Long before video RPGs became vogue, gamers would have to break out the pens, paper, books, and dice to get a role playing fix. Table top RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons are still being played today, but not to the extent that they were back in the Golden Age of Gaming when Ronald Reagan was still President. Skyrim and other video RPGs owe a debt of gratitude to classic games like Dungeons and Dragons, where players could be transported to a fantasy world full of excitement and adventure.
Skyrim RPG Experience
One of the great things about Skyrim is how well it replicates the playing experience of table top games of yesteryear. The world of Skyrim is huge and the game play is immersive. As Skyrim fans know, it’s easy to get caught up in character development and dungeon exploration, and even casual players soon find themselves racking up hundreds of hours of game play.
So what is it exactly that makes the Skyrim RPG experience so appealing?
Character Creation
For starters, the game does a remarkable job allowing a player to craft a character to his or her liking. The Skyrim character creation system is a robust one, providing plenty of customization options to build unique characters. Whether defining physical characteristics (height, skin tone, hair style, etc.), or selecting a unique race with specific bonuses, the Skyrim RPG engine allows enough variety for a gamer to create a special character he or she can call their very own. Skyrim’s character creation rings true to the table top RPG experience of “rolling up” characters on a game night.
Leveling
Once a character is created, the Skyrim open ended progression system really makes the game an immersive one. Leveling in the Skyrim RPG is akin to its table top forebears: a player gains experience by completing quests, killing foes, and interacting with the fantasy world in which they explore. Just like a classic table top RPG, gained experience points are used to “level up.” Leveling becomes addicting as a player watches a character grow in strength, skill and power. Given enough time, a player can craft a character into a force to be reckoned with.
Open Ended World
One of the hallmarks of table top gaming is the imaginative, open world where a character exists. A player is given free will to make choices and adventure in the world as seems fitting. The Skyrim RPG experience stays true to this “free roaming” concept with its huge, open ended world just waiting to be explored. Skyrim’s RPG engine allows a player to adventure in a nonlinear way. This open world concept gives the game an immersive quality far different from most video games that restrict a player’s choices.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a Skyrim fan, you already know about the amazing Skyrim RPG experience. If you’re new to the game, it won’t take you long to be mesmerized by Skyrim’s character creation system, leveling concepts, and open world play. I’ve played untold video games throughout the years, and Skyrim is by far the best at replicating a good old fashioned table top RPG experience.
Do you agree?
Sorry… Skyrim misses on many levels as from my personal point of view.
Character creation plays little part in the whole game experience, some minor NPC comments, and thats all… Battle system lacks some RPG-like strategy, leaving out the “you’re not your character” part, and letting it all rest on the players ability with the interface device of choice. Leveling system (skills perks) is the one thing in the game core system that deserves any attention, being well applied on the electronic environment, it allows for your character to develop on those particular skills u decide to use. However, again, its usage fall heavily on the players skills.
Though you have freedom of movement, quests are seldomly interactive/multi-path enough to be called role-play, and the would be main arch (about the dragonborn) is linear to such a degree it’s boring after a few games. The setting is same old fantasy, which is nice (all the elves and their selfrighteous elven ways, old dwarves with their mechanical entrapments in the underground, ancient extinct civilizations and humans fighting for the land) but this huge content is set aside for the interaction with nice looking Dragons, ancient powerfull creatures full of the knowledge of the ages, whose only objective is to simply burn everything to the ground on a rampage, not even bothering to scheem their glorious return as rulers of the realm.
I simply cannot agree that Skyrim is a good RPG because it lacks most of what makes RPG, i.e.: RP (role-play). Now, Skyrim is a great game! The best hack’n’slash EVER. Gameplay is fun and entertaining, and I couldnt help but make several characters just to try some other features. But it’s as much an RPG as CoD is. It just adds a lot of places to go, and things to do, which will eventualy lead to you killing something or someone.
Hi Guga,
Thanks for your comment! You make excellent, well-thought out points. Granted, video and table top RPGs are different animals, but in your opinion are there any video games that you feel capture the essence of classic table top games to a greater degree?
Maybe Neverwinter (the old one not the new one) ?that came out 10 – 15 years ago now? It was publisched by the maker of D&D. ???