The Elder Scrolls V came out all the way back in 2011. Sure, the game is great, but if there are many other great games out there, why do so many people seem to still be stuck on Skyrim?
Intuitively, you’d think that after playing a game for so long, it would become terribly repetitive. But as it turns out, many people actually enjoy that repetitiveness. As one fan, Harry Shepard, points out, “The frosty northern climes of Tamriel are my second home. It's my comfort blanket. Whether I'm picking a Dwemer ruin clean or ambling aimlessly through bucolic forests, Skyrim is where I can shroud myself from the stresses and strains of the real world.” It’s hard to disagree that Skyrim has a “homey” feel. With the beautiful scenery and relaxing music, it’s not difficult to imagine using the game as a type of relaxation method.
Similarly, some fans use the game as a “calm after the storm.” Imagining sitting down to play Dark Souls and losing to the same boss for the millionth time in a row. What better way to relax afterwards than to turn on a game you know for a fact that you’re good at? Skyrim certainly doesn’t rank high on the difficulty scale, so it seems to have become a reliable tool for boosting the wounded self-esteemed of discouraged gamers.
Or perhaps many people are just straight up addicted to the game. I know, it sounds like a joke. But according to a site called Game Quitters, Skyrim addiction is apparently a real thing. “If you’re reading this article then you already know that playing Skyrim for a few hours a week just isn’t going to work. This might not be easy to hear, but you’re going to have to cut the game out completely.” The writer goes on to give a full guide for how to go about “quitting Skyrim” before the game completely ruins and takes over your life. If people had such a hard time quitting the game, then perhaps that contributes to why so many people are still playing in 2020.
But maybe it really boils down to the fact that the game is just that good. In 2016, Bethesda had sold over 30 million copies of the game, and the numbers have only gone up since then. Skyrim has also been rated highly with a 9.5/10 on IGN and a 94% on Metacritic. Whatever the case though, the sales for the next main Elder Scrolls game will likely blow Skyrim out of the water. Let’s just hope that the new game is equally as loved and irreplaceable as Skyrim.