The genre of Skyrim is an RPG (Role Playing Game) which means the games emphasis is on letting the player create their own character and do whatever they want within a large and varied game world. The game also borrows elements from the action adventure genre and also for certain quests borrows aspects from the horror genre as well. The RPG genre is a genre that allows the player to take control of a character, that can usually be customized, and are dropped into a large virtual world, that is designed to immerse the player. RPG's usually have vast in-game universes and the narratives are grand in scale. The RPG genre has taken many forms since its inception, and started out with 'Pen and Paper' Table Top Games such as Dungeons and Dragons. From this form of game, RPG's were formed. The games are known for their vast open worlds, large amounts of free choice, including decisions that can affect the narrative or even the game world itself, a emphasis on exploration, combat and human-NPC interaction's. They are also closely associated with the fantasy genre with many RPG's being set in worlds that consist of medieval cultures. There are deviences from this with RPG franchises such as Fallout having a reputation of being one of the very best RPG series ever made.
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| RPG's typically take place in fantasy world with magic and elves etc, however there is the occasional Non Fantasy RPG that takes the world by storm such as the Fallout series as seen above. |
Selection of Content:
Skyrims look and styling is one of a Nordic country and culture. The games color is generally grey and white, due to Skyrims in-game terrain being mainly snowy tundra. The color scheme is one designed to represent the game world as one of war and conflict and that life is long and hard for the games characters. The architecture of the buildings and dungeon within the game are based on Nordic Architecture in order to show the player that they are in a country located in the far north of the game world and that the main population of the ingame world are themselves Nords. The art style is designed to convey realism, with emphasis on a lack of color to show the player they may be in a fantasy world, but it isn't all sunshine and rainbows like the fairy tales of old. The NPC's are normally modeled to look more built up than NPC's from earlier titles in the series, due to the harsh conditions of the game world forcing the nordic population to grow extra muscles mass to tackle the requitred manual labour to keep food on the table and the fires stoked. The art style also gives off a feeling that the game world has existed before the player put in their game disc and that it will live on even after the player has left it. The dungeons feel as if multiple adventurers have been in over their millenias of existence. All in all, the games selection of content is made to show the ancient nature of the land of Skyrim and that life there is hard and grueling. It is overall a mature take on previous fantasy game art styles such as the art within Skyrims predecessor Oblivion.
The box art is designed to resemble the front cover of a book. This is to show the player that by putting the disc in to the disc tray is just like opening the front cover of abook, and the choice of a book cover implies that the game wants to give off a message that it is just as detailed and gripping as a good book.
The way in which Skyrim is structured and the interaction is constructed is a way highly similar to similar games in the RPG genre. The player has access to a lrage and detailed game world filled with quests to complete and items to collect. Just like many games in the RPG genre, the game has a central storyline which can be completed via a main quest and a ample amount of secondary side questlines and the occasional quest unrelated to any branching narrative. The player has access to plenty of weapons and apparel with certain items being unable to be found unless the player has reached a suitable level. The game has a traditional leveling system with the player leveling up certain skills with use and when the skill level rises, so does the player level. this allows certain gameplay feature's and equipment to be locked until the player has sufficently leveled up.
The overall pace of the game is somewhat slow with the vast amounts of quest and activities implemented specifically to accomodate a hundred hour or more playthrough. The games primary emphasis is to allow the player to explore the game world and the locations within it. Within such locations, there are usually enemies, loot and puzzles. The enemies are located with most ingame locations and throughout the games overworld. They are there to gives the player opposition and to remidn the player of the hositility of the enviroment they are within.
Codes and Conventions:
Skyrim adheres to many codes and conventions of the RPG and Fantasty Genres. This is in both technical and symbolic codes. The technical codes of RPGs are commonplace in Skyrim. The is a UI with a section for displaying the players Health, Stamina and Magika. It also has acrosshair which allows the player to aim ingame offensive weapons such as the Long Bow. Apart from that, Skyrims UI is very limited in comparison to RPG's such as Mass Effect. There is also a camera that can be altered to accomodate and first and third peron view. This allows the player to either look through the players eyes or look at them from afar akin to the view of a puppet master.
There are plenty of diagetic sounds, from a game soundtrack to sound effects for actions like discovering a location, sheathing a sword and walking along snowy ground. These help provide the games atmosphere. The sound also changes when certain scenarios change within the game such as when the player enters combat, music for that situation plays. This is to increase the sense of atmosphere ingame.
There are also symbolic codes within the game. The music is mean't to display the wonder and the beauty of the ingame world, and the music is created with that in mind. It's purpose is to fill the player with wonder at the ingame world and that it is avaialble for the player to explore. The camera also has symbolic codes. The default angle, FPS, shows the player what the dovahkiin is looking at, and is mean't to put you into their shoes, and show the player what it means to have great responsibility since the dragonborn exists mainly to fight and kill dragons that hope to rule the world.
All in all, the codes of the game are to denote to the player the atmosphere and feel of the ingame world and also show the player more practical information like player health etc. The player is meant to read into the codes and conventions shown in Skyrim, otherwise known as semiotics.
Modes of address:
Skyrim's primary mode of address, is of an Omniscient Narrator. You have full control of the players body, and as such, can command it to do certain things. For example, the player can initiate fight's with NPC's across the game world, and if the player chooses not to control the character to fight back, the player dies. The game also speaks to the audience through third person. While the player is an omniscient narrator if they chose to control the player through their eyes, the game also features the ability to look over the character via a third person camera. Due to this, the player can interact with the Player Character as a puppet master of sorts, with the Player Character being almost a literal puppet. The only difference is that instead of strings, the player uses Keys or a Joystick to manipulate the Player Character.
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Written References:
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/role-playing-game-RPG
http://www.pcgamer.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-combat-detailed/
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/17/women-video-games-iab
http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/fantasy-genre-codes-conventions/
https://riddlesdownmedia.wordpress.com/a2-media-exam/194-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_video_game
Visual References:
https://techcrunch.com/2011/11/20/review-skyrim/
http://gematsu.com/2011/06/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-box-art-revealed
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