PROVO, Utah -- A video game enthusiast from Provo has elevated his game--literally.
William Cruz of Provo recently traveled to the Mt. Everest region to play the newly released "Far Cry 4" at the highest altitude ever recorded for a console video gaming session.
The company behind the game, Ubisoft, sponsored a contest to find the one who would set the record. Cruz won the contest by submitting a video showcasing his hiking and gaming abilities. Cruz's wife, Allison, said she was leery of the whole idea.
"When he first told me about the contest, I kind of didn't want him to enter because I kind of thought, maybe he will win," she said.
"Far Cry 4" takes place in a fictional country that is inspired by the region around Mt. Everest, and Cruz and a support crew traveled to the summit of Kala Patthar, which is a mountain near Mt. Everest. After 10 days of climbing, Cruz played the game for more than an hour in temperatures as low as 17 degrees. Ubisoft's website states they set a Guinness World Record when Cruz played at an altitude of 18,569 feet.
"It was cool though, because you'd look in the game and you'd see the scenery, and then you'd look up and you'd be right there," he said.
Cruz said he was allowed to keep all of the gear from the trek, except for the yaks that carried the gaming equipment up the mountain.
