The Khajiit are arguably one of the most interesting races of Tamriel. First off, the very location and phase of the moon upon birth impact what a Khajiit looks like, explaining subtle differences inMorrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and so on. They have an interesting home, interesting abilities, and a lot of other unique qualities. They are equal to any other playable ornon-playable race inThe Elder Scrollsin terms of interesting lore, capabilities, and heroics.
However, the games repeat one mistake over and over again with the Khajiit, somethingThe Elder Scrolls 6is likely to do too. The leading theory, right now, forThe Elder Scroll 6’s location is Hammerfell and High Rock, as previously teased inStarfield’s trailer, but that matters little to the Khajiit. It could be just one or the other, it could be the Summerset Isles, it could be Valenwood, or it could be a country set outside Tamriel, andThe Elder Scrolls 6would still ostracize and stereotype the Khajiit.
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Khajiit in Tamriel and The Elder Scrolls
On the one hand, the general prejudice that many races of Men and Mer (elves) feel about Beast-like races is rooted in real-world behaviors. It’s a general tendency to fear the unknown, and many men wouldn’t take the time to get to know many Khajiit, or Orcs, or Argonians for that matter. Every game, no matter how it shows the physical presence of the Khajiit, treat them as shady merchants, skooma dealers, and assassins. InMorrowind, alongside Argonians, they were straight-up slave labor.The Elder Scrolls 6won’t likely go that far, but the Khajiit deserve to play better roles than past games. The Men and Mer of Tamriel treat them with such distrust, and with little option, players see Khajiits often fill these “dishonorable” roles.
It’s a repeated mistake, even if one that follows a general tendency of more human-esque humanoids in fantasy games, but it’s time that it comes to an end. Perhaps some big change happens inThe Elder Scrolls 6, and the Khajiit and Argonians become more widely accepted in various countries. Perhaps it’s the main event of the game, a massive side quest likeSkyrim’s Civil War, or is just explained alongside newElder Scrolls 6lore.
The Elder Scrolls 6: Give the Khajiit the Respect They Deserve
AsDungeons and Dragonshas taken steps toward moving away from racist stereotypes, if still in need of some progress,The Elder Scrolls 6should do the same as one of the biggest fantasy games in the video game space. Sure, people stereotype in “real life” and so the resulting stereotyping of Khajiit could be explained as a result of human tendency, but this is a fantasy game where dragons return after millennium, whereSloads are humanoid slug people, and so on. “Real life” will always impact fantasy games, there’s no denying that, but the developer gets to choose which aspects of “real life.”
The Elder Scrollsin general isn’t ever likely to set foot in a country like theKhajiit’s Elsweyr or the Argonian’s Black Marsh. The landscape and all of that may be too “alien” for the standard player’s sensitivities, but that doesn’t mean the Khajiit themselves have to be treated as so alien in-game. They deserve better.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
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