The world of Lord of the Rings is composed of four different ages, and only two of them have been explored outside Tolkien's work. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies took place during the Third Age, and Amazon's Rings of Power follows the events of the Second Age. That leaves the First and Fourth Ages largely unexplored by visual media, and the First Age may be an interesting setting for a series of video games.
The First Age was the beginning of Arda, the planet where Middle-earth and Valinor exist. It was a time of great strife as it saw the war against Morgoth, the predecessor to Sauron. While many of the events have been chronicled in The Silmarillion, the First Age has only recently been referenced in The Rings of Power. It has largely been left untouched, and fans of Lord of the Rings deserve to get a better look at it. While a TV show or movie could depict the events well, a video game may be able to do it a lot better. Not only would it allow players to actually be engrossed in the First Age of Arda, but it would also help fill a void that has been left by a lack of Lord of the Rings video games.
The First Age of Arda Explained
The First Age of Arda began with the awakening of the Elves. The first rising of the Sun occurred years later, and then Mankind was born shortly after. Some of Mankind turned to the evils of Morgoth while others choose to revolt against this and travel west. Much of this age is focused on the forces of Morgoth ravaging Middle-earth and valiant defenders trying to prevent evil from winning the day.
The First Age culminated with the War of the Wrath which saw Elves, Men, and Valar fight back against Morgoth in perhaps one of the largest battles to ever occur on Arda. The war was devastating, and it resulted in Morgoth being cast out from Arda, which marked the end of his rule in Middle-earth. The fighting between the Valar and Morgoth also shattered the northwestern part of Middle-earth and caused it to sink beneath the ocean. This war lasted decades, and it resulted in an uncountable number of casualties. It also marked the end of the age, and would usher in the events of The Rings of Power.
The First Age Would Be an Interesting Video Game Setting
The First Age was a very important part of Arda's history, but Lord of the Rings fans have yet to see it adapted. Video games could do it justice because they are usually a lot longer than a 10-episode TV show is, and that length would be very beneficial for the story. It would allow the developers to tell a story that encompasses the majority of the war and the events of the First Age without being forced to cut out elements to fit a runtime.
Fans of Lord of the Rings may enjoy taking control of one of the many residents of Middle-earth during this turbulent time. They could lead the forces of evil, or they could play a pivotal role among the forces of good. It could be an RPG like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, an RTS like Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos, an action-adventure like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, or even serve as an MMO prequel of sorts to The Lord of the Rings Online. Whatever form that it took, it could be a treat for fans of the series.
One of the biggest issues when it comes to adapting Lord of the Rings content is whether the Tolkien Estate wants to sell the LotR rights to a developer or not. Right now, it does not seem like it has any interest in selling the First Age. However, if that changes then it should really consider giving this age to a game developer. Not only would that be a great way to tell the story, but there is also a significant lack of Lord of the Rings video games right now. Middle-earth fans want to be a part of Lord of the Rings, and the popularity of TheRings of Power makes now the best time to create video games exploring Tolkien's fantastical world.