Author: Coglio (---.charterpipeline.net)
Date: 03-20-2002 13:23
Good article, but it almost sounds like you're complaining that humans are idealized in RPGs (at least, high fantasy RPGs). It wouldn't exactly be high-fantasy if there were no shining knights in armor (and how shiny would he really be if you knew that the guy underneath all that metal just raped and pillaged his way through a dozen villages).
Of course, the non-human races are also idealized, if it's possible to idealize a fictional being. These games are all about extremes, it's easier to paint a picture quickly. The elves are mystical and love nature, the dwarves like to dig for precious stones and metals, etc. How much fun would it be if humans just sat around on their mud patches, making gruel, the elves slept in the trees all day, the dwarves lay around drunk and stupid like hillbillys, etc.
One other thought, too: Perhaps ironically, I think the most unidealized, most human portrayal of man in fantasy literature may very well be Elric, the Melnibonean. This is a debatable point, but Elric personifies man's struggle with himself, his propensity for greatness coupled with self-destruction, his cruelty, mastery, self-doubt and self-loathing. But, most humanly of all, Elric pushes on, despite losing everything, despite hopelessness. Of all the true-to-life, unidealized trates of humanity, I think that is the most interesting.
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