If building a cozy home and raising children isn't exactly the kind of thrilling fantasy adventure you had in mind, well then hold onto your horned helms oh "Skyrim" players.
If the clues pulled from the new patch code for the PC version of "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" prove to be what many think they are, players will soon have the chance to soar the skies atop the back of a dragon in the hit role-playing game.
A curious and enterprising "Skyrim" player going by the name Mardoxx says he/she was poking around in the game's code and found what appears to be information about a new add-on for the game called "Dragonborn." News of the rumored game expansion spread fast on Tuesday among "Skyrim's" many, many fans (including us here at InGame) who were thrilled to hear that the next downloadable content may not only allow players to ride dragons ... but also cast spells while mounted atop the winged beasts.
Fighting dragons is an important part of "Skyrim" ... but to be able to ride them? Cue gamer nerdgasm now!
It appears that the rumored add-on will also return players to locations last seen in the third Elder Scrolls game "Morrowind" and will include new armor and new enemies as well.
It should be noted that not everyone is ready to believe this high-flying rumor, with many in Bethesda's forums questioning whether the clues from the game's code will pan out the way Mardoxx thinks they will.
But as VentureBeat points out, the game's developers at Bethesda have previously admitted to playing around with dragon mounts and other additions to "Skyrim" as part of their "Skyrim Game Jam." See video below.
And a good number of those Game Jam experiments have already been added to the game — i.e. the home-building and child adoption system that arrived as part of "Skyrim's" second add-on "Hearthfire," as well as the kill cameras and the Kinect-enabled voice commands for calling out dragon shouts. See InGame editor Todd Kenreck's video below.
So far the game developers at Bethesda have remained mum on the topic of dragon riding. But we're going to go ahead and get our hopes up — way up in the sky.
--Via OXM/VentureBeat
Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.
