I used to be an adventurer like you...

Who knew how true that line would be in 2021 except I didn't take an arrow to the knee. Not yet anyway.


You knew this was coming... the day I would write about Skyrim. 

I started this game 10 years ago and am still playing it. And not because I can't finish, although that did happen to me once. This is my fourth playthrough (most likely the sixth or so) and I haven't found anything better.

It is riddled with bugs especially since I still play on PS3 and isn't the best RPG in the world currently. But to me, I can't find anything that comes close to immersing me like it does.

The music is amazing, not just the theme songs which get me pumped for each playthrough. But also the background music. There is a song for every situation and when the tempo picks up, you just know a dragon is coming. Depending on my level or carrying capacity I either run or fight.

I ask every bard in an inn or tavern to play me a song when I first visit because it's what you do as a traveller from a distant land. My favourite is of course ''The Dragonborn Comes'' and I sing along.  Jeremy Soule is the composer and his music is so wondrous that I listen to it when I write or need to concentrate on something I am working on. It is considered to be one of the most profound gaming soundtracks.

Every piece of scenery is beautiful, I still pause to look around and it feels like I am there. Yes, the graphics are dated now but a decade on, it's still breathtaking to look at. 

The constant exploration and random encounters get me every time. It always feels different, in fact with my current play I encountered several new quests and people I never met before. Each house, town or even smugglers' den has things to uncover to ensure one's attention is always kept.

It's huge, map-wise and no matter how many hours you end up playing over the years, I doubt anyone has explored everything.  Even though I complain to my dogs about each person talking to me and giving me a quest, I secretly dig it and love completing side quests. These are numerous and can range from delivering a letter to assassinating someone in an orphanage. Yes, it can be pretty wild especially when you could have a drinking contest with a random guy, blackout, wake up in a temple and end up on a quest trying to figure out what the hell happened.

I personally hate the Dwarven ruins and all quests involving the Falmer because I still get lost and feel like each quest takes weeks. But this time I am a two-handed weapon welding Kitty Cat with a high armour skill so it's been pretty violent and quick going. It does prick my ears when people want to make a fur coat out of me though.

I also made the great decision of just playing the old game until the main quests are completed. Then I'll get into the DLCs( downloadable content) so that it's not chaotic with various people dying all the time and vampires attacking me everywhere.

I quite fancy Aela ( I always play a female character that is a lesbian), who is a werewolf and leader of The Companions. Who is now my companion (note the capitalization and non-capitalization there) whom I have asked to marry... again. But now she has an extra dialogue line about me needing to speak to the priest. It can be distracting when you're in the middle of a battle or in need of her to carry a ton of stuff for you. (Let's be honest, that's what companions are for.)

But what gets me going the most about this game are the fans. People still post videos on why they love this game and I relate heavily. Fan movies like The Senile Scribbles, One They Fear, How Skyrim Should Have Ended and my personal favourite  Dovahbear make me roar with laughter and nod my head with delight. Not forgetting the numerous videos on gameplay, inside humour and music compositions. 

It's not just me that can't let go. All fans share so many experiences like :
  • hating Lydia, the housecarl and companion, so much that some of us have killed her in numerously hilarious ways ( I shouted her off a mountain once). 
  • putting buckets on people's heads so that we can pickpocket them.
  • having a whole village attack you for killing a chicken.
  • talking to a guard for the first time who says, "Wait, I know you." and then getting arrested.
  • random guards always saying stuff to you like you're having the time of your life while they are stuck guarding
  • Giants attacking you so hard that you fly through the air.
  • our horse getting frozen on a mountain or rather slightly to the left of the mountain...
Ah, good times. 

I even call myself The Dovahkin. In fact, I quite often ask the husband to call me The Dovahkin and hum the theme tune as I Fus Roh Dah around the house.

In fact, I am due a game so I am off to slay a dragon or fall off a mountain.

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