Ode to the Bow and Arrow

When I was ten, I went on an orienteering trip with my school: we camped out in a field about 20 yards from a building and did nature things like walking in the woods and rock climbing. The one activity I can remember being really excited to do was archery, and by God was I terrible at it. I’m not even sure I hit the target, but it was enough to get me hooked. Ever since, when given the option between a gun and a bow and arrow, I’ll take the bow - in videogames at least!

There’s something romantic about an arrow flying true, killing my target without them ever knowing I was there. I remember my first gaming bow, the one from Minecraft that I found after sneaking up on a skeleton. I was instantly in love, and when I found my way into the modding scene - far later than I care to admit - the Tinker’s Construct modded bows took me to a brand new power fantasy. I don’t care that the crossbows or the throwing knives are statistically better, nothing beats drawing back my bow string and icing a zombie at 40 paces.

My archery obsession doesn’t end with videogames either: the Arrow CW show ignited a newfound interest in both real life archery and a very interesting comic book character I’d never really given much thought to. The itch to shoot something grew and grew, and I desperately needed an outlet. Fortunately, Bethesda had my back, and as the end of October drifted past I found myself in the lands of Tamriel for the first time.

You see, I had never played any Elder Scrolls games before Skyrim came out, and even then I didn’t start to play it until earlier this year. It was always a game that I wanted to play, but could never find my way in. I tried the melee but it just didn’t feel very satisfying to me, and the magic seemed way too easy. What I needed was a middle ground, and it wasn’t until I started my playthrough of Special Edition - with a few choice mods - that I found my true calling in the bows of the land.

So it was, for the first time I was enjoying a Bethesda RPG and all it took was some string and a stick. I took the roleplay to the next level, for I found a green hood in a shop in Solitude so now I really am Tamriel’s Green Arrow - even if I am a female wood elf. Now, I roam the wilds of Skyrim and dispense my own brand of justice in between killing old ladies for children and killing dragons. Come to think of it, I probably kill a bit too much to be roleplaying the later seasons Oliver Queen, so my new headcanon is that Tamriel is actually Lian Yu.

This article may seem like it has come from nowhere, but I was recently playing Rust with some of the GameGrin community when somebody asked why I was still using the bow, despite having access to much better guns. My answer was simple: I prefer the bow. It’s quieter and easier to aim, which are important traits for a weapon to have in a hostile environment like Rust’s. Bows allow me to silently kill my target, and usually to retrieve my ammo which is invaluable in Rust’s punishing mid-game.

I always feel comfortable with a bow no matter what game I’m in, and yes it might take me a little while to get used to how a different game handles its bow, but this would be the same in real life. Bows and arrows have different weights, different materials and that will obviously throw off the first few shots. And that is my excuse as to why I suck at Overwatch’s Hanzo, but play him anyway.