Soapbox features allow our individual writers and contributors to share their opinions on hot topics and random things they’ve been munching on. Today, Nathan looks at how his analytical mind and love of data influences his downtime…
I am the oldest of four brothers. For the past four years, we have used video games to connect with each other. But not in the way you might expect. We have not played games together. Instead, we have an annual tradition of spending a week discussing and debating games, game music, and, most recently, crowning our collective favorite game ever.
Our annual debates are a great way to connect. They have also given me a unique learning experience. I have seen more clearly than ever how my personality is reflected in how I experience gaming, the hobby I have basically kept up my entire life.
30 Day Challenges
Our annual tradition started as a COVID lockdown activity. I came across a “30-Day Video Game Music Challenge” card online and thought it would be fun to fill it out. The card has 30 categories of video game music, one for each day, including “Title Screen Music,” “Credits Music,” and everything in between.
For me, the raw data was not enough: I had 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 we took a week or two to prepare. I started a text thread and every day at 8am we would collectively answer that day’s question. The answers came in the form of a link to a YouTube video of our song choice, along with a short explanation.
Analyzing the numbers
Of course, I recorded everything in a spreadsheet.
I say “of course,” but this was the first indication that my approach to gaming differed from 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 answers. I wanted to dissect and analyze. The raw data wasn’t enough for me—I had to find the stories behind the data.
Who among us was the most nostalgic? Which console appeared most often? Which franchises were overrepresented?
These were questions that required my attention and analysis. My brothers mocked me when I shared my musings, but it was clear they weren’t as “into it” as I was. My approach was different.
Lead the way
During round one, we relied on that pre-made “game music” challenge. The following year, in 2021, I decided to get creative and create my own 30-day challenge. This time, each question would be answered with the name of a game.
Categories include “First video game you remember playing,” “An underrated game,” “Favorite or memorable boss fight” (I’ll never forget the first time I killed Hitler in Bionic Commando!), and “A game that would make a good movie.” And so on.
Once again I sent out the daily survey and tallied the results in my trusty spreadsheet. I was the leader, the organizer, and the driving force behind this second round of the Lockard Brothers’ challenge.
I kept the tradition going in 2022 (Essential Movies) and again in 2023, when I forged my magnum opus, the “Lockard Bros. Best. Game. Ever” tournament bracket.
The braces
This was our most complicated challenge yet. Putting together a list of games for the bracket took hours and hours, and that’s not to mention the amount of work that went into the construction of the bracket itself.
The full bracket featured 208 games split between two smaller brackets (retro and modern), 189 head-to-head matchups, 15 play-in brackets, and a top-eight, double-elimination playoff bracket to top it all off. Maybe I overdid it. It was clear I was thinking about video games far more than I was playing them.
Setting up the tournament was a huge undertaking and organising it was not exactly a walk in the park either.
Here’s a pro tip for anyone interested in running a tournament bracket: make sure you have an odd number of voters. My three brothers and I have been in a 2-on-2 stalemate 36 times in our bracket. That’s almost one in five matchups.
This revealed my second personality trait: I am a bit of a boss. I acted as the arbiter in these 2-on-2 votes. Maybe it’s a result of being the oldest (birth order and all), but I made sure that every stalemate was resolved amicably. Every 2-on-2 became 2-plus-on-2. And somehow we’re still friends.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Super Mario World came out on top.
Personality Types
My brothers and I haven’t held the 2024 edition yet. Honestly, crowning the best game ever will be a tough call. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.
Even though last year’s challenge turned out to be the last, the damage has been done: I now realize all too well that my personality comes through in my gaming habits.
I had just as much fun planning and calculating these game-related challenges as I do when I actually play games. Maybe even more.
I am a software architect by profession. Another consequence of my structured, analytical personality. What can I say? I love to organize and analyze. And not only in my code repositories. I like to make lists, inventory my collections and hunt for the best sales.
Is it any wonder that I’m a sucker for tactical strategy games? Or that I always try to play every game I play 100%? In fact, I probably spend as much time cataloging and curating my physical and digital video game collections as I do actually playing them. It’s clearly my mindset (lavishly laid bare in the annual challenges) that drives all of these behaviors and preferences.
At this point, you might be wondering where I’m going with this. Or you might be living out that DiCaprio meme where you point desperately at the screen and shout, “That’s me!” Either way, I hope you’ll think about how your own 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 thanks to a few 30-day challenges. I hope some wisdom is on the way.
Do you find that your personal or professional inclinations influence the way you enjoy video games? Is the effect always positive? Let us know in the comments.