You peer into the bright morning sun. Its  snowing...how refreshing. You walk briskly; the cave is not far off, it should be just over that incline. Suddenly, a great roar interrupts the silence. From far away, you see a massive shape separate itself from the mountainside. It flaps with reptilian wings, a great hulking shape looming out of the clouds.  It alights in front of you, jaws agape, to release a great gout of flame from its huge maw.

This is but one of the many adventures you will have in the world of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Released on November 11, 2011, this game is definitely not a recent addition to the gaming community. However Skyrim is still known as one of the most critically acclaimed open-world experiences to date. A myriad of quests and rich storyline await you in this riveting adventure about the legendary hero known as the “Dragonborn”. The game begins with the player adorned with chains, being transported via a horse drawn cart down a road. Some banter from an adjacent prisoner tells the player that they are being transported to the city of Helgen, to receive judgement for their crimes. Once you arrive, the player is given a multitude of options to customize your hero. These changes go so far as being able to change your race to an array of different species, such as the Khajiit, a race of feline humanoids that are adept at stealth, or the Argonians, a species of scaled reptiles that have the ability to breath underwater.  Along with these radical changes, the player is given a wide variety of options on minor details of the character’s face and body, allowing you to effectively mold yourself into the world of Skyrim. Once the player is finished, the story continues. Before your very eyes, the prisoner with whom you had been talking to is executed, beheaded on the executioner's block. Grimly, the player takes its place on the block watching as the headsman’s axe rises for the killing blow. Suddenly, a huge vortex appears in the sky, and out of it arises a great, black dragon. The scene immediately devolves to chaos, as the player is thrust into the world of the Elder Scrolls V. This part of the story acts a tutorial for the player, showing basic moves and mechanics. Eventually you escape Helgen, barely intact, and make your way to the town of Riverwood, to begin the first quest of many. As one can see, Skyrim is a vibrant game plentiful in content, leaving a player with enough entertainment to last hours on end. Although it is four years old now, Skyrim still persists as a precedent for modern day open-world titles.