http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120242-Study-Skyrim-at-Rice-University Doesn't get it.

Huh. I think that's pretty cool, actually. It sure isn't traditional academia, but it (influence of Scandinavian mythology on popculture) still could be an interesting subject of study.

They just play one game? Well, I hope they read a lot of Scandinavian texts to compensate for the astoundingly narrow view of fantasy games that a superficial study of Skyrim will get you. If you can play one game and figure you've studied fantasy video games (or Norse-inspired fantasy video games), then that one game would have to be a singular example of genericness and unoriginality, and I don't feel that way about Skyrim. Of course, there's always that chance that some of them will find a good in-game book and end up discovering what real academia in TES is. On another note, I can't say I know much about Norse or Icelandic Sagas at all, but I hope that they get the chance to read some of Tolkien's academic stuff.

If you really want to know how how Old Norse and Icelandic sagas have shaped video games, then you're looking at it from entirely the wrong end. Almost all fantasy video games come from fantasy RPGs (the sort usually played without a computer) and books, and almost all of these come from Tolkien, which is very heavily informed by his study of language and myth. So go back a few decades and watch how things evolve.

Honestly, I'd rather have a course on Thor and Loki. That's some epic [censored].

Skyrim is a cool way to foster discussion though.

edit: The Marvel Comics versions, I mean.