Why do so many people want to play as anime-esque characters on Skyrin

[Thoreai]

Same reason you download the mods you do.

 

Because we like them, it's that simple. The misconception is that all anime mod users download mods to get big boobs, giant ass swords, etc.

 

Some do, but it's a stupid generalization to assume that all do. I remember getting flamed for liking anime mods and they just assumed I downloaded mods with H-cup breasts and swords that were bigger than the user, even though I share the same resentment of all the porn mods that increased breast size to the point where the character couldn't walk.

 

Anime mods are stereotyped horridly, pure and simple.

Absolutely agree.

 

I saw animes that were so deep, an awesome experience to watch...sadly as always people who know nothing about animes, make quick judgements.

[Dubnoman]

I don't get it either. I do like anime. I have liked it since the 90s. But I don't care to play through Skyrim with an anime type character mod since the graphical style of Skyrim is so different from those mods. I might download some anime mods just to see what they are like, but I don't plan on playing through any of the quest lines with an anime-esque character.

 

I think it would be awesome if there was an elder scrolls type game made by a Japanese company; something with cel shaded graphics, something looking like Dragon Quest VIII (but with better graphics since that is a 2005 game).

[Handofbane]

In regards to the "missing the point" quote. I think it's pretty obvious that a lot of time, money and effort went into making Skyrim conform to a very deliberate tone and setting. To me, it seems that many people are missing the direct appeal of this specific setting. I do think that games like Skyrim are some of the very few examples of games transcending just pure entertainment, and mods that drastically break the game's continuity or context are in my opinion detrimental in that they just s*** all over a very precariously crafted world with little or no regard for the actual intent of the game.

Well I found your problem, right there. TES games (and more recently Fallout as well) have gained massive popularity amongst PC users not just because of the base game and lore, but because of the open modable nature of the game world thanks to BethSoft's release of the CS/GECK/CK. This leaves the game open, thanks to mods, to expand and encompass a nearly unlimited variety of alternate "realities" for each player's personal game world. Some like a more strict interpretation of what was released originally, as you appear to, and others prefer more alternate variations in their gameplay. Neither is wrong in their preference, as that preference is purely for their own enjoyment.

 

If BethSoft wanted only purely lore-friendly mods to be released for all eternity, they would state so clearly in their CK terms of service/license agreement/what-have-you. As they choose not to, the obvious conclusion is that they simply fail to care one way or another as long as certain specific legality rules are not broken (in most cases very similar to what restrictions the Nexus already has in place regarding what can or cannot be uploaded).

 

All that said, this consistent pushing by the lore-friendly-only crowd recently is getting old fast. If you (general, not specifically the OP) don't like a mod or mod-type, ignore it and move on to the next rather than keep popping in and trying to antagonize the community-at-large by repeatedly making veiled attempts at starting flame wars simply because someone likes something you don't.

[SergeantGrrock]

Don't know what compelled me to comment on this but... I'm old so I've never understood the whole anime craze to begin with. The first time I ever saw anime was the old "Speed Racer" cartoon. I thought it was so lame I didn't even watch it when there were only 6 channels on tv. Oh... 6 channels and PBS. That said, a lot of folks here like to play Skyrim with "adult mods" or spectacular weapons and armor... why? Same answer I'd guess. Immersion is in the eye of the beholder.

[fakecakes]

Like others have probably said before, but I'm too lazy to read over this thread, some people need anime in everything for some odd reason. I love anime, but I don't see why you should put it into a realistic game (in terms of graphics at least, physics.... yeah).

[Photon7]

Maybe someone will hurt me for this, but

I don't care about Lore-fitting, because i don't care much about the lore. I never played a Bethesda (or TES) game before and i bought Skyrim because i wanted a good looking fantasy world (with snow, oh i love snow).

So i download all the mods I need to get "my" fantasy-game. Not Bethesdas or someone elses. That's actually why I love Skyrim now, because of the mods. I never thought I could get so much "personal customization" in a fantasy game. The first time I heard about mods i actually thought "hmm, maybe someone made the females better looking ... oh no, i don't think someone does that". Then I found the Nexus and got surprised how many mods actually existed.

(I actually don't really use anime mods (aside from the hair), but i think some more people, especially those with "anime" share a similar view).

 

So my character has a ponytail and glaring red hair. That's not lore-fitting at all. But it is my fantasy game.

 

If i look at the mods and something sounds ridicolous to me, i just laugh, and look for something different without any comments.

[apecallum]

In regards to the "missing the point" quote. I think it's pretty obvious that a lot of time, money and effort went into making Skyrim conform to a very deliberate tone and setting. To me, it seems that many people are missing the direct appeal of this specific setting. I do think that games like Skyrim are some of the very few examples of games transcending just pure entertainment, and mods that drastically break the game's continuity or context are in my opinion detrimental in that they just s*** all over a very precariously crafted world with little or no regard for the actual intent of the game.

Well I found your problem, right there. TES games (and more recently Fallout as well) have gained massive popularity amongst PC users not just because of the base game and lore, but because of the open modable nature of the game world thanks to BethSoft's release of the CS/GECK/CK. This leaves the game open, thanks to mods, to expand and encompass a nearly unlimited variety of alternate "realities" for each player's personal game world. Some like a more strict interpretation of what was released originally, as you appear to, and others prefer more alternate variations in their gameplay. Neither is wrong in their preference, as that preference is purely for their own enjoyment.

 

If BethSoft wanted only purely lore-friendly mods to be released for all eternity, they would state so clearly in their CK terms of service/license agreement/what-have-you. As they choose not to, the obvious conclusion is that they simply fail to care one way or another as long as certain specific legality rules are not broken (in most cases very similar to what restrictions the Nexus already has in place regarding what can or cannot be uploaded).

 

All that said, this consistent pushing by the lore-friendly-only crowd recently is getting old fast. If you (general, not specifically the OP) don't like a mod or mod-type, ignore it and move on to the next rather than keep popping in and trying to antagonize the community-at-large by repeatedly making veiled attempts at starting flame wars simply because someone likes something you don't.

 

I don't think I'm making myself very clear.

 

I completely 100% understand that people have every right to mod Skyrim however whichever way they please. Yes certain people have preferences for zany characters over lore fitting ones, and of course Bethesda (as a collective) doesn’t care how people play their games as long as they actually pay for them.

 

My contention is that it’s quite possible that people are outright missing out on the full intended experience of the game. Yes you can argue from a subjective viewpoint that there is no intended experience, and that Skyrim is by its nature a non-linear, open world sandbox in which you play however you want to play and that anime mods are just an extension of this principle but I'm inclined to disagree.

 

Subjectivity only goes so far. If someone were to read LOTR and alter significant texts within the book and replace characters such as Aragorn or Boromir with scantily clad, sterile (not in a negative sense) anime characters with giant lightning swords, you would be hard pressed to argue that the reader isn’t being fully stimulated or moved as Tolkein intended. If you don’t care about Tolkein’s intent then fine, but I would say that you are foolishly denying yourself the full experience of the book by crudely segmenting a very deliberately crafted and multi-faceted narrative. There is a reason why (as far as I'm aware) people don't do that sort of thing.

 

Obviously Skyrim is nowhere near approaching the level of complexity of LOTR but I think the analogy sticks.

 

An anime character in Skyrim is always going to be separate from the tone of the game. Yes you have every legal, moral and ethical right to play as one but just because that choice exists does it really mean that it is a sensible one?

 

I guess I’m a purist to a naive degree, but it will never make any sense to me that people justify their decisions purely on the merit that they have the freedom to make them.

Edited February 14, 2012 by apecallum

[Handofbane]

My contention is that it’s quite possible that people are outright missing out on the full intended experience of the game. Yes you can argue from a subjective viewpoint that there is no intended experience, and that Skyrim is by its nature a non-linear, open world sandbox in which you play however you want to play and that anime mods are just an extension of this principle but I'm inclined to disagree.

Toss this idea around a bit then - any player can experience nearly the entire game on a single character, they can most definitely do so within two characters (go go Civil war). Why should any player feel obligated to repeat the same things over and over again after having experienced what they have of the game, especially should they have completed all the content in the base game? The lifespan of any game is about as long as it takes any given player to get bored of it, and those who choose to extend a game's lifespan by adding mods for things they may personally find make it more entertaining may well opt to do so for whatever reasons they choose. Similarly, no player is really obligated to complete the game from start to finish (not that there really is a finish considering there is no actual end of the game despite finishing every quest and reaching level cap).

 

So people may miss out on some part of the game if they decide they want to add in spiky hair, giant swords, chainmail bikinis, or pink ponies... does it really matter to anyone how someone else chooses to enjoy their game? Hell, pink ponies and ultra-hardcore-realism-modes don't seem that appealing to me personally, but it has absolutely zero effect on my own enjoyment of the game that someone else feels they need such things to get more out of their game, so why worry about it?

 

It's one thing to wonder why some folks do or don't do something, it is another to try to impose your own view of things and assume others are somehow inferior for not seeing things just as you do - and yes that is exactly how your posts are coming across when you try to make such statements as

I do think that games like Skyrim are some of the very few examples of games transcending just pure entertainment, and mods that drastically break the game's continuity or context are in my opinion detrimental in that they just **** all over a very precariously crafted world with little or no regard for the actual intent of the game.

Live and let live, if something isn't appealing to you or doesn't make sense despite it boiling down to personal preference, just ignore it and move on.

[Tidus44]

In regards to the "missing the point" quote. I think it's pretty obvious that a lot of time, money and effort went into making Skyrim conform to a very deliberate tone and setting. To me, it seems that many people are missing the direct appeal of this specific setting. I do think that games like Skyrim are some of the very few examples of games transcending just pure entertainment, and mods that drastically break the game's continuity or context are in my opinion detrimental in that they just s*** all over a very precariously crafted world with little or no regard for the actual intent of the game.

 

While I admit there is a tone and setting to the game, is it the only tone and setting possible and is it permitted to change it? For as much money, time and effort spent on making Skyrim, an equal amount was spent to make the game fully modifiable. In fact, the totally modifiable feature of the game is its biggest selling point. Not only was it designed to be modified, it is encouraged through the advertisements (see quote below) and the game maker provides the tools to modify it for free. So, I suggest that any tone or setting in the game is not the only one the game makers imagined, have preference for, nor have they done anything to restrict it from being changed.

 

Skyrim reimagines and revolutionizes the open-world fantasy epic, bringing to life a complete virtual world open for you to explore any way you choose. Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want; the legendary freedom of choice, storytelling, and adventure

 

I am completely confused by the idea that the game has any purpose or benefit other than entertainment. It is not educational, historical or anything I can even imagine and in most aspects it is so far removed from realism it is unfathomable to me what the game could possible offer besides pure fantasy entertainment. If you have obtained some benefit from the game other than just entertainment, then more power to you, but I'd sure like to know what it is.

 

As for context, continuity and intent, these are deeply perplexing ideas. The very first DLC offered by Bethseda is a companion that falls from space and exhibits technology that is far removed from any existing context within the game. As for continuity, it is patently obvious this was not an issue with the game makers either, as (again) the game is entirely modifiable to meet whatever fantasy or preference the game player wants. If there was any sense of context, continuity or intent desired by the game makers, why would they allow it to be modified and then tell all users to enjoy an open-world fantasy, a complete virtual world open to explore any way one chooses, playing any type of character one can imagine and doing whatever one wants with complete freedom of choice?

 

I suggest the facts clearly identify that if there is anyone missing the point, it is those players who insist upon very specific mods that meet some vague set of rules regarding lore or realism or context or whatever, while those who are out modding everything and anything to meet their idea of fun and fantasy have totally understood and are following what the game makers intended for the game.

[Astramorte]

 

I don't think I'm making myself very clear.

 

I completely 100% understand that people have every right to mod Skyrim however whichever way they please. Yes certain people have preferences for zany characters over lore fitting ones, and of course Bethesda (as a collective) doesn’t care how people play their games as long as they actually pay for them.

 

My contention is that it’s quite possible that people are outright missing out on the full intended experience of the game. Yes you can argue from a subjective viewpoint that there is no intended experience, and that Skyrim is by its nature a non-linear, open world sandbox in which you play however you want to play and that anime mods are just an extension of this principle but I'm inclined to disagree.

 

Subjectivity only goes so far. If someone were to read LOTR and alter significant texts within the book and replace characters such as Aragorn or Boromir with scantily clad, sterile (not in a negative sense) anime characters with giant lightning swords, you would be hard pressed to argue that the reader isn’t being fully stimulated or moved as Tolkein intended. If you don’t care about Tolkein’s intent then fine, but I would say that you are foolishly denying yourself the full experience of the book by crudely segmenting a very deliberately crafted and multi-faceted narrative. There is a reason why (as far as I'm aware) people don't do that sort of thing.

 

Obviously Skyrim is nowhere near approaching the level of complexity of LOTR but I think the analogy sticks.

 

An anime character in Skyrim is always going to be separate from the tone of the game. Yes you have every legal, moral and ethical right to play as one but just because that choice exists does it really mean that it is a sensible one?

 

I guess I’m a purist to a naive degree, but it will never make any sense to me that people justify their decisions purely on the merit that they have the freedom to make them.

 

First off, I would like to point out that scantily clad is something on its own and should not be associated with anime.

 

Second, the person would only deny themselves the full experience if they never went through it without altering anything; I find that people tend to go through the game with the bare minimum mods (such as bug fixes) or no mods first.

 

Third, even if something is done past the reason of entertainment, it is still most likely done for enjoyment; you find yourselves enjoying the "full experience". Am I correct on that statement? If so, then we simply enjoy the experience we get with a modded character.

 

Every desire is done for enjoyment; it is necessities that may be done for reasons other than enjoyment.

Edited February 15, 2012 by Astramorte