There are some truly head-scratching statistics to be found in video games, and aSkyrimplayer just shone a light on a particularly disturbing one. Few releases have shaped the landscape of video games so strongly as the fifthElder Scrollstitle has, effectively kickstarting a trend that has lasted for over a decade in its simple-yet-effective implementation of Bethesda’s bread and butter: the open world. Many critics have argued thatSkyrim’s sandboxwas wide, but extremely shallow – while at first glance this appears to be true,Skyrimis a game of hidden depth that is approachable on the surface, and this combination has been the key to its success.
One of the easy waysSkyrimlures its players is through character statistics. Wedged conveniently between the menu and the quest log, this tab in its user interface lets people analyze the way their playthrough has shaped up. From Largest Bounties to Favorite Spells, and evenNirnroot Found, it boasts some particularly obscure statistics that players can subconsciously decide to focus on. One of these is not like the others, however, asSkyrimalso happens to track the amount of Bunnies Slaughtered.
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A player named Bean_cult came across this bizarre statistic, and perhaps rightly asked why it even existed in the first place. Their question was posted on the officialSkyrimcommunity on Reddit, where it opened a surprisingly huge discussion on the ethics of slaying fictional rabbits. Whether it’s aMonty Pythonreference or completely original, rabbits inSkyrimare surprisingly hard to kill as even a high Sneak skill can alert them to the player’s presence.
As evidenced by the discussion in the thread, someSkyrimplayers seem to go out of their way to kill both rabbits and foxes, while others find it distasteful and senseless. Curiously, the only rabbit kill that doesn’t count towards the statistic is the ghost bunny encountered during theHircine quests inSkyrim– meaning that the game is clever enough to recognize that a spectral rabbit is already dead.
With the rumors of thenextElder Scrollsgame being set inHammerfell, Bethesda might have an opportunity to carry over this specific statistic and give it a regional spin. Fennec foxes would no doubt be abundant in the arid landscapes of the Redguard province and might serve a role in the game’s virtual fauna similar toSkyrim’s rabbits. Whether that ends up being the case remains to be seen.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Editionis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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