Words by: Catherine Lewis
What's a good way to show your appreciation towards a parent? For most people, a nice card on Mother's or Father's Day will do the trick, maybe a nice pair of socks at Christmas too to really show the love. I wouldn't imagine that most people would model an entire race after them in a video game, open to be hunted for sport by millions of players, but that's exactly what Skyrim character artist Jonah Lobe did, and it's actually really wholesome.
Lobe is the artist behind many creatures and races in the game, including the ever-iconic Dragons, Mammoths, and most importantly in this case, the Giants. He purposely modelled the Giants to look like his dad, Jim Lobe, for a very sweet reason: "I wanted the Giants to give you the same sense of awe from when you were a kid and you saw your parents walking around," the artist explained on Reddit. "I gave him large, weathered hands and a somewhat tired expression. I did not want the player attacking them because they looked 'aggressive' or monstrous. I wanted them to look like gentle shepherds who lived for 200+ years and slept under the stars."
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When you compare the in-game model and the artist's dad side by side, the resemblance is undeniable, and players wholeheartedly agree that the Giants appeared exactly as Lobe intended: "Awesome! I think it was well conveyed in their design. At first, I left them alone because they seemed gentle, just lumbering around with their herd. Then I was caught red-handed stealing some mammoth cheese and was immediately smacked up into the heavens," commented Reddit user superf*ckingmetal. "You couldn't have done it better in my opinion, the giants have always looked kind and gentle to me, unless you get too close of course. Love your work!" added MagicMaiden.
Excitingly, Lobe also revealed that he's currently working on a YouTube video about what it was like to make Skyrim, including interviews with other artists, designers and programmers, so we'll have to stay tuned for that, as it sounds amazing. Back to the topic at hand though, Lobe's reasoning for his design definitely shines a whole new light on the (mostly) gentle race, and I'm sure there's a few players out there regretting any Giant-based violence (or cheese theft) they might have taken part in. Protect the race of dads at all costs.
Featured Image Credit: Bethesda, Jonah Lobe via Twitter