Soapbox features allow our writers and individual contributors to express their thoughts on hot topics and random things they’ve been chewing on. Today, Nathan considers how his analytical mind and love of data influence his leisure time…
I am the eldest of four brothers. Over the past four years we have used video games as a means to connect with each other. But not in the way you might expect. We haven’t played games together. Instead, we have an annual tradition of holding a weekly discussion and debate about games, game music, and most recently, crowning our collective favorite game ever.
Our annual debates have been a convenient way to bond. They have also provided me with a unique learning experience. I’ve noticed, more clearly than ever, how my personality is reflected in the way I experience gaming, a hobby I’ve carried essentially my entire life.
30 Day Challenges
Our annual tradition began as a COVID lockdown activity. I came across a “30 Day Video Game Music Challenge” board on the web and thought it would be fun to complete. The chart has 30 categories of video game music, one for each day, including Title Screen Music, Credits Music, and everything in between.
Raw data wasn’t enough for me – I needed to discover the stories behind the data.
As I filled it out, I wondered how my brothers would answer the same questions and how their answers would differ from mine. After all, we grew up in the same house.
Everyone agreed to the challenge and it took us a week or two to prepare. I started a message thread and every day at 8am we would answer that day’s question. The answers came in the form of a link to a YouTube video of our chosen song, along with a brief explanation.
Number crunching
Naturally, I captured everything in a spreadsheet.
I say, “of course,” but that was the first indication that my approach to gaming differed from that of my brothers. All four of us enjoyed listening to each other’s song choices, but I was the only one looking for trends in our responses. I wanted to break down and analyze. Raw data wasn’t enough for me – I needed to discover the stories behind the data.
Which of us was the most nostalgic? Which console appeared most often? Which franchises were overrepresented?
These were questions that demanded my attention and required my analysis. My brothers humored me as I shared my thoughts, but it was clear they weren’t as “interested” as I was. My approach was different.
Leading
During the first round, we relied on that canned “game music” challenge. A year later, in 2021, I decided to get creative by creating my own 30-day challenge. This time, each question would be answered with the name of a game.
Categories included “First video game you remember playing,” “An underrated game,” “Favorite or memorable boss battle” (I’ll never forget the first time I killed Hitler in Bionic Commando!) and ” A game that will make a good movie”. And so on.
Once again, I sent out the daily survey and tabulated the results in my trusty spreadsheet. I was the leader, organizer and driving force behind this second round of the Lockard Brothers Challenge.
I carried on the tradition in 2022 (Essential Movies) and again in 2023, when I forged my magnum opus, the “Lockard Bros. Best. Game. Ever” tour bracket.
bracket
This was our most complicated challenge yet. Compiling a bracket playlist takes hours upon hours, and that’s not even mentioning how much work goes into building the bracket itself.
The full bracket had 208 games spread over two smaller brackets (retro and modern), 189 head-to-head games, 15 play-in brackets and a best-of-eight playoff bracket with two eliminations to close out the all. Maybe I overdid it. Obviously, I was thinking about video games a lot more than I was playing them.
The tour was a lot of work to set up, and running it was no picnic either.
Here’s a pro tip for anyone interested in running a tour group: make sure you have a turnout. My three brothers and I reached a 2 by 2 stalemate 36 times in our group. That’s almost one in every five games.
This exposed my second personality trait – I’m kind of bossy. I acted as the referee in these 2 to 2 votes. Maybe it’s a consequence of being the oldest (birth order and all), but I made sure that any deadlocks were resolved amicably. Every 2-by-2 became 2-plus-by-2. And somehow, we’re still friends.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Super Mario World came out on top.
Personality types
Me and my brothers haven’t played the 2024 edition yet. Honestly, crowning the best game ever is going to be a tough act to follow. If you have any ideas, I’m all ears.
Even if last year’s challenge turns out to be the last, the damage is done: I am now very aware that my personality has been revealed in my gaming habits.
I had as much fun planning and taming a number of these game-related challenges as I have playing games. Maybe more.
I am a software architect by trade. Another consequence of my structured, analytical personality. What can I say? I like to organize and analyze. And not just in my code repositories. I love making lists, inventorying my collections and looking for the best sales.
Is it any wonder, then, that I’m a stickler for tactical strategy games? Or that I always try 100% in every game I play? Heck, I probably spend as much time cataloging and curating my physical and digital video game collections as I do playing them. It is clearly my mindset (which has been heavily exposed in the annual challenges) that drives all these behaviors and preferences.
At this point you may be wondering where I’m going with this. Either that or you’re living that DiCaprio meme, madly pointing at the screen yelling, “That’s me!” Either way, I hope you’re thinking about how your personality and passions are reflected in your approach to gaming.
As Socrates said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom.” I know more about myself because of some 30 day challenges. Here’s hoping some wisdom is on its way.
Do you think your personal or professional preferences affect the way you enjoy video games? Is the effect always positive? Tell us in the comments.