One characteristic of Skyrim is its never-ending stock of memes. The digital world, needless to say, would get hold of it, and thus, a video clip in which a gamer unintentionally kills a deer not knowing what was going on at all became super popular and finally, the player who accidentally killed the critter got the title of being a ‘skilful’ killer. The video, shared on reddit by u/fairlymediocre, nicely illustrates the consequence and also, let us put it this way, the deer’s day was ruined. More than a decade after its release, users still talk about and engage with Bethesda‘s 2011 epic because of the accidental interaction with wild animals, which remains the main reason.
The clip that has caused such a buzz is indeed very short but very funny. You see the player’s character apparently fighting some other person when suddenly a deer gets shot by accident. The general reaction among the gaming community was more of a laugh than anything, and it also made the virtual animal sympathized, plus a lot of people would say ‘I have been there; I have done that’. These random chaotic events are the very reason that a lot of players still feel the same about the Skyrim experience. The game is not only about dragons or civil wars; sometimes it is just about a deer that gets zapped at the most unexpected moment.
And what about the comments? They were of great value. A user named Ryxas clearly believed that the ‘accidental’ story was a made-up one. He even made a pun saying, “Accidentally? Bro saw an object and was like ‘THIS IS GONNA BE INSIDE THAT’.” Good point, indeed. It occurs so frequently in Skyrim that you spot a target and your brain flips to hunter mode without you wanting it. Another user, MuskMeHarder, told his/her own story of doom and gloom, saying that he/she once accidentally killed a messenger when he/she was actually targeting a deer. “I was so happy that I was not killed again that day,” he/she said, stressing the sometimes brutal friendly-fire consequences in the game.
The fun seemed to be never-ending. The user YouriDB impressed us with a surprising twist on a well-known Skyrim meme: “I was grazing all day long like you, then I took a Buttplug in the bum.” This is obviously a reference to and also a very smart play on the famous ‘arrow to the knee’ line. On the other hand, GAM3Sgg_ just pointed towards the hit’s anatomical correctness by saying, “Right in the butt 🤣.” Such small observations along with the reactions of the community surely make the whole process very pleasant.
However, not everything was fun and games. Some comments were serious and tried to get to the root of these events. A user named casinokrisa gave a more technical explanation saying, “Skyrim’s AI still has an issue dealing with wildlife and hence unexpected combat triggers happen.” I assume that this is the main reason for it all. The systems of the game, loved by the players, sometimes can create those perfect storm moments, where a deer walks right into a spell’s area of effect or gets in the way of an archer’s arrow. JohnWong1365789 confirmed this and said, “Skyrim’s wildlife has always been very unlucky in terms of timing.” And that is indeed the case. You might be fighting a dragon today and all of a sudden, a fox or a rabbit decides to join the fun and it turns out disastrous for the player.
However, the clip did help towards the wider appreciation of the game. User rustyesh wrote, “I like games like this. They are not perfect…but are too much fun to play and goof around.” And that is indeed the very core of the enduring attraction. Skyrim is not a shiny and bug-free simulation but a gigantic playground where the glorious, unintended chaos is clearly a feature and not a bug. Hyrica1 just said, “I really love this game,” which is a sentiment shared by many players even now. Even someone doubting the game’s value, like stakit_live, was able to get a loud ‘yes’ from the overall atmosphere of the entire thread.
Still, there are few who sympathized with the dead deer. Odunayor1 pointed out, “Oh! The poor deer could not bear it anymore and lost its dear life😎.” Badbuta21 highlighted the unlucky precision of the shot when he remarked: “He really got the deer at the bull’s eye 🤣.” And CombatDetailer simply attached a GIF of a bewildered deer with the caption “The Deer,” which in essence was the whole story. The poor creature never got a fair chance.
Interestingly enough, there was another user pointing out how even in a “weirdly formal” AI-generated response status/meaning, the account was still. The game’s enduring appeal is also celebrated by its community, as seen when Skyrim turns 14 years old and players can’t believe it. This legacy continues to thrive on modern platforms like PlayStation and Xbox, where players engage with new and classic titles alike.
