{"id":242,"date":"2011-11-21T18:59:44","date_gmt":"2011-11-21T23:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/imprint\/?p=242"},"modified":"2018-11-07T11:01:28","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T16:01:28","slug":"how-to-take-a-virtual-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/imprint\/how-to-take-a-virtual-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Take a Virtual Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Tara Nelson<\/em><\/p>\n

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\n<\/a>Most of us college students play video games, and most of us do it to unwind. But the competitive nature of video games isn\u2019t really all that different from the competition inherent in our high-stress university environment. Luckily, some video games lend themselves to a more meditative approach to unwinding at the end of a busy day.<\/p>\n

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Like most American universities, UCF runs on competition and goals. Before you\u2019re even accepted, you compete with your high school peers for scholarships and admission, and once you\u2019ve clawed your way past the university gates, you compete for grades in class, for high GPAs, and in sports. And if you want to study abroad or get that internship, you\u2019d better beat other students to the sign-up or prove you\u2019re the better candidate.<\/p>\n

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Yes, college is a tough, stressful world\u2014one reason why video games are so popular with the undergraduate group. But with high scores, gamer tags, and late-night dorm competitions, even video games can put demands on us to perform. That\u2019s why college gamers should, from time to time, forget the high scores and experience points, and take the time to truly relax, reflect, and enjoy the little details in these virtual worlds.<\/p>\n

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Take, for example, my early experience with an unnamed character from the Super Nintendo classic, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I used to spend hours trying to approach this flute-playing boy, dashing with the Pegasus Boots, whipping out the Book of Mudora, but to no avail. His animal audience scattered and the boy warped out of sight, leaving me in the forest clearing, feeling, rather poignantly, alone.<\/p>\n

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Eventually, I\u2019d just go to the clearing when the game became frustrating. I\u2019d learned how close I could inch before the boy and animals fled, and once I reached that invisible line, I would just stand there, listening to him play his simple yet enchanting tune.<\/p>\n

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