For those who want to go back to Ohio State, to old Columbus town and to the stadium to hear the band, a Buckeye fan has created an option that doesn't require a planned trip or any travel at all.
A user on the website NEDesigns has built a model of Ohio Stadium and its surrounding landmarks using "Roller Coaster Tycoon," a 1999 video game that allows players to construct and manage amusement parks and other attractions.
The Horseshoe model is full of Ohio State fans decked out in scarlet and gray, cheering on the band as it performs Script Ohio on the field. The interactive model on NEDesigns allows users to zoom in on the photo to see more minute details, such as the mural located in the north rotunda and fans participating in tailgates outside the stadium or a banner inside the stadium that reads "Welcome to The Ohio State University" from left to right.
The model's creator also included accurate depictions of the Olentangy River, the Drake Performance and Event Center, Lincoln Tower, Morrill Tower, Lincoln Tower Park's tennis courts and athletic fields and the RPAC.
To build the entire model, the creator used a total of 488 objects featured in the game, including benches, lifts, towers and walls, among others. It currently has a gold medal rating on the website, with over 3,600 views and nearly 250 downloads.
While a video game model is not a perfect replacement for the sights and sounds of the Shoe, it still has a chance of evoking the same memories of old, and this creation captures that essence to the full effect.
