I guess this complaint includes more than just video games, but I absolutely hate it when a fantasy game limit itself to the few standard fantasy races, and even more when they are given their even more generic personalities. What I really hate about it is not their concept but rather the fact that they were so massively overused. Even worse to me when a game try to pretend to be imaginative by adding a single new race which is presented as "different" or "unique" while being basically a human with one or two main differences and having a culture that is blatantly a rip-off from a real life civilization (Minor variation of another fantasy races also counts). I'd love to actually see some creativity from the genre that is supposed to be all about creativity.
Seeing standard races being interpreted differently is a step in the right direction, but I don't think it's enough.
Also posting again to state how much I agree with this.
I am peeved by the fact that different races are almost always just humans but stout (dwarf), or tall (elf) etc. And that these are now "the" races in fantasy. How boring!
The unfortunate result of madmen running the asylum.
In that when there
is a story, an average "developer" is going to be at best tolkienist, and at worst trekkie - and either way, writes what amounts to an "original character Donut Steel" fanfic. And when there's
no story, it's going to be just a plain rip-off. 9/10 of the stuff within 2-3 first Sturgeon law's tiers, anyway.
Other cultures are almost always just some generic ancient culture. So you end up with tall blonde Aztec's, for example.
That's
if the authors can tell their own butts from their shoulders... If not, it's going to be
Mayincatec, Ancient Grome and Chinampan.
Also the fact that people from those other races almost uniformly fit a single culture.
Space operas have it much worse: a Planet of Hats is the same one-note, but, y'know, a flippin'
planet.
Games usually don't need "one! more! plot!" and thus random cheese gratings on top, or even as many details - so they are ostensibly worse, but in essence the same, since the "lolrandum" layer is knee-deep for a flea anyway.
Except RPG, those combine patches of "hats" and "lolrandum" (like Neverwinters Nights).