My grandmother has dementia. I have been her full time caregiver for nearly 3 years. In the last year, her condition has rapidly declined, sometimes to the point where she doesn't engage in conversation because she doesn't know who she's talking to. It is a challenging task and requires more patience and empathy than I ever thought myself capable of having.

A few months ago, I started playing Skyrim on the tv while she sat next to me on the couch. She immediately started talking about what was on the screen; how beautiful the water was, how cold the snowy landscape looked. She then went into great detail about how the town (Falkreath) looked like a log cabin she grew up in. She continued to describe these memories and many more as long as I kept playing Skyrim. I couldn't believe how well she was responding to video games. She had showed some improvement while listening to the music of her youth, but nowhere near this amount.

After a few weeks of this activity, I had gone through all of the games in my library. The best response came from Skyrim, then Fallout 3, then Fallout New Vegas (she LOVES Vault-Boy). Other games seemed to focus too much on violence, which would be a turn off for her. Skyrim and Fallout allowed me to (largely) avoid combat and explore the rich landscapes and wonders of a realistic world.

When I saw the announcement for Fallout 4, I bought an Xbox One. I had no interest in getting one before, but I want this game and I want to share it with my grandma. It will be available just in time for her 88th birthday. I'm sure she will love the pre-war elements especially, because she was around the age of the protagonists when the world still looked like an I Love Lucy episode.

My grandmother spends most of her day in a haze of confusion and loneliness, and Bethesda's games can grant her respite. The bouts of lucidity inspired by these games have improved not only her dispotion, but her overall quality of life. It sounds like an exaggeration, but I promise it's not. Seeing it happen could bring tears to your eyes.

I wanted to share our story with the gaming community and thank Bethesda Game Studios and everyone who had anything to do with the development of these games. If anyone's had a similar experience, or just found some unexpected benefits from BGS's games, please share your story!

That's one of the awesomest things I've read on these forums. I'm a little surprised she would like Fallout 3 and Vegas given the post-apocalyptic subject matter but awesome all the same! Thank you for sharing!

Heck, with Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Fallout 3, the music is just so engrossing it's theraputic for me. I cannot count the number of times I've been lost in a Bethesda game.

Seriously, I would have never thought in a million years that a game company could give me peace of mind. Thank you Bethesda.

Great read!

I don't have any stories close to that, but one benefit of playing BGS games. My wife, who is not fond of video games, really enjoyed the landscape and ambient music of Skyrim. It allowed us to enjoy the game together and it was the only game she has ever requested me to play. The music also helped put her to sleep, lol. So, thank you BGS. She didn't feel the same way about Fallout 3. I'm hoping Fallout 4 will change her mind.

So, it's early, but. Happy Birthday, Granny! My own is about in the same boat. How awesome that gaming for a bit provides escape and engagement of the mind for her. Cheers!

As a professional BHP (behavior health provider), I salute your dedication to your grandmother and finding something you can use to connect with her.

I wish my grandma was still here...

It's awesome what you're doing OP. Make sure you come back to us with updates when FO4 comes out.

It was the same(not really) with my dad. He is oldschool and was kind of against video games. The fact that I learned english mostly from games made him a bit more favorable towards them. One day, I was playing FO3(when it first came out) and he actually sat there watching for an hour asking me stuff about the gameworld. He never played it himself but he enjoyed watching me playing and cheering me on lol, it was like a replacement for those [censored] late night TV shows. He was fascinated by the amount of content the gameworld had. The last game he played was like The Snake on old Nokias.

Awww I thought that was lovely. Its cool your grandmother responds to Skyrim stimulus. I wish I had spent more time with my grandparents listening to their stories of what life was like before I came into existence. I hope your grandmother finds solace by playing Fallout 4 through your game playing. After all we play these games to escape the mundane reality we are presented. P.s. I agree with her about the water, was sublime to look at.