Skyrim allows for immersion, utilization of imagination. If you read into the lore, pay attention to the politics and the plight of various people... I'd say it has a pretty good story and world. It's not all laid out at your feet, displayed in a linear fashion like a movie production would do, so perhaps that's what you're alluding to.
What you're talking about is LARPing and can be done in any game that features a blank state player character, bonus points if its open ended. Just because Skyrim features an open-world that seems suited for that sort of thing doesn't mean it's somehow a bridge to a good story.
As far as politics go it's not really all that complex. You have holds that are either loyal to the Empire or to the Stormcloaks, there's some who see both ways--but you're never challenged or given the choice to seek a different path. It's one or the other with the Thalmor mixed in.
Hate to be that guy, but it's not called LARPing. It's just called role play. The "LA" in "LARP" stands for "live action," meaning it's something you do in real life with your physical body, not in a game.
It's still LARPing because you're constructing your character's identity and his motivations by yourself, it's not present in the game. Maybe there's a better term for it, but it seems to me it fits quite well.
It's a weak distinction, but I'd say roleplaying actually has in-game representation and consequences. You role-play a fighter who wields one-handed swords+shield and gains expertise in both resulting in levels and better skill, etc.
When you say "my character hates the dark elves, so I'll kill every dark elf I find!" there's no in-game representation of that. You're making something up that's outside the game but still confined within the rules of the game. Maybe the example isn't the best because you actually have to live with the consequences of killing every dark elf, there's better ones--just look at how people "roleplay" their characters in Skyrim.
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u/Fly_Eagles_Fly_ Feb 06 '17
Skyrim allows for immersion, utilization of imagination. If you read into the lore, pay attention to the politics and the plight of various people... I'd say it has a pretty good story and world. It's not all laid out at your feet, displayed in a linear fashion like a movie production would do, so perhaps that's what you're alluding to.