About this Project
This article was written in conjunction with a forensic psychologist for publication on Azubu.com.
It analyzes a player’s in-game killing habits, and how they reflect on both real-life killers and the freedom that Skyrim has to offer players.
Article Excerpt
From whatever angle you choose to examine it, Skyrim is an incredible accomplishment. Bethesda, the company behind this RPG masterpiece, has managed to build an active, engaging environment in which the player is free to choose his or her own destiny. You can play Skyrim for hundreds of hours and never even touch the main storyline – the game is just that expansive. This freedom, as with previous Elder Scrolls games, has led some players to find new and interesting ways in which to spend their time in Skyrim, some of which extend far beyond the developers’ original intentions.
For example, one player has elected to progress through the game without killing any of the creatures or non-playable characters that exist within its world. Another is crashing through the woods naked, using only his fists and determination to bring down dragons and other powerful foes. And one, oddly enough, has decided to become Skyrim’s resident serial-killer-in-chief.
If you haven’t seen the video of this player’s “collection,” you should check it out now. In the clip, YouTube user Symixable shows off his house in Markarth, which just so happens to be decorated with the decapitated corpses of women. It’s in-game footage, but it may be unsettling to those that are uncomfortable with immense levels of creeper.
As you can see in the clip, young Symixable has carefully arranged the bodies of his victims around his home – the heads, of course, are kept on shelves. It’s a unique, if bizarre way to spend one’s time in a video game, and the video posting created a minor Internet firestorm as different game sites latched on to the video to offer their comments. But one thing no one seems to have mentioned is perhaps the creepiest part of the entire thing; namely, Symixable’s habits reflect those of a real-life serial killer.
In the 1980s, prominent psychologists published what is now known as the Holmes and Holmes Serial Killer Typology – essentially, a classification system for serial killers, which now serves as the basis for FBI serial killer typology. According to Holmes and Holmes, there are four types of serial killers; each group is distinguished by their motivation for killing and the nature of the crimes themselves. Symixable’s in-game actions actually fit into a specific serial killer niche laid out by Holmes and Holmes, the “Hedonistic Killer, Lust Subtype.”
Here’s some elaboration on what that actually means (warning, creepy): Hedonistic-Lust killers primarily commit murder for sexual gratification, which can occur at any stage of the kill. For example, this type of serial killer may experience sexual arousal or orgasm during the kill or may engage in sexual activity with the bodies of his victims. Most Hedonistic-Lust killers have an ideal victim type (IVT), meaning they tend to kill persons with similar demographic characteristics. Further, Hedonistic-Lust killers are usually organized or even ritualized in their killing, are geographically stable, and fantasize about their killing activity. The process of killing and the prolonging of the killing fantasy are often more satisfying than the murder itself. Jeffrey Dahmer and Buffalo Bill from “Silence of the Lambs” are two examples of classic Hedonistic-Lust killers.
You can read this post in its entirety by clicking this link: Skyrim’s Serial Killer and the Freedom to Choose
