“Where are you guys going this summer?” This question often comes up with other dads, making small talk on the school run or during the endless cycle of birthday parties. Most people I know already have a Greek island in mind. My family’s plans are still somewhat up in the air. But I know one destination I’ll be returning to, as I have many summers before.

My happy place is a sprawling realm of diverse topography. Beaches, mountains, forests, temples and picturesque settlements – there is something to discover around every corner. Not to mention flora and fauna that you wouldn’t believe. And, best of all, you can be there in no time. Perhaps you’re familiar with Hyrule, “Land of the Gods”, the magical, mythical kingdom of Nintendo’s Zelda video-game series?

OK, so the customs here can be a tad unsophisticated. Medieval, even. And there’s been an infestation of monsters of late – the Foreign Office really should update its travel advice since “The Upheaval”. But the risk is part of the fun.

“Zelda games are best when they offer freedom to explore and a palpable sense of danger, facets that are present in the very first game and the newest,” says Michael McWhertor, senior news editor at the gaming and entertainment site Polygon, who is a long-time player of the series (although “now more of a Dark Souls/Elden Ring fan”, he says).

“The Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto famously said that The Legend Of Zelda [the original game, which turns 40 next year] was inspired by exploring the countryside of Japan as a youth, climbing mountains and discovering caves across Kyoto,” McWhertor says. “That thirst for adventure always comes through in Zelda games.”

This month sees the arrival of the Switch 2, Nintendo’s beefed-up follow-up to one of the best-selling games consoles of all time. And conservative projections already point to one of the most successful ever launches for the new machine.

It also promises a roster of new titles, including Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077 and Donkey Kong Bananza. But, tantalisingly for fans who’ve grown up with the Zelda franchise, there are updated versions of two of the most recent epics: 2017’s Breath Of The Wild and 2023’s Tears Of The Kingdom.

It’s not just McWhertor and myself who could do with a sojourn in Hyrule this summer. Playing video games has been shown to sharpen attention, increase persistence and improve wellbeing. And, contrary to perceptions, some titles are shown to actually encourage prosocial behaviour.

“Video games let you engage in escapism,” says Jamie Madigan, a psychologist and author of The Engagement Game. “To get away from real-world problems and stress. They take your mind off work, provide you with opportunities to improve on some skill and they let you make meaningful choices.”

A lot of men out there already know this. Research suggests that fathers with children under 18 make up a fifth of the gaming market. Dads are also reportedly some of the most engaged gamers, as well as the most social – they are more likely than other male gamers to use interactive features. But if they’re anything like me, they’re just happy to be lost in a game for a bit.

“There’s a concept in psychology called ‘spatial presence’,” Madigan says. “You forget about the TV, the controller in your hand. You start to think of the imaginary world as your primary point of reference for where you are.”

“Games offer you a space to exist however you would like,” says Jenny Saucerman, an instructional designer with a master’s degree in educational psychology. “Maybe you want to spend that day exploring every nook and cranny of the map. Maybe you want to complete your Pokédex. Maybe you want to make every object in your house pink. Everything you do is on your own time. There are very few occasions when we have that sort of freedom outside of a vacation.”

“Even though TOTK and Elden Ring can be incredibly challenging at times, they offer a sense of relaxation through virtual tourism of fantasy lands,” McWhertor says. “Because these are living open worlds, there’s always something unexpected happening. But you can also explore, see the sights, take rides on horseback – pretty much what I do when I visit a new city or country. (Yes, even the horseback-riding.)”

Zelda itself knowingly plays with this idea, featuring a town called Lurelin, which acts as a honeypot destination in the game – once you rid it of pirates.

“If you’re the type of person who vacations to the same spots, there’s also the familiarity effect,” Saucerman says. Also known as “mere-exposure effect”, this concept suggests that we’re drawn to the things and places that we know.

McWhertor says he’s itching to get his hands on other titles on the Switch 2 as well. “The game I’m most looking forward to is Hades II,” he says. “The original Hades was such a fun, visceral experience, full of mythological family melodrama and hot, mischievous Greek gods. That’s definitely my next obsession.”

Maybe that Aegean adventure is on the cards, after all.