Finite Diversity in Infinite Combinations: "Random" Encounters in Skyrim

No video game can be truly organic, at least not with the current technology. Everything that happens is governed by programming; even seemingly "random" events are just a series of scripts reacting to one another.

Still, the illusion of randomness and free will is one of the most compelling aspects of games. An excellent example can be found in Skyrim. Just the other day, I stepped out of a gloomy dungeon to a winding, rocky path beside a stream. A light snow had just started to fall, and I was ready to hit the road again towards my objective (some fort at the western edge, the details didn't concern me).

A dragon swoops in from the horizon. I was surprised, but after a few dragon encounters, I shouldn't have been. This was routine; dragon battles aren't scheduled, but they are predictable. But it was the manner of its arrival that surprised me the most. Just before attacking me, the dragon changed course to immolate a a gang of highwaymen further down the road.

"Sir? Your 3 o'clock slaying is here."

It struck me then that the dragon's appearance altered the course of my game. Not just in the sense that I had to fight it (I could have run and hid, but you get the point). Had that dragon not appeared, I would have fought those bandits just a few hundred yards down the road. This was not a set part of the game experience, at least to my knowledge.

THAT'S why I love Skyrim so much. Despite the fact that every little element has been programmed, it's not always planned. Besides my distaste of its multiplayer, I avoid Call of Duty titles because they are extremely linear and scripted. The same can be said of a lot games; the trick, I think, is creating the illusion of players influencing the game world.

It's popular to bag on Call of Duty, but the absolute worst offender (in my book) is Battlefield 3's single player campaign. Absolutely stunning, no doubt about that, but zero fun to play. If you don't do precisely what the game wants, when it wants it, you're dead. It's not a matter of timing and skill; you fail to press a single button, game over. I like to think there's a nice, cozy corner of hell for developers who use quicktime events. Right next to the people who put toilet paper rolls on wrong.

It's been said that the dragons in Skyrim are pushovers. This is actually a good thing; given that they appear seemingly at random, it's really a blessing. Imagine if the most difficult enemy in the game could swoop in and end you at any time. Some people get off on that kind of punishment (Dark Souls, anyone?), but not I.

I've had my ass whooped plenty of times by crawling into the wrong dungeon in Skyrim. Even out in an idyllic, snow-dusted field, large predatory mammals have scared me lifeless more than any flying reptile. But I didn't mind too much, because it builds tension. Here I am, this cocksure battle mage, jumping into any and all caves, dwellings, and ancient temples without a second thought. There's loot to be had, aye, but how many foes (of what caliber?) stand between me and my goal?

And will a dragon swoop in and do all my work for me? Well, you just never know.