Summary
- The internet played a significant role in the success of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, with gamers sharing mods and memes about the game for years.
- Memes, like other forms of comedy, should not be forced and must come naturally. Bethesda should not try to replicate Skyrim's memetic legacy in their upcoming releases.
- Bethesda's upcoming titles, Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, should prioritize releasing in a polished state to avoid glitches and bugs, even if it means sacrificing meme potential.
Games are an important part of internet culture. There are many sites discussing the latest releases, reporting on numerous important parts of video game news, and player-made strategy guides have been on the World Wide Web almost as long as it's been around, so there's no question that games themselves thrive on the word of mouth found on the internet as well. When it comes to video games that are beloved by the internet, though, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is certainly one of the favorites.
Skyrim was always a big hit, selling 3.4 million copies within two days of it launching back in 2011, but it could easily be said that the internet is partially to blame for a sizable amount of its later success. Gamers have enjoyed sharing mods and conversations about the game for years, be it because something was great, or because something was funny. At one point, the famous "arrow to the knee" joke was said almost as commonly as "the cake is a lie" and sometimes the intro to Skyrim makes it as a surprise punch line. In terms of replicating Skyrim's memetic legacy, Bethesda may have a hard time besting what came before.
One Does Not Simply Force a Meme into a Bethesda Game
While it is possible that players can understand a meme, it isn't as simple as to say that memes themselves are understood by how they come to exist. They come naturally to people as they experience entertaining media throughout their lives, though the repetitive and refreshed jokes have of course thrived on social media platforms in recent years. There are memes about almost every game, including Skyrim. Even Bethesda itself is a bit of a meme as many people have asked if something in their game is a bug or a feature, and with Bethesda in particular this answer is almost always a "yes".
That said, memes in particular are much like other forms of comedy in that if someone tries to force it, it most certainly won't land. Many viewers don't appreciate being told to laugh at something to where how hard the joke flopped may be a joke instead, as seen with plenty of old E3 press conferences. While Bethesda may try to top Skyrim with Elder Scrolls 6, or even with Starfield, it's safe to say that both games won't aim to force memes down players' throats. An age-old truth with Bethesda may be faded out with its upcoming releases, as well.
Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield Need More Features Than Bugs
If it's possible to thank the internet for some of Skyrim's continuous post-launch success, then it can easily be said that another fraction of it is due to the glitches and awkward moments that the game can deal with sometimes. Things such as spinning animal carcasses, NPCs being in places they shouldn't be, and other Skyrim glitches such as underwater couriers definitely helped give players a good laugh, furthering Skyrim's meme potential.
Bethesda was pretty quick on the draw to fix these problems when they arose, but considering how big Skyrim was at the time and still is, it's understandable that some things may go a bit awry sometimes. However, the standards when it comes to glitches and bugs have changed, and as Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 are some of Bethesda's most highly anticipated titles to date, it can't afford to release either game in a sordid state.
These titles need to release in a state that leaves satisfied with the finished product, as hard as that may be with the sheer size promised with a game like Starfield. In the end, this will certainly mean some of Starfield and ES6's chances to be made into a meme might be dashed, but no matter what, both titles will likely be just as great of an adventure as Skyrim was once they finally arrive.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.