All is silent in the game lounge of the new student center as clusters of students gather around flat-screen televisions and sit on comfy chairs and couches.
Eyes are fixed on the screens, entranced by battling warriors or the color-coded notes of classic rock songs.
Cell phone games may be the biggest annoyance of professors because the students are so wrapped up in their game of Brick Breaker, Tetris or Text Twist that they forget to pay attention or take notes in class.
For Tim Rhye, a freshman in the College of Business, multi-tasking during class does not take away from learning the material.
"It's kind of like texting in class," Rhye said. "You go back and forth while taking notes. It doesn't have to be a continuous thing."
Video games have taken over the electronic world, making it so games do not have to be put on pause upon leaving the house and the proverbial controller is never put down.
The game is either taken along to class everyday through the use of a cell phone or accessible via any computer with Internet.
There is also most likely a Nintendo or Xbox console wherever one is going for that much needed break from reality.
Travis Michael, a freshman in computer science, occasionally heads to the student center game room between classes, but said his game time is completely separate from his study time.
He said he plays Guitar Hero 3 Mobile and Assassins Creed on his LG Chocolate phone.
"It doesn't affect my schoolwork," Michael said. "I get everything I need to done."
For that chronic case of feeling compelled to play a game at all hours of the day, schoolwork might be completely out of mind while playing them.
For junior Erin Gorley, playing Bejeweled on her Ipod is an everyday pastime. However, she said it may not be beneficial for her during the school year.
"I am completely addicted to Bejeweled," Gorley, an education major, said. "I play it at home, on Tiger Transit and in class."
At home where televisions are large and where homework is expected to be completed, video games may seem like a fine way to procrastinate.
"A lot of times I play NCAA on PlayStation 3 to kill a lot of time, or if I don't want to do something else," said Zach Stein, a junior in finance.
Strom Roddy, a freshman in aeronautical engineering, can often be found in the student center game room between classes.
"I don't get a lot of class assignments every single day, so I come in here and play Super Smash Brothers, Halo or Mario Kart," Roddy said. "I usually have my priorities straight before I play. The same goes for at home, too. I don't play games on my cell phone. My phone doesn't work that well with them."
Whether it be at home, in the student center, on a computer or at any given moment and location via cell phone, games are always there to present a break from the reality of schoolwork.
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