Morrowind

Sometimes, the things we want most are the ones in our way, in front of our eyes, covering what we truly need.

For years, I’ve dreamt about a life of travel and adventure in faroff places. By boat I’d go or by sky, but whether it be sea or wind that’d take me, I’d never find my way in anywhere I was and would only trust the way there.

But now, I’ve been gone too long. In those years spent dreaming, I found root in other things. I missed my guitar. I pursued school. I wrote stories and made video games. I put those dreams into other things, and they gave me something back, too.

In Florence tonight at 12:06 am, here I am typing my first check-in, in a while. This blog used to be filled with my journies. It’s been two months, and I’ve gone my farthest between now and then, than I ever have in a span of that time: from Vietnam to Oregon, to Chicago to Florence. And over that time, as well as the past year, I’ve tried to push out of mind something that has seeded there.

In my heart, I am a nerd first and everything else second. Since I was a kid, I’ve made stories with my friends and reenacted The Lord of the Rings. I’ve lived in that world, the world of imagining, not to escape, but to become. And it hasn’t been until now that I’ve shared anything about that on my blog, aside from some vague posts about writing.

Shifting something is tricky. It takes work and explaining, both to an audience as well as to one’s self…

Just like the game Morrowind did upon its release. The third installment of The Elder Scrolls Franchise was a pivotal moment for Bethesda Softworks, a game studio based in Maryland (our best-named state). Their budget was thin, and their reality was sink or swim. Everything hinged on this game, Morrowind, showcasing to the world why we needed them.

At the time, in 1996, technology changed in bounds and strides each year. The first two Elder Scrolls games were jagged and flat, just a few steps up from moving pictures really, with long stretches of barren planes–the flat faces of a world. Morrowind had to reinvent what it meant to be a role-playing game. To achieve this, the developers at Bethesda Softworks had to show themselves in a different way.

And the difference needs no explanation.

I tried to do a sliding image comparison, but it didn’t work. Just pretend this has a cool effect. . .
“Woah, cool!”

Since drafting this I’ve decided to come back home and wrap up my degree.

I have a school project I’ll post here soon, about fantasy, literature, and education in general, as well as an update on the progress of my story, The Dragon Captor. I hope you enjoy what I have in store.

Live your way,

Noah