Do you prefer a specific style or subgenre of fantasy game? Be it Medieval, weird/whimsical, adventure, animal, dark, epic, fairy tale, gritty, post-apocalyptic, paranormal, etc. I used to prefer Medieval fantasy, mostly because of Dungeons and Dragons and the whole sword-and-sorcery vibe in a historical time in which I had great interest. Sword and sorcery movies were also popular in the 80s when I was an adolescent. Over time, though, I realized that significant magic would greatly change any setting. Why live in huts or castles when you can have floating islands and even pocket dimensions? Yes, I realize the commoner would probably not have access to these things, but the fabric of the setting would be under more change than one could possibly realize (that said commoner would probably be stamped underfoot rather quickly). So my tastes started moving towards low-fantasy games but with an epic scope. Thief: The Dark Project, was probably one such game that really got my attention. Steampunk is not my favorite style, but it opened my eyes that fantasy can be successful in a great variety of settings and pseudo time periods. What is your favorite style of subgenre, and why?

Mine is probably medieval and fairytale type fantasy games! I do enjoy some steampunk, but I much prefer other genres, it just isn´t my favourite of all that is to choose from. Ever since I was young I loved history about the medieval times/middle ages, so that is probably why all that appeals so much to me, and just fantasy in general because of Tolkien, it just sparks my imagination. Games with magical races, grand adventures and deep lore, so something with a lot of worldbuilding.

I chuckle because I should have also listed Tolkien as one of my greatest inspirations of Medieval fantasy, especially on THIS site. Buttt, I also have to say it might have been one of my greatest inspirations to open my mind to other genres! Don't get me wrong, the LotR are still my favorite fantasy works ever, but I began to question with so much magic why has the world of Middle Earth hardly changed from a technological sense, over thousands of years. I understand Tolkien did not like unbridled technology. The hobbits' return to Hobbiton was enough proof of that. Tolkien also saw some pretty horrid use of war tech in WW1, especially with chemical weapons. But I feel technology should have advanced more quickly in ME, even if it was magically assisted.

Updated 13 September 2024 (22:31)

And you touched on something I meant to mention...LORE! I'm the kind of player who will open every book in an Elder Scrolls game, or who will test the patience of every NPC to get every bit of information about the world that I can. Not just the grandiose stuff, but the way the common people live, what they like to do, the general flavor of the culture I'm around. I enjoy that as much and often more than the final boss battle.

You do have a point there, and I have never given it much thought, but I kind of enjoy the way the world is built is not overly reliant on evolving its technologies, however, yes, it would have been interesting to see how it would have evolved, what would their next steps be and how would it affect the different races and their people? what could have been? and sure, as you said, I also know he wasn´t a huge fan- or fan at all, of newer technology and the rapid advancement of it all and after all the things he saw in the war, I can quite understand his longing for a world without all of that hassle. And yes, yes, yes- diving deep into what the people in the worlds that we play in is so fascinating, I can wander around for hours in the games I play just trying to interact with stuff or characters to try and gather as much information as possible, because what if I miss something? I might just find a goldmine if I look hard enough.