In Update 44, the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online received a non-binary companion: Tanlorin. This leads to a discussion in the community, which is now being responded to.
What kind of character is this? Tanlorin is a new companion in The Elder Scrolls Online who is non-binary. Zenimax uses the neutral personal pronoun “They” for him in English. In German, Zenimax uses male personal pronouns.
Tanlorin came to the PC version with Update 44 on October 28, 2024. The update will be released on PlayStation and Xbox on November 13, 2024.
Two months ago, when Tanlorin was introduced, the idea sparked a discussion – the character is still being discussed now.
Elder Scrolls Online: Conquer the Battlefields – Trailer introduces you to the highlight of Update 44
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“Lazy design” was criticized two months ago
This was the criticism at the presentation: When unveiled 2 months ago, Tanlorin’s design was criticized on Reddit for conforming to too many of the stereotypes that exist about non-binary characters. That’s lazy design. The character has short, dyed hair and a physical appearance that is exactly in the middle. According to the cliché, a non-binary character is not allowed to look either male or female. Tanlorin corresponds exactly to these ideas.
Others say: If you introduce a character like that, you have to make an effort. This makes it look like you are only ingratiating yourself with part of the community.
Criticism: Figure is indeed discriminated against, but for a different reason
What is the criticism of the way the character appears in the game? On November 3, 2024, a thread was created in the ESO forum criticizing the Tanlorin quest. The “Summer Isles” were portrayed as very progressive, with many LGBTQ+ characters. Therefore there would actually be no reason for Tanlorin to be made so difficult.
In the quest for Tanlorin, however, an artificial conflict is created in that Tanlorin is discriminated against, not really for being non-binary, but for being “different”.
The thread creator criticized: ESO wanted to take up a “hot” topic from the real world, but would cheat on the narrative. The Elder Scrolls Online declares Tanlorin a member of an undesirable caste of “broken children” who are rejected by society because they are different:
It took a long time, but I finally got it. Actually the text is bad. Very, very bad. Language is intentionally used that evokes the feeling of “society has excluded me because I’m LGBTQIA+” but actually… Tanlorin is a Hulkynd. The author didn’t bother to use this term anywhere because it might diminish the intentional mixing of fantasy and modern politics, but yeah… nothing in this entire quest series has ANYTHING to do with gender studies or identities or any of the hot topics of our time, except for making Tanlorin a They.
Review: Character seems like a modern college student in a fantasy world
As others add, the conflict feels alien and as if it does not belong to the world of Tamriel. Instead, it would depict a theme from the real world of Tamriel, but in fantasy form. They tried with all their might to force the oppression of one gender into the game and completely destroyed the character in the process.
Another said: He really wanted to like Tanlorin, but the character seemed like a real-world college student transplanted into a fantasy world. All other LGBTQ+ representations in ESO were many better. But not this one.
What is a Hulkynd?? The High Elves in the world of Tamriel strive for perfection. A “Hulkynd” is a child who does not meet these standards and is therefore cast out.
Zenimax emphasizes that it has worked closely with non-binary people
What do the developers say? In a statement to The Gamer, narrative director Bill Slavicsek comments on the criticism that Tanlorin doesn’t fit into the world:
We have mixed marriages and gay and lesbian characters galore in the game. It just makes sense to us that all possibilities exist in Tamriel. We treat it as a real and living world. You may just not notice it because we don’t shout it from the rooftops or put up signs proclaiming it everywhere. And do you know why? Because the world in Tamriel is just the way it is.
No character in the world bats an eye or finds it unusual to meet the baker and his husband, the servant and her wife, or have Naryu and Jakarn flirt with you, regardless of your character’s gender. Not to mention alchemy, the three living gods of the Tribunal, or the Daedric Princes who can appear as any gender! This is part of the world and therefore not a big deal.
They took special care to hire a non-binary actor to play the role in order to design the character with a lot of care. You have a group of voices from the queer community working with the team, and the author of the content also identifies as non-binary.
The Elder Scrolls Online has often been praised in the past for its successful handling of LGBTQ+ characters, but this does not seem to have been fully achieved with the new character – despite working with members of the queer community: ESO deals with LGBTQ+ in the same way so should the real world