set in The Elder Scrolls universe and synchronized with all the lore found in the games. The novel is set four years after the events in the fourth game of the series: The Elder Scrolls Four: Oblivion. The premise of the book is that a giant floating island has appeared and is sucking up the souls of the creatures it flies over as its source of fuel. While this book has no direct impact on the lore of the game, it was derived entirely from it. The second book, The Lord of Souls, was also written by Greg Keys. The characters continue their efforts to bring down the flying city and save their land. On their own, these novels probably wouldn't have been considered anything special, but because they bear the name of The Elder Scrolls franchise, they were moderately well received. In some cases though, there was confusion about the books credibility and relation to the actual game series. On The Elder Scrolls Wiki, threads can be found where members debate the implications of what happens in The Infernal City and its impact on the games.

### Modding

Modding refers to applying a modification to a games original form. It is difficult to explain the scale of the modding community that surrounds The Elder Scrolls games. The Elder Scrolls Nexus is a site, much like a wiki site, that contains a huge database of mods available for The elder scrolls games. There are over ten million registered members on this site, and the mods available probably outweigh the original

content of the game many times over. There are mods for literally every aspect of the game, so many in fact that there are YouTube videos that help people find the mods they want by covering all of the different categories. Probably the most popular and largest scale mod is called Requiem. This mod is what is called an overhaul mod, which means that it changes pretty much everything about the game. The developers of this mod put in over 2000 hours of development time into it, and it is so expansive that there are multiple videos devoted to explaining the details of what exactly it does. Nothing is sacred when it comes to modding. Skyrim is a single player game right? Not after the modding community got their hands on it. There are now mods that allow the game to be played in coop mode. Changing fundamental elements of a game like that is one example of what knowledge communities can accomplish. This community has gotten so good at what they do that they can just churn out content for years after a game comes out.

## References

1. ↑ Plato, "Phaedrus." Course Readings, HUM211
2. ↑ Walter Ong, "Writing Restructures Consciousness." Course Readings, HUM211.
3. ↑ Henry Jenkins, "Spoiling Survivor." Course Readings, HUM 211.
4. ↑ Stephen Marche, "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely." Course Readings, HUM211.
5. ↑ Nicolass Carr. "Is Google Making Us Stupid." Course Readings, HUM211.
6. ↑ James Paul Gee. "Good Video Games + Good Learning." Course Readings, HUM211.
7. ↑ TES wiki. The Elder Scrolls.
8. ↑ The Nexus Forums. "Alchemy - Tedious and Unnecessary?"
9. ↑ The Nexus Forums. "Oh God, new player needs Requiem advice."
10. ↑ TES Wiki. Home
11. ↑ TES wiki.What is/are Your Favorite Book(s)?
12. ↑ TES wiki. The Elder Scrolls Wiki:Moot
13. ↑ The Nexus Forums. General Discussion Home
14. ↑ The Nexus Forums. "Recommend Me Some Mods."
15. ↑ The Nexus Forums. "TEs lore is crazy, here is some."
16. ↑ Wikipedia Article:The Elder Scrolls The Infernal City.
17. ↑ Wikipedia Article: Lord of Souls.
18. ↑ TES wiki thread. The Infernal City is it a "certified" book?
19. ↑ The Elder Scrolls Nexus. Nexus Mods Home.