» Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:18 pm
It isn't absolutely necessary to play the earlier games first. There are references to the earlier games in the later games, but the later games are not dependant on the earlier games, in terms of story or characters.
In terms of gameplay, if I were doing it all over again and I knew what I know now I would probably play them in reverse order: Skyrim, Oblivion, then Morrowind. By the time I got to Morrowind I would be highly impressed with all of the choices and options available in that game. Playing the games in sequential order might lead some people to feel disappointed over how much has been removed with each game.