Your reasoning again astounds me. I also dislike e-books for various reasons (I love that "book" smell!), but virtual books are no different from real books. Words paint the picture regardless the subject or format. Could you explain what you mean by "trash"? Is it a personal thing? I have found dozens of wonderful reads from the Elder Scrolls universe some of which don't pertain to anything, even the game itself.

Edit: syntax

I rarely read them on the spot in-game, especially the longer ones. Just antsy, I guess. But I have the books on my e-reader and read them on the wiki. I have never regretted spending the time. They're good stories on their own, most of them are very easy and quick reads, and they add a lot to an understanding of the world. Whenever I see people say that Bethesda games don't have good writing, I assume they a) aren't paying attention and b ) never read the in-game books.

I DO think they have good writing.. but that also kind of ticks me off if/when things take a quick and dirty approach in game. I know what they're capable of.

I already explained what makes them different to me. Trash is then something that has little use or value to me and that I dispose of. Trash, garbage, rubbish, ... in it is neutral meaning. And, yes, some make millions with it. Like with cartoons, daily soaps and commercials.

When you say "words paint the picture" then what pictures do you really use? Pictures of the real world, out of your memory and of your youth perhaps? Or do the pictures tend to be pictures of in-game content made of polygons and pixels?

Okay, so it's just a matter of personal interpretation and/or quality of the material? What I may find charming or amusing you find to be numbing and grating. I was wondering why someone who enjoys reading would deem some reading undesirable based on its presentation.


Well they (in-game readings) are certainly based off any imagery provided, character appearances especially, but I wouldn't say my imaginings are shackled to their origins. I often use real world places I have been to to flesh out the scenery. You'd be pleasantly surprised how much in common Skyrim has with New Zealand, for example.

I think the spirit of my argument, though, is you should view the material at least once for a better understanding of your context. I usually enjoy things more when I have a firm understanding of their workings.

I already did this in Morrowind and I said this before should you not have read it.

You will never know what an orc, an argonian or a khajiit would have looked like in your own imagination, and how they walk and talk, because someone already painted these imagines for you. A good book allows you to use your entire memory to create all images yourself. This is when one's imagination truly unfolds.

You won't get the full picture in "In My Time of Need" unless you read "The Great War". Just FYI.

I choose to miss out.

I have nothing against anyone not reading. Just as long as they don't start inventing their own "lore" or something, and start debating things around here and involving others to reason with them. That level of imagination is best kept to one's own enjoyment of the game.

I always read the TES books. Journals I always read, but it takes me a while to get around to reading the published books. I did it after a year of playing Oblivion. My next character is going to be an Altmer mage and scholar named Lerondil. Besides unraveling the secrets of the Arcane, his goal is to start his own library and learn as much about the Dwemer as possible. I am goi9ng to read every published piece of literature I find on this character, even if I have already read it.

I'm much more interested in reading the TES books than I am real world books. They should start publishing Novels, like Halo.

You're absolutely correct in that premise -- you're kind of arguing for the silent or faceless protagonist in a sense, yes? I guess where our opinions differ is in the determination of the context. I'd rather have an idea of what to base the characters and scenery from, of which I feel the in-game books do a wonderful job. C'est la vie.

sometimes i just pick up a book and read parts every now and then but if it's nothing but a quick note i just simply read it all in one.

I read most journals, but there are many books I haven't read yet. I take it as I see fit.

Really emjoyed 'Silence', thanks for that

This is entirely your problem. Deal with it on your own.

I did. It is mostly an insult, saying I have a mental block when I choose not to read it.

Alduin is Real. Epic book <3

Lol. Where did that come from? And why did you respond to it? I need to something to work with here. It just seems so unnecessarily flippant.

Not everyone is a lorehead! I see fans of lore often jumping into a discussion and pulling out lore. It is as annoying as a dog that was trained to fetch the newspaper but keeps fetching the neighbor's paper instead. I am not saying the fans of lore are dogs, I am just trying to get a picture across of how annoying it is. It is cute, too.

Your argument that lore must not be invented is typical for a lorehead. It smothers any discussion on what could be and limits it to what it must not be. There are also discussions purely on lore, which I avoid, but the loreheads always believe that everything must be based on lore and that lore dictates all and they carry their believe into any discussion.

I love reading the books. Especially the ones on how to kill someone. I remember this book about 3 thieves and it had an awesome short story. It also told you how to cut someones throat. Cover your hand over their mouth with you thumb holding their chin so they don't open their mouth and scream. Then slit their throat while turning their head away on the side so you don't get blood on you. Reading that was just awesome. Every book I find I take just so I can read them later if I don't want to read them right away. Usually I only read Skill books/Quest books right away and keep the others for later.

As fun as saying the mexican american war was actually won by trained australian kangaroos and abe lincoln is a vampire fighting zombie is, it doesn't really have place in serious discussion on history.

"Loreheads"? LOL Maybe you need to start your own discussion board about this imagined world of yours, which bears passing resemblance to the game writers' world. You could call it Tamrielish. Or Shamriel.

I only read books I can tell aren't generic titles, i.e. the ones that have some sort of relevance.

Depends on the mood I'm in.

I read about 30-40 books a year since I study law, so I'm pretty reluctant about reading books (whether it's fictional, or whatever it is) when I don't have to, if you understand.

When lore is the core element of a franchise (which is why Bethesda always invests in lore-building), thats to be expected. Really, thats like complaining how someone uses a gun in CoD.

Tough to be honest, it is ridiculous to ignore the lore in ANY franchise, be it gaming, book, etc.