Being Yordie Sands

A few days ago I had a Twitter exchange with a guy; we were talking about the Fallout series but then we chatted about Skyrim. I told him I really love the game and he said one of the most memorable things I’ve heard about a game: “Skyrim is almost comfort food for some of us wierdos that still play games.”

Comfort food! Yeah, that’s really how it feels to me also. It’s just the perfect mix of quests, story, characters, gear, landscape, and every other aspect of gaming that I enjoy. It’s probably not that great for gamers who prefer non-stop Shoot’em Up but for me, it is perfect… well, even with the occasional defects.

Anyway, I’m at the stage were I need to fully ramp up as the Dragonborn and take it to the penultimate event, but I spent some time taking some pictures of my new homestead and my adopted kids, pets, and the ever dull and my ever attentive housecarl, Lydia.

That’s the Tundra Homestead in daylight on a kind of foggy day. It’s really an idyllic place, except when dragons attack.

That’s a view of one of the giant mountains to the north of Tundra Homestead, near Whiterun.

Behind the Tundra Homestead is a little garden but also functional bee hives.

Inside the sturdy Tundra home, cozied up in their beds are my adopted children being protected by their adoring pet fox.

That’s me in my best Steel Plate Armor mounted on my war horse in full armor. We’re outside Whiterun but we travel throughout Skyrim.

It’s pretty clear to me now that I must up my level of play soon. The main reason I continue to resist doing this is simple, I’m enjoying the story embedded within the gameplay so much that I just don’t want to be fighting for my life all the time. I know it’s kind of Whimpey gameplay, but it’s not hurting anyone.

Eventually, I take most of my games up to highest level of play; well, I never choose the survival mode because it is just not enjoyable to me at all.

Also, it’s about time for me to upgrade my armor and I have my eye on a full set of Golden Saint Armor. It’s pretty flashy, so next time you see me I might be all dressed up in pretty golden armor.

I forgot to mention that I never changed my setting from Novice (Very Easy). I thought I did though. When I discovered my mistake I decided to continue on until I learned more about Alchemy, Potions, and Magic. But as I learned I realize I didn’t know much about Forging, Crafting, and Smiting.

I wasn’t learning Alchemy intuitively, so I had to seek out an article and came across this very instructive article that most would consider a SPOILER but sometimes you need help, Skyrim: 12 Things That Can Ruin Your Game.

I also learned that I just don’t have time for things like Farming, Fishing and other interesting but non-essential activities; OTOH, maybe in future I’ll incorporate those into my gameplay down the road.

The game moved along quickly and I reached Level 30 and was able to actually kill the monstrous dragon, Alduin.

[BTW, when I first played Fallout 4 back in 2016, I took it to Level 30 in Very Easy mode and took down the Institute; on second thought, I think I actually went with the Institute because my lost child, Shaun, was the leader…I mean, the crazy scientist was my son (this was a very stupid idea).]

That’s me in my best dragon fighting gear.
I took a ride on a dragon to get here.
Now, I am ready to defeat the great dragon, Alduin.

The gameplay felt right to me most of the time, and at Novice level I didn’t get killed like I would at higher levels. And the world of Skyrim is very different than the Fallout series that I enjoy so much, so I had to adapt to combat with swords & shields, bows & arrows, magic & potions, and NO VATS aiming assistance. I feel like I have a handle on the basics now, even though I left literally dozens of quests and miscellaneous quest incomplete, so I’ll be planning to play the game at the regular level soon.

For anyone who happens over the age of 40 who has happened across this blog post: Gaming is not just for young people.

Gaming is not all shoot’em-up because the best games have extraordinary cognitive challenges that you must overcome. I started playing a few years ago with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, a relatively easy game compare to Skyrim, and I had to learn hundreds to new ideas, discover amazing landscapes and cities, solve countless problems, overcome countless obstacles, descend into creepy caves, and in the process codify my own values.

There’s one other amazing thing about really good games, there’s a story. When you step into a AAA game that has been running as a series, like Elder Scrolls, Fallout series, even Lara Croft, there’s a great deal of lore that carries from game to game. For me, the lore enriches the gaming.

I’ll be writing more about Skyrim soon. First, I plan to return to Fallout 76 this weekend and explore some things and maybe build a new underground shelter.