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The Daily Grind: Is your avatar a Mary Sue?
So I've been spending a lot of time with Skyrim. I know, it's not an MMO. But it's MMO-like in every way except for the lack of other players, from the sprawling world to the familiar fantasy setting to the fact that it seeks to make you the heroic center of the universe. This last bit is hugely problematic in massively multiplayer games, but it works in Skyrim to a point. I say to a point because my Nord is the most ridiculous Mary Sue in the history of Mary Sues. Off the top of my head, he's the leader of the Dark Brotherhood and a high-ranking member of both the College of Winterhold and the Thieves' Guild. He's a major figure in the Stormcloak rebellion against the Imperial throne, and he's the dragonborn savior of the world and the slayer of Alduin. Oh, and he's a werewolf too. When I look back at the game's narrative, I almost wish I had skipped a few of these quest lines. I hate to use variations of the term "realistic" in relation to a game, but my character's resume seems decidedly unrealistic even for high fantasy. What about you, morning crew? Have you had similar thoughts about your MMO avatars (or your Skyrim character, for that matter)? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
