PAX East, 2026

Psychology of Elder Scrolls

Why do we have thousands of hours in Skyrim? Surely exploring the same mountains and valleys has to get old after a while. But what IF I decide not to be a sneaky archer this time? The magic of The Elder Scrolls has not dulled for players since the series' release over 30 years ago. On day 1 of Oblivion Remastered's release last year over 182 000 concurrent players on Steam alone were back to exploring Cyrodiil. This panel of academics therapists and huge Elder Scrolls fans will discuss what makes The Elder Scrolls series a powerhouse in the gaming zeitgeist and why players continue to call Tamriel home.

Panelists:

Amelia Herbst (she/her) [Clinical Psychologist, Respec Psychological Services]

Hayden Jones (he/him) [Mental Health Counselor Associate, Respec Psychological Services]

Meghan Rodriguez (she/her) [Licensed Professional Counselor, Geek Therapeutics]

Bryan Lally (he/him) [Aftercare Supervisor]

Camillapanda (she/her) [Content Creator]