Vacationing in Quest Atlantis
The major
units of Quest Atlantis (Plague, Taiga, Mesa Verde, etc) are housed in special virtual worlds designed specifically for those experiences. Unfortunately, that means that only those students whose teachers assign the units get the chance to see those worlds. We always thought that was a shame, because those worlds are some of the most interesting virtual spaces we have in QA. But that is no longer a problem, because now we have invented the tourist month!
Beginning in November 2010 and continuing sporadically every few months, ALL Questers have been invited to take a “vacation” to a world that they might never have seen before. All they have to do is visit Brooke—our uber-gracious southern belle who serves as travel agent in OTAK Village—during the appropriate month. Brooke will give them a special, one-month-only ticket to the featured vacation spot. That ticket is good for as many visits as they’d like to take that month.
Brooke will also hand out a fun OTAK mission to guide their trip, full of suggestions about things to do
and see while there. If Questers complete this totally-voluntary mission before midnight on the last day of the month, Brooke will add a special stamp to their QA Passports.
These tourist missions are just-for-fun only, encouraging students to thoroughly explore the spaces and learn a little something about them… and maybe convince their teachers to assign the units so that they can return sometime. But even though these aren’t teacher-assigned missions, we all know that the best vacations are those where you learn a little something new, right? So what kinds of things do Questers learn on their QA vacations? Glad you asked!
In November they get to visit a virtual copy of Mesa Verde National Park, exploring ruins and learning a little about the Ancestral Puebloans who built it. In February they’re off to the gothic village of Ingolstadt, patterned after Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. There they can climb into creepy tombs, look for skeletons, and learn interesting trivia about the author, the novel, and even the Hollywood version of the Frankenstein story!
Now it is May, and the vacation locale for this month is Taiga Park. Here Questers do some hiking, fishing, and cave exploring in order to earn a Junior Ranger’s badge. And in September… well, that vacation is still in the planning stages, so you’ll have t
o check with Brooke to find out more.
Oh, and one last thing: No vacation is complete without a souvenir or two. Questers can buy a tourist t-shirt, especially designed for each locale and ready to wear with pride. Who could ask for a better holiday?
I have 2 boys on QA and they absolutely love the new tourist missions. My youngest son counts down the days until the next tourist month and tries to be the first quester to test out the tourist mission each time a new vacation spot has opened. Having a new world to visit is very exciting for them and they enjoy the rewards that go along with these missions.
I guess virtual vacations can be just as fun as real ones.
My boys definitely look forward to them.
We’re so glad that they enjoy these, amcrae!! We know your boys well as they are among the most respectful and prolific Questers in our game!! We’re delighted to know that they enjoy these!