Why I Keep Playing Skyrim

Anyone that plays video games knows that there are seemingly endless open world games with skill tree mechanics. I have played a lot of them as well. At first, I loved it. I had dozens of games in which I could sink a lot of hours into. After 10 years of playing games of that exact sort, I find myself growing extremely board these types of games. I recently booted up Dying Light 2 and soon uninstalled the game because of the lack of any depth beyond "It's an open world game with a skill tree." A decent amount of recent AAA games fall into this category as well. I've all but grown tired of open world games, yet there is one open world game that has stood the test of time better than any other. That game is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

I could play Skyrim forever. It never gets old. Recently, as I've gotten into playing it yet again, I've been thinking about what makes Skyrim so endlessly playable for me. It seems it is endlessly playable for a lot of other people as well. That is the purpose of this post. I am explaining why Skyrim stands the test of time. Back in 2018 Todd Howard stated that, "the amount of people who play Skyrim seven years later; millions of people every month are playing that game. That's why we keep releasing it." With the release of the Skyrim Anniversary Edition back in 2021, I would guess that there are still A LOT of people still playing it. It seems it is endlessly playable for a lot of other people as well as me. That is the purpose of this post. I am explaining why I can't stop going back to Skyrim.

Exploration is huge in Skyrim. It is a game in which players are encouraged to go off the beaten path to find interesting things. Rather than being left to wander aimlessly, players are given a compass at the top of the screen that shows them which nearby points of interest lay in any given direction. Those points also have varied symbols that indicate the type of place that they are. This helps the player to know if a certain location is worth going to or not. Upon discovery, or mention from one of the games many NPCs, the location is permanently placed on the player's map. There are hundreds of locations scattered around the map, and all of them have stories to tell or things to do.

There are plenty of open world games with interesting locations. What makes Skyrim (and every BSG game) is that every object is interactable and pick-up-able. Of course, this includes every weapon and piece of armor, but it also includes all of the food, dishes, books and even trash that you'll find in locations. On top of this, 99% of every enemy or NPC that the player comes across has some form of loot on them. Even if the player doesn't care or even look, it's still there. 

Everything mentioned above is featured in every BGS game. A Skyrim unique feature that keeps me coming back is the player driven role playing. Upon character creation, stats only change based on the race the player chooses. There are no classes or backgrounds selected. Instead, the player levels up skills by using them. As the player levels up their skills, their overall level goes up as well. It is a lot more open ended than leveling up in other RPGs.

All of these mechanics are interesting, but why do I love them so much? When it comes to the exploration, the variety of locations and the way they are presented really help me get lost in the world. Every location has a story to tell. For example, as I was recently playing, I came across a random dungeon. I had no expectations as to what I would find there, I was just exploring. As I continued, I came across two bandits that were talking about disgusting creatures and how they wanted to kill them. I was intrigued, so as I made progress it became clear that the bandits were talking about the Falmer. Scattered throughout this cave were dead bandits who had been killed by the cave's Falmer occupants. Uncovering this story felt very rewarding. There was no quest or prompting to go into this cave beyond its map marker. This is why exploration in Skyrim is so rewarding.

On top of the interesting stories that Skyrim's dungeons tell, the amount of interactivity in each of them keeps them alive. The fact that I can interact with everything keeps me immersed and focused on the game. Everyone that I pickpocket, or kill is more than just a roadblock because they have things in their pockets. To me, this level of interactivity is the reason that BGS games are more immersive than any other open world games out there.

Given that using skills equals leveling up in Skyrim, I try to use as many skills as possible. My current (and personal canon) character is a warrior, thief, mage hybrid. I sneak with a bow until I am up close and personal and then I use conjuration to create a battle-axe or a one-handed sword. When I run low on health, I switch to a healing spell until I'm recharged. If I want to do extra damage, I will use a one-handed sword in combination with a destruction spell. In this sense I have all my bases covered. I can fight any enemy and have an advantage. This is the character that I like to play. The most powerful dragonborn possible. Because this is how leveling up works in Skyrim, I feel complete ownership over my character rather than just a connection like in other RPGs. Character creation never ends as your character keeps changing and evolving as different skills are used. 

At its core, the reasons I keep playing Skyrim are because of the quality exploration, and the ability for me to live the fantasy of the character I create. I've spent hundreds of hours just exploring the world of Skyrim and I'll be spending plenty more before Starfield comes out. I also love being a jack of all trades master of all type of character. Some people may find it a little to open ended for an RPG, but I love it. I wish more RPGs allowed as much playstyle expression as Skyrim does.