Well yeah, Morrowind's skill system has definitively its issues with that. But on the other hand, there's no pressure to resort to this "gamey" actions.
So the amount of "abuse" of the skill system is not something dictated by the game itself, but is just one of many possible ways to play the game. It's completely up to the player to decide.
And honestly I'm quite impressed you defend Gothic with your critique of Morrowind Because in the end, the optimal skilling in Gothic is much more dictated by the game. There are certain portions of the game you won't survive unless you level in a very specific way. That's much more restrictive than Morrowind's system.
