Goblins. They're small, they're puny, they're generally hostile. They're usually at the bottom of the humanoid monster hierarchy and are often subject to mistreatment even from their own side. Individually weak, they will make use of trickery or sheer numbers in order to potentially get the upper hand.
They may not always be called the same thing, but all retain the core traits that make them the bane of heroes' existences, or the perfect dogsbodies for aspiring villains. They might be invaluable assistance to you, they might be a constant menace, or you may find yourself playing as one of them.
10 Dragon's Dogma - Learned Aggression
Any regular player of Dragon's Dogma will well know the alarmed shout of 'Careful, goblins!' from a nearby pawn. This can sometimes take place a good couple of minutes into the fight, but the pawns are trying their best.
The goblins of Gransys are small, numerous, and have a great deal of hostility towards people. This is actually implied to be a hostility developed over time, possibly in response to being attacked. Probably easier not to feel too bad about it though. They will also occasionally scream 'Who let the dogs out?' on seeing you. Dragon's Dogma is weird.
9 The Legend Of Zelda Series - Bokoblin Bashing
Slightly different terminology describing what is essentially the same beast, The Legend of Zelda series' bokoblins are the bottom of Hyrule's evil minion food chain. They're small, aggressive, and more of a nuisance than a threat. They're also bullied by larger monsters like moblins, who will sometimes use their smaller cousins as projectiles.
In spite of being bullied by other enemies, bokoblins have shown evidence of being considerably smarter than them, with some even being able to utilize fairly advanced technology in pursuit of hassling you as much as possible.
8 Total War: Warhammer Series - Strength In Numbers
Lower-ranking members of the Greenskins faction, with a few exceptions these diminutive creatures spend a lot of time under the heel of the bigger, angrier orcs. Whilst they are dwarfed in strength by their more athletic relatives, the goblin troops of the Total War: Warhammer series can be deceptively pivotal in a campaign.
What they lack in combat ability and leadership, these units make up for in overwhelming numbers and better defensive equipment, allowing them to take a very long time to kill. Unfortunately, as you might expect, they are easily frightened off.
7 The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion - Sticks And Stones
Notable in their absence from the frigid lands of Skyrim, the goblins of The Elder Scrolls are interesting creatures who follow their own peculiar culture and agenda. The goblin tribes spread across Cyrodiil exist in reverence to a tribe shaman and a unique tribal staff, a large stick topped with a head. The theft of the staff by a rival tribe will prompt an all-out goblin war.
On the other hand, the death of a shaman will plunge the whole tribe into confusion, halting their hostilities. Locals have learned to more or less work around their peculiarities, though they do pose a danger to the average traveler.
6 Fable Series - Nasty, Brutish, And Short
They're small, they're vicious, and they dress in period-appropriate clothes. The hobbes of Fable are in all ways the classic kind of goblin creature. Their ubiquity makes it easy to get desensitized to punting them around.
They do have a nastier twist to their nature. Hobbes steal children. In an upsetting, and sometimes poignant twist, they will turn the stolen child into another hobbe. This will, in fact, happen in a quest in Fable 2. It's made a little more unsettling when they are sometimes found to be worshipping teddy bears inside their dens. It might be easier not to think too hard about why that is.
5 Dark Cloud - Pickpocket Pockles
Armed with a pointy hat, a toothy mouth, and a slightly terrifying knife, Pockles - or Smiling Fairies - are a constant threat. They appear in both Dark Cloud and its sequel Dark Chronicle, though the goblin-like monsters in the first one have an especially unpleasant habit. They will steal coins from you with an attack. The only way to get the money back is to take out the monster.
They vary through different subspecies, named after days of the week, and all sport different fighting styles to keep you on your toes. Those in the sequel are a little less diverse, but there's really not a lot that induced more panic than a three-foot-high imp chasing you with a kitchen knife.
4 Overlord Series - The Perfect Henchmen
What is a villain without minions? These goblinoid creatures of several varieties have one grand dream in their lives. Minions serve an Overlord. They do so without question and without regard for themselves. A minion is perfectly happy to give up its life in pursuit of serving its villainous master.
Spread over several different colors that denote their abilities, they form a diverse army underneath the Overlord and Gnarl The Minion Master. Gnarl, one of the oldest and smartest of their kind, demonstrates their own potential for intelligent thinking, with command of strategy and language. This is a little less evident with the majority of his species.
3 Monster Sanctuary - Minions No More
Ever wanted to have your own goblin army? Well, ever wanted to have your own goblin army without being some kind of dark lord and subjecting them to constant abuse and mistreatment? Monster Sanctuary may be the game for you.
Goblins were initially created as servants for the warlock Ryslind, but eventually attracted his wrath for stealing the secrets of magic from his tower. Faced with extinction, the creatures rose up and turned on the warlock under the leadership of a Goblin King, defeating him with an uncharacteristic organization. They will appear as adversaries, but can in turn become part of your fighting roster. If you're very lucky, one will get in a mech.
2 Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning - Backstabbing Brownies
While ostensibly named after a more benign form of fae in folklore, you should not believe for a second that the brownies of the Kingdoms of Amalur are anything but goblins that have perfected the art of deception.
These nasty, brutish, and short monsters will, at first glance, pretend to be harmless and adorable, throwing full-on puppy eyes. This will happen right up until the creature thinks it's in an advantageous position, at which point the sharp teeth come out. Before you know it you're booting off dozens of the little monsters from biting your ankles.
1 Styx - Sympathy For The Goblin
It's not all that often that games consider a fantasy world from a goblin's point of view. The Styx games (and Of Orcs And Men, the game for which they serve as prequels) cast greenskins in a more heroic light. The protagonist, Styx, is a goblin with human-level intelligence, something that is considered unusual in the world.
Goblins and Orcs are considered subhuman, with many of the other species either attempting to kill them outright, exploit them, or use them as a resource for an ulterior motive. Though Styx isn't especially fond of his mostly-dimwitted own kind, he too has to face the preconceived notions about him due to his species.