OK, I really like the racial diversity in TES. While some races, like the Nords and Dunmer, are really well fleshed out compared to the rest, there are still interesting cultural and aesthetic elements to each race that can contribute to a viable and unique roleplaying experience. But there is one race I have trouble seeing myself roleplaying, simply because I believe it is very under-represented and generic - the Altmer.

Now, don't get me wrong - I actually like the Altmer as a concept, and I really, really enjoy seeing more people get into the race. But to be entirely honest, I don't think Bethesda has done a good job distinguishing this race of mer as truly unique and original. While the Altmer exemplify the typical "high elf" trope quite well, it is the lack of details about their culture, their traditions, beliefs and even physiology that just make them look insipid and, at best, a background race. They are supposed to live several hundred years, yet in Skyrim no elf ever even made a hint that he/she is older than my character. One would expect older members of the race to recall vividly the Oblivion crisis, to speak of events that modern humanity could not possibly remember, to give off a vibe of wisdom and contemplation that comes with hundreds of years of lifetime. All the Altmer in Skyrim just... appeared human. They acted like a middle-aged human, which to me was very, very disappointing as I was expecting some interesting dialogue options with beings much older than my 26 year-old Breton. Of course not all Altmer have lived for 400 or 500 years, but even a "young" elf at the age of 100 is more interesting than a Nord drunkard in the tavern. Just sayin'

But it's not only the lack of age authenticity. As the most magically-inclined race, and the alleged descendants of the Aedra themselves, you would think that the Altmer actually perceive and feel the world in a different way. Perhaps they are very sensitive to currents of magicka, and feel more comfortable in places where magic is more powerful or abundant. It would have been so much cooler if they actually had a physical need to absorb magicka in some form to nourish their long-lived bodies and perhaps even awaken deeply-buried racial memories of the ancient times. It would have been so much more interesting if the Altmer were not only obsessed with social order, propriety and hierarchy, but also with handling down the religious beliefs and the ideologies of the predecessors. No Altmer I ever spoke to in-game made a reference to Auri-El, or to the "sundering," which is perceived as one of the most traumatic experiences to have ever happened on Tamriel. It is as if the Altmer know their history and ideology and discuss/practice their beliefs only when they see fit, much like humans would do. But they are not human. That's the whole point - they are supposed to have a deeper connection to their mythology, to magic, to Nirn, to the Aedra. If they don't have a spiritual/physical connection of some sort, even an artificial one (enforced by traditional Altmer society at an early age), then the Altmer are just tall snobbs with yellow skin...

I think MK once mentioned that the Altmer would have/should have been able to "smell the death" coming from the races of men, these short-lived and foolish creatures, to see men as ugly, rotting, incomprehensible (which would make elf-man romances quite impossible). Now that is a very cool idea that really takes the Altmer away from the generic "high elf" mold. But so far, all I can see is some tall, yellow-skinned people who are supposed to be long-lived, magical, mystical and extremely sophisticated, but instead they come across as being snobbish and arrogant, acting more like a snobbish human than an elf.

Is it just me, or Bethesda could have done a lot better in making the Altmer a truly unique and exciting race to play? What could/should they do better?

I think you're reading it all a little too literally. The texts we have on the Altmer (the http://www.imperial-library.info/content/pocket-guide-empire-first-edition-aldmeri-dominion http://www.imperial-library.info/content/pocket-guide-empire-third-edition-blessed-isle-alinor-and-summersets, for the most part, and http://www.imperial-library.info/content/monomyth-altmeri-heart-world in the Monomyth) mostly seem to support the depiction of them as fundamentally foreign to the mannoid worldview, introverted, proud, concerned with preserving the glory of their past that now manifests itself in highly advanced philosophical and practical (predominantly magical) creations that form the basis for merrish and non-mer societies. Those books that don't, usually have another end in mind than putting flesh on the bones of Altmer themselves (there are a fair few scholarly works by Altmer which understandably have no personal detail in them).

However, I suppose if Altmer NPCs don't reflect this, I had always assumed that none of them were remotely interested in discussing the intricacies of their origins, philosophy, beliefs and so on with anyone who could never truly understand them (referring to in-universe differences, not our own ability as readers to understand Altmer). An unpleasant coincidence, but it seems to be the most consistent explanation. As for how it actually feels to play an Altmer character in the game: I think concerns of "balance" and Gameplay Not Being Lore take precedence here. I find that mostly the games are not highly concerned with depicting Tamriel outside of the game setting and related people and events. And the player themself is mostly a blank slate, excepting things impressed on them by the setting.

However, texts by Altmeri authors here and there can give you an insight into what makes them unique. I believe ESO is a good source of these, although it mostly doesn't depict a radically anti-Mundus version of Altmeri ideology (not that there is one single Altmer ideology anyway), but is interesting enough anyway. The way the history of Summerset has developed is itself a good source for reading into how they tick. The existence of the Thalmor being a highlight. For out of game works depicting plausibly detailed Altmer with a view to making them real and distinctive, you might try http://www.imperial-library.info/content/pedo-impedimenta - set on Summerset itself - or the Sunbird sections of http://www.imperial-library.info/content/tiber-septim%E2%80%99s-sword-meeting-cyrus-restless. There are plenty other examples with other possibilities, I'm sure. Those are good examples of maybe what Bethesda could/should do, and maybe cues for ESO work.

Thanks Umpteen, I will have a look Perhaps I am taking it a little bit too literally, but I still think they could do a lot, a lot better with fleshing the race and actually showing us some of that culture, having one or two unique dialogues, interesting quests that relate to the Altmer (and not the Thalmor) etc etc. After all, NPCs are, for me, the best window you can get into a game's universe (apart from the books, of course) By the way, is In Pedo Impedimenta official lore, or one of the obscure texts? Looks very interesting

You'll note it's in the "fan creations" section, and can also be found in the fanfiction board on these forums too. The author Dinmenel is a regular here, and is not associated with Bethesda.

As for NPCs forming the principal insight into the game's universe: it would be nice if this were absolutely so. I think the main reason it isn't, avoiding criticizing the ability of those who write the dialogue, is that there is a fairly limited number of NPCs and most are concerned with some sort of quest or narrative, where the quest is the main bundle of lore rather than its constituent elements. Almost all quests in an Elder Scrolls game will be about either pan-Tamrielic elements, such as the structure of widespread guilds or whims of Daedric princes, or concerned with things specific to the province it's in (in the case of TES 2, 3, 4 and 5). Hence, the individual NPCs are left little room for talking about themselves and where they come from rather than simply their relevance to your goals. Morrowind Dunmer have a lot of worldbuilding dialogue, but that's because Morrowind's story is its worldbuilding to a considerable extent. But characters of most other races have one or two of less than ten paragraphs to tell us about the world beyond the province. And Altmer have got the short end of the stick in every game so far, really.

Yes, I guess you are right. It's the quests that bring a lot of the lore in, and the overall framing of each game in the series. As a rule, the games tend to focus on the province they are set in, and the people native to it, of course. That makes sense I guess, but hopefully TES: 6 will have more insight into the High Elves Maybe we'll even get to explore the Summerset! (and not this bland collection of boring cottages and pretty trees we are seeing in ESO)