Skin Color

Sanya posted on the Camelot Vault boards in reply to a question on why there aren’t any different skin-tone options. Here is her reply:

Disclaimer: I’m an old school, left wing liberal, whose heart bleeds for every cause. I hug trees, I wear t-shirts that say “Straight Not Narrow,” and if the issue has a ribbon available, I have one. I’m also something of a genetic mutt, with a built in tan although culturally speaking I’m “white.”

With that said, I read threads like this and immediately have this mental image of kobolds carrying little signs demanding equal representation for non-blue-skinned members of the species. Green skinned kobolds of the world, unite! It’s a game, people…

One of the things I despise about the gaming industry is the perception that this hobby is only for adolescent white straight males. So on one level, I agree with the original poster, who I believe was trying to say that it is easier for people to feel comfortable if the avatars look like they do. This is true. I never play male characters, it’s not psychologically comfortable. So if you prefer to play human avatars, it would make sense to want it to look like you. On another level… I really can’t stand projecting real world problems into a fantasy game.

There may be some technical or artistic reason for not having darker skin tones on our models, I’ll ask. I know there is a technical reason for not letting the player choose their skin tone (that I didn’t understand the last time I asked, so I’m not comfortable saying anything at this moment from my home), although we do let you choose your height, your face, and your hair.

You can find the entire thread here.
Thanks Sanya!