estrogenandspite

 

I don't like fantasy dwarves in most media. So often they're an antisemitic caricature wrapped in a Scottish/Irish caricature who are almost always culturally conservative *and* I can't even get comfortable playing one gender-wise because they almost always only have male models with beards. 

 

And I don't think this is deliberate on the part of people who make these games! But the modern fantasy dwarf is greedy and bearded with a large nose and talks in some flavor of vaguely Scottish accent (with some mixed in Welsh/Irish accent) while being a burly drunk and is hairy, and it just...ruins it for me. (I don't like how Elves and Orcs are usually handled either, but you less often see games where your only option is to play as an Elf or an Orc so it comes up less.)

 

So when I see a game that looks exactly up my alley, except the premise is "You are a dwarf who" etc etc (Current example is Orebound, which looks like everything I love but you play as a dwarf) I get frustrated because I know what to expect.

 

I'm a fantasy author. I *get* that we have to walk a delicate balance. Readers/Gamers/Viewers *like* elves/dwarves/orcs, so using them is a good way to get people in the door. I just... well, the reason I started this post off with "I want to learn to mod so I can" is because I don't expect devs to cater things to my tastes. 

 

But...if you *are* making something with dwarves (or any other classic fantasy species) please at least do something interesting with them culture-wise so they're not just a grab bag of stereotypes. (Also give us an option to play women with or without beards kthx)