From the secret video game journal of Nic:
"So I am rather new to the world of video games, I mean the recent world of video games. I played on an Atari and then Mario brothers on Nintendo to death as a child, and I had a brief stint where my stepbrother let me play Sonic the Hedgehog when I was in High School, but that probably only equated to 10 hours of life of my play time. But now with a shiny Xbox and all the DVD and blue ray possibilities it has, sitting in my bedroom attached to the 50 in plasma screen, it seems to beckon the need for some game time. It also gives me something else to do besides just read or watch movies. I invested in Portal 2 a few months back and beat the game. Whoo hoo, go me! Recently I have had more free time on my hands and I have decided to further pursue my mild video game interest. So after returning some games I bought on a Murphy’s law day, I traded them in for a game I heard very good reviews about: Skyrim.
I am aware the I like role playing games, although I am not entirely sure how I came to this conclusion. But the idea of an adventure that I can visit any time I want, greatly appeals to me. I suppose it is the prospect of allowing me to escape this world for a little bit to immerse myself in another. Another form of interactive books and movies, yessssss! The first night I played it, two nights ago, I spent a good 20 minutes just designing my character. Other than some rather odd eye color choices, I tweaked and adjusted my avatars appearance to my version of fashion sensible liking. All the cheekbones were correct, chin adequately proportionate, and eyebrows matched nicely, nose fit, and even added some sexy looking war paint! After a five minute debate on hair color and appropriate name choice, I was ready to go! Knowing full well I am not yet a master of controls I wandered through the first board and followed my faithful gentleman who seems convinced I saved his life. I followed him through the labyrinth of the underground tunnels, he did all the fighting (why is he fighting his own people again??) while I focused on following him (thanks for waiting for me while I check out this corner) and why my hand glows and which controls caused me to throw fire (since I chose a High Elf persona) while I also wield a sword. I also realized I was apparently still marked for death----right, because I am a threat, ha ha ha! I then muddled about as he kicked the ass of 3 people and I swung experimentally around with my sword about 10 feet away. After successfully sneaking past a bear and stealing everything I could lay my hands on, and even after picking a few locks efficaciously, I was feeling pretty good about myself and had achieved the first objective, get out of the town being attacked by the dragon!! Again he thanks me for saving his life??? Well um , sure, glad I could be wall art and still effective at saving your life! Aren’t you the optimistic type! Feeling like I had accomplished something I decided I was tired of the game for the night and at a good stopping point, so I went to bed.
The next evening, I played again. I idly noticed the time and their version of the date as I turned the game on. This time I felt a little more confident about my controller skills and followed my faithful companion to Riverdell (Lord of the Rings enters my mind) where we met up with his uncle. I also noticed I had a hard time seeing, seemed like night falling. After a conversation in the uncle’s house my companion and his uncle had directed me to take a message to some person up North (is there a rewind on this thing, so I can hear that conversation again?? I was trying to figure out how to remain siting without standing up and pulling out my sword! Then when I did sit, everything on the table was alluring me to steal it. How could I steal it when these people were offering to feed me?? That would be rude! I suppose some of my real responses were going to play out here.) Oh crap, I missed the entire conversation. Well, I suppose I should leave. So out the door I trot to be met with a jealous wife telling me to stay away from her husband. Um, all right, he wasn’t hot, but I get it, I did spend an inordinate amount of time shaping my face just soooo….guess it worked! I ask her opinion on what she thinks of the war and she softens up, my obvious interest in a war over her husband appeasing her.
Not really realizing the local time, I determine I better get started on my quest. I figure out which direction is north, and while I am desperately wishing for a flashlight or at this rate-fire, and I head out into the woods. Within a few feet I hear the howl of a wolf. I don’t pay this much mind even though before we got to the village my companion killed two of them. Suddenly in the darkness I see this shape, and …..HOLY SHIT!!!! My heart rate jumps up as I am attacked by a wolf!! I fumble with the controls as I see blood smattering across the screen and hear my avatar getting mauled. I press the button for my sword and the damn thing doesn’t come out, my hands don’t even light up. Where went my weaponry?!?!?! I hit the button to take me to the screen to pick another weapon to delay the agony of my dying avatar. I change weapons and click back out to only find I still have no weapon and the wolf continues to maul me to death. I fight frantically, but I only see my arms swinging. Not a great defense against a wolf and thanks for that note that I am dying and I should take a potion, what so I can delay my death even longer with no weapons?? My heart still racing as the adrenaline of the scare is real. Suddenly, my lovely character falls over, dead.
Really?
First time for everything.
Whew, take a few breaths.
So I read the new screens meant to inform me as my character regenerates through its (thankfully) endless lives. I have just learned I might die more than I wanted to. I magically am back in the town now and I see the time again that I registered seeing earlier in the game. I realize several hours have passed. Oh joy! I can just wait the night out. That wolf scared the shit out of me and I realize it probably wasn’t the brightest idea to go into the woods in the middle of the night since, now that I pieced that together. Got it! I wander around the deserted town wondering if I am supposed to sleep or what and hyperaware of noises. Might not be the best idea to play this game right before bed.
I end up wandering into the inn and after I speak to the innkeeper and chat idly then ask him if I may use the alchemy lab, I accidently pull my sword and stab him. HELLO ACCIDENT!!! How do I pick the conversation that says “Sorry I am a dumbass new player and didn’t mean to stab you!!” While he draws his sword and he the barmaid make mincemeat out of me. *Sigh* Well that didn’t go as planned, my avatar falling over with a thud. Dead again. Crap.
Reading more now while I regenerate. Not all of it making sense yet since a lot of it seems to be history-But still cool. Who doesn’t want to learn about dragons? I am back at the inn door. Oh thank heavens the innkeeper isn’t going to try to kill me again since I innocently stabbed him the last time. Need to figure out my Freudian issue with playing with that button, especially when I am not in danger…. So I play with the alchemy lab and make some cool potion. Nice!! At this point it is getting light out, so I venture out again and take another path different from the one I was mauled by the wolf on the night before.
I get halfway down the path and I hear howling again. God *%$(!)#$ who decided this blasted country should be swarming with wolves??? Thankfully I pull my sword in time and I had done some practicing on a tree during my stalling the night before and I kicked the shit out of this wolf. I notice though my heart rate had increased again. Wow, yeah, still not sure I should play this right before bed if I am going to get all riled up because of some image on the screen that I frantically am trying to kill.
Frantically I search the dead wolf while waiting for his pack to ambush me from above and I find a cool stone and I am allowed to take it’s pelt. I have at least learned to check everything and take everything I can for inventory. Amethyst stone, check, pelt, check! So I keep trotting along and find a random horse hanging out by a person who appears to be dead. I jump on the horse and feel a little better that if I meet more wolves I can fight them from atop the horse, otherwise I might have a dead horse…well my wish comes true about 30 seconds later (why didn’t the wolves find him while he had obviously been standing beside this dead person for a while, and why can’t they go gnaw on her??) I frantically draw my sword thinking I should be keeping it out at this point, and defeat the wolves. I hop off the horse to search them when I hear more wolves, you have to be kidding me?? I swing around and my horse is fighting, so I jump in and slay the wolf. Well I think I hear another wolf attacking my horse, and in my still sloppy fighting I think I manage to stab my horse. Next thing I know the horse is trying to kick the shit out of me. Seriously?!?! Don’t I have an apple or something to say sorry, I didn’t mean it!! I try to run away and he chases me, kicking at me the whole time. I swing around and hit the button to jump back on him and that works. Breathe, just breathe…well that worked. So we move on.
We come to a town, sadly not the town I was looking for. Realizing I am still possibly a wanted fugitive, even though my not so faithful companion who left me to the wolves, said I should join the legion, I wasn’t off the hook yet, and this town had people carrying swords. Hmmm…. But there is a large castle, so I sneak on the horse (cool!) to the castle. Didn’t find anything interesting there whereupon I turn around and keep galloping away from the town. I am trying to go north still and I seem mildly successful at it. I switch back out to the map and see I am nowhere near where I want to be. Blast.
Going back to the game, I accidently get off the horse, to find that the horse hasn’t forgotten our misunderstanding and starts to kick the shit out of me again. Dammit!! I try to get back on, and eventually succeed. I don’t even think I can leave the horse, he might make it HIS life’s quest to hunt me down and kill me. We continue to wander as there doesn’t seem to be a path north. I then come across some weird looking person who tries to throw magic at me, and I tuck tail and run. I haven’t mastered that yet.
So I wander over more of the lovely landscape desperately looking for a way to go north. I climb this seriously steep ravine that leads north and oops!! Now there are two people who obviously know a lot more about magic than I do! I try to go to my magic inventory and my novice skills get me killed again in a couple seconds. At least in the reading this time during regeneration I learn that I can lay on a bed and get some sleep which helps my health. That sounds like a good idea actually. When I am reborn again it seems I am still on bad terms with the horse though, maybe I will name him Nitpick. By this point the bed idea appeals to me and I feel that I should leave this lovely world for the sanctity of my bed. Obviously this Skyrim world is going to take me some time.
Today, I think, before I try again, I am just going to let my horse kill me and see if that resolves our relationship issues. I am not sure, maybe therapy is needed, but I don’t see many horse whisperers around. Death seems much more like a solution. Worth a shot, I think. "
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