Video game:Xbox 360 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Stony Brook Library

The Elder Scrolls games, primarily developed and distributed by Bethesda, are well-known for their vast open worlds in a fantasy setting. The games focus on player exploration rather than a rigid, scripted story. The series is known for having numerous side quests that almost always intrigue the player more than the main story. All of the games take place within the same world on the fictional continent of Tamriel on the world of Nirn, a fantasy world of magic, monsters, and its own complex history and lore. The Elder Scrolls is heavily influenced by classic tabletop role-playing games, with considerable character customization and skill-based character-building and leveling, as opposed to the typical experience point leveling system of many RPGs. The world of The Elder Scrolls is vast and rich, with players often dedicating hundreds of hours to one game.

Skyrim is perhaps the most well-known game of the Elder Scrolls series. The game was released in 2011 on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, with rereleases for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Taking place two hundred years after the events in Oblivion, Skyrim is the fifth game in the series. The player takes on the role of the Dragonborn, and is tasked with saving the region of Skyrim from a dragon long thought dead. As with the other Elder Scrolls games, there are numerous side quests and a vast world for the player to explore. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim received numerous Game of the Year awards, including RPG of the Year from IGN and Overall Game of the Year from GameSpot. It is considered by many gamers and critics alike to be one of the best games ever made to date. Skyrim has greatly outsold its predecessors, with more than 30 million copies sold since its release in 2011. Three expansions were also released for Skyrim: Dawnguard (2012), Hearthfire (2012), and Dragonborn (2012).