Skyrim - First Impressions

I rarely purchase new games, least of all expansive efforts like The Elder Scrolls series. Partly this is snobbery: I feel above the tumble of experiencing that to which I feel the crowd might flock because of its newness. Part of it is because of cost: Total War games slash their prices in weeks. And, like with all great gaming communities, the modding community creates a better, more refined game over time.

But it was with great excitement that Skyrim arrived on Friday. As an old friend of sixteen years was visiting my sleepy seaside town, I hadn't planned on getting some gaming time in. Therefore, I had only preordered via amazon.co.uk with a free supersaver delivery. It is with great kudos to that behemoth that it arrived on the release day.



Skyrim is a cultural experience. It links to the ludic desires to game in a sandbox. To discover and create values and experiences and judgements through your autonomy as a privileged human being. The lore of the game has a rich history, too, refined in its desire to move beyond the traditional RPG format of being a bunch of numbers that kills other numbers in an attempt to get the biggest numbers in the game. The genre has a way to go, but joining 250,000 PC Gamers on Friday night was an event.

The graphics look great, but there are issues with smoothness. Smoothness affects the gamer's perception of their experience more than anything. Some tweaks were made of the .ini files (I know!) thanks to help from the community, and it runs smoother than before. But still not smooth. Still, I know one of two things:
a) This game will be refined by free mods in weeks.
b) Without the community troubleshooting my need to reduce my sound quality, my game would have crashed to desktop perpetually.

My first played was for two hours. I felt the distinct disappointment that the genre is still not a narrative. A foolish disappointment, of course. The game requires more from you than that. Just as perhaps life does. But do I want my life to have a narrative? Or should it be a perpetual sandbox? A sandbox life becomes quickly existential and angst-filled. However, a narrative-driven life is one without choice, or the freedom to create meaning.

Still, I wanted to play again soon afterwards. And, in playing, to avoid fast travel (which made Oblivion a little tedious towards the end for me.)

I have worked hard this weekend at my teachering. I have marked for 3-4 hours, and planned for something of the same. I may be able to get some Skyrim in before the evening burns out. But that experience is different to others. I do not want to rush the game and tour the content. This is something to play for different reasons.