Open Worlds

The world of Skyrim is vast. The video game contains cities, villages, and rugged wilderness: high waterfalls cascading into deep pools, packs of wolves roaming the edges of misty alpine forests, echoes in the canyons. The game is celebrated for the intricacy of its environment, and is one of the top-selling video games of all time. “The world itself was almost the main character of the game, in a way. To say that it's just the background I think is not quite enough,” said Noah Berry, Skyrim’s lead environment artist. “All the memories that you take away from playing a game…I think the world is sort of the larger encompassing vehicle that helps usher all that into you. We hope.” But if you spend enough time in a fantasy, it might change how you relate to the real world. Featuring Megan Sawyer, Ana Diaz, and Noah Berry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices