Editor Note: This is one of six stories about obsessions students and faculty have.

Dragons, Elves, Nords, Argonians, Khajiit. All elements found in Skyrim, the new fad of many gamers.

Since Skyrim was released Nov.11, it has been a main topic of conversations for many in the school, including Government and Economics teacher Paul Simon. It is a video game of a virtual world called Skyrim where players choose a character and accomplish missions as them.

“I’ve always been into swords and sorcery kind of stuff,” Simon said. “My first favorite book was Lord of The Rings and as I kid I played Dungeons and Dragons.”

Simon proudly tells his classes that he plays Skyrim and is currently on his second character in the game.

“The character I’m using right now will probably last me until spring break, then I’ll start another one,” Simon said. “What most students take for granted is amazing to me, it’s an infinite game and you can’t just beat it, you simply start a new character and do other things with it.”

As a child Simon was interested in Pong, the first commercial video game released. He recalls lining up in arcades with $20 worth of quarters just to play.

“Part of being an adult is knowing when to set the game down and actually accomplish things,” Simon said. “It’s really just a great way to relax and submerge yourself in a whole different world.”