Hello, everybody! Wynn right here once more. Welcome again to a different Xbox Insider Workforce interview. Right this moment’s chat is with Andrew—a Buyer Expertise Supervisor on the staff who undoubtedly has extra Xbox 360 video games than you do.

How’s it going, Andrew?

Ha. Going properly, Wynn. You didn’t should name me out like that proper from the highest.

If there’s one factor I would like Xbox Insiders to know from this interview, it’s that you’re Xbox 360’s #1 fan and supporter. It’s like that meme. If there aren’t any extra Xbox 360 followers, then we will know you’ve shed your mortal coil.

I can get behind that.

However earlier than we dive into your 7^th gen obsessions, let’s take all of it the way in which again. Give us the backstory. What began your curiosity in video games?

I’ve been taking part in video games my total life, at the same time as a really small little one. I’m relationship myself somewhat right here, however my first console was an Atari Pong residence console.

That’s about as OG as you may get.

Yup! And I’ve been taking part in ever since. All the way in which from Mario to Halo, which is actually what received me closely into the Xbox ecosystem.

Did you discover your love for the 360 earlier than or after you began right here?

Earlier than. I used to be on that prepare instantly. You keep in mind the Xbox Reside Arcade when it first launched? I used to be sitting on my console each Wednesday getting nearly each single recreation because it got here out. It’s actually my love for the 360 that made me wish to begin working at Xbox. I grew up in rural Ohio, so it wasn’t actually a giant tech hub.

So how way back did you get employed?

I feel round 13 years in the past or so. Proper firstly of the 2010s I received employed to do Twitter Assist for Xbox. I used to be a kind of previous brokers the place we’d reply to tweets or DMs with our initials.

Oh wow! I really did one thing related after I was within the retail shops. If you happen to clicked “Assist” on Outlook Cell in like 2015-2017, you’ll have talked to me. It’s a more durable job than individuals may assume.

Yeah, you discuss individuals via so many alternative points day-after-day. You change into a really well-oiled help machine after some time.

Completely. If I attempted onerous sufficient, I may most likely keep in mind a few of the error codes.

Similar right here. I keep in mind many.

So, how lengthy did you probably did work on Assist?

Nicely, I did the Twitter stuff for about six years. Labored my approach up the ladder earlier than I moved over to a program administration place on the Assist Workforce. Then, I did that for a couple of years earlier than transferring to the Insider staff the place I nonetheless kinda do numerous help. So, actually in some methods, I’m nonetheless Assist, however I left the official “Assist” group again in 2021.

Is there something you’re at present engaged on you can inform the Xbox Insider group about?

I’m not engaged on an excessive amount of for Xbox Insider particularly proper now, although I’m at all times making an attempt to enhance the options we flight via this system. I suppose essentially the most attention-grabbing stuff I’m doing—that may even be attention-grabbing to this viewers—is that I’m engaged on all of our legacy Xbox 360 providers.

Okay, that’s sick.

Yeah, I’ve been on that staff for some time now and it’s one thing I’m extraordinarily obsessed with. I consider we have now to do all the things we will to greatest protect and respect our historical past earlier than we will really transfer into the longer term.

I’m absolutely with you there on that man. I do know I joked about it earlier than, however I wish to let our readers know that you simply do have nearly each bodily Xbox 360 disc.

Nicely, each North American disc. I don’t have a PAL or JPN 360 but, so I don’t purposefully acquire these in the mean time.

My JPN 360 is gathering mud, however I’ve a bunch of Visible Novels that I ought to play someday on it. Since we’re speaking about your favourite system, do you’ve a favourite second in time from engaged on it because you’ve been right here?

Man, I’ve carried out so many issues really for the Xbox 360, however I can’t actually speak about most of them; even looking back. However I do have one in every of my most cherished recreation collections gadgets from working right here.

Let’s hear it.

So, after I began again in 2011, I used to be already pounding my drum about a lot I like the blades on the previous 360 dashboard.

I feel if you happen to hear onerous sufficient, that’s a refrain of voices from our group shouting out in settlement proper now.

Haha. I nonetheless assume it’s the best console working system of all time. However yeah, I used to be actually obsessed with telling everybody I may how a lot I cherished that OS. Quick ahead to round 2017-2018, I had simply transferred over to a brand new CSS position, and I used to be speaking about my love for the blades with my new staff. Nicely, a long-tenured teammate confirmed up at my workplace a couple of week later. Seems, he labored on the {hardware} staff, and he had an previous 360 that also had the blades dashboard on it saved in his archives. He gifted it to me and now It’s one in every of my favourite issues I personal. A real gem in my assortment which means lots to me personally.

I like that a lot. I might give a not-insignificant portion of a paycheck to determine what all we have now buried in places of work round campus. So many cool programs hidden away.

Yeah man. Some individuals have held onto some actually cool stuff for your complete 20-year run.

Okay, let’s transfer on to a few of the extra rapid-fire stuff.

What’s a recreation that’s had the largest influence on you all through the years?

Hmm. I’m unsure I can choose only one. However there’s an evolution in my tastes and my curiosity within the medium over time. Like Pong was my intro to video games and I believed it was fairly cool, however the first Tremendous Mario Bros. is after I knew I used to be going to be taking part in them for the remainder of my life.

It’s onerous to understate simply how revolutionary it was to have performed that in that point interval.

Precisely. It paved the way in which for a lot. Even rising up my favourite recreation, and doubtless nonetheless my favourite recreation of all time is Tremendous Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. I might play that recreation again and again and over. I by no means get bored with it. If I transfer extra into my grownup life, I feel that those that impacted me essentially the most are Portal and Braid. Portal as a result of it taught me to really get pleasure from tales in video games, and Braid as a result of it was the primary actually difficult puzzle recreation I performed. It unlocked design-language in my thoughts that I simply didn’t have beforehand.

You’re selecting simply banger after banger. I’m shocked by the Portal choose although. Not as a result of it’s not an ideal recreation, however I do know you’re what I wish to name a “mechanical purist” in the case of video games.

Oh yeah. I actually can’t stand textual content in my video games. RPGs are my least-favorite style ever. I simply wish to play the sport. However the way in which Portal gave me the mechanical depth, but additionally stored me within the over-arching story from second to second gave me a greater appreciation for narrative in video games.

As somebody who most likely has extra RPGs in my assortment than every other style, my knuckles is perhaps altering colours, however I respect your opinion.

Let’s transfer on to music although. Favourite albums of all time?

I’ve twenty-one information framed and held on the wall of my front room which are the very best music ever pressed. However for the sake of brevity, I’ll go together with Illmatic by Nas and The Undisputed Fact by Brother Ali.

I may have by no means in one million years have guessed these solutions.

Haha. You count on the standard like Aerosmith or Nirvana? Nah, most of what I hearken to is rap and hip-hop from the 80s via the 2010s.

Actually, I’m unsure what I anticipated, nevertheless it wasn’t these.

So, now I’m curious. How does a white man from rural Ohio get into this model of music?

I noticed the video for Combat the Energy on MTV after I was seven years previous. It was quick. Flav drew me in, and Chuck taught me classes. From there it was a wrap. Rakim, EPMD, LL, De La Soul; you identify it, I used to be listening to it. I undoubtedly received made enjoyable of for liking any such music rising up within the space the place I got here from. It wasn’t actually till 2Pac blew up that folks began getting somewhat extra into it. However even then, I’d attempt to present somebody the brand new Tribe Known as Quest report and so they’d name it wack as a result of it was nonetheless too totally different from the hip-hop that was discovering wider success on the time.

I like when individuals go actually deep into their musical leanings. I principally listened to no matter my dad was listening to rising up. It wasn’t till highschool that I received into my very own music tastes. A lot of “scene” music. Put up-hardcore, metalcore, and so on. Something on Rise or Victory or Sumerian. I’ve a lot of that period of music.

I’ve a ton of CDs. Like, most likely over 5 thousand of them again residence in Ohio organized by launch date. I knew nearly all the things there was within the hip hop world from the 80s till 2010. However there have been like 10 totally different albums dropping day-after-day and I couldn’t sustain anymore.

5 THOUSAND?!

Yeah man. I spent like all of my cash as a child on CDs. I keep in mind this one time I skipped a college area journey to stroll to the report retailer and get the brand new Ghostface album.

That was the period earlier than Spotify and all the things. How did you even discover that a lot music?

Within the mid to late 90s, a rapper named Large L received me actually into the underground scene and I’d hearken to radio from all over the place. 888hiphop.com, PhillaFlavaDrop.com, Rhymesayers.internet, I used to be tremendous into these things. I’d go watch battles and see individuals earlier than they blew up. It was only a world I used to be absolutely immersed in.

Dude, I wish to spend one other hour speaking about all of this, however we gotta wrap up quickly. Particularly since this subsequent query I tailor made for you.

Do you’ve any TV reveals that you simply at all times have on within the background?

Ha! Okay, you bought me. Sure, I’ve most likely had 4-5 episodes of Mates taking part in on my TV day-after-day for so long as the present has been off-air. Nicely, that and South Park.

Approach again after I initially had the concept for these, the explanation this query got here up is we had like three conferences collectively in sooner or later and there was at all times a present on within the background of your digicam. I’m undoubtedly not a “can simply hearken to it” sort of man, so I believed it’d be enjoyable to see everybody on the staff.

Actually, I may most likely recite a couple of of my favourite episodes.

Now that’s leisure. We may perhaps cost for that.

Okay, transferring away from media, do you’ve any hobbies outdoors of the home?

I’m actually into sports activities. I took trip days to observe the start of March Insanity. I watch numerous faculty soccer as properly.

Wait. I do know this one. O-H!

I’m Ohio State’s worst enemy.

Whelp! That backfired. Haha.

Yeah, I’m a Michigan fan.

Even higher! You had an ideal 12 months.

For the primary time in my lifetime, sure. I used to be ecstatic.

Some other groups you get pleasure from? I received’t danger guessing the Bengals, the Reds, or every other Oihio-based sports activities entity.

Good! As a result of I’m all about groups not from my state. Payments, Tar Heels, Penguins, Celts, Pirates. Can’t say I’ve an excessive amount of hometown delight there.

Oh. I additionally actually get pleasure from MMA. I get a gaggle of buddies collectively and we watch all of the PPVs.

As an Atlanta sports activities fan, I generally want I hadn’t grown up with my hometown groups.

All proper, properly we’re out of time. Any remaining ideas for our Xbox Insiders?

That is going to return to that concept of preserving historical past. If there’s a fundamental level in what I’m doing, it’s that I deal with historical past over the longer term. I would like in 60 years individuals to nonetheless be capable of entry their video games library, and like hand down their Gamertag to their grandkids or no matter. That’s my splendid dream state. My video games assortment is essentially the most beneficial factor I personal aside from my home, and I do know that lots of people make investments their time, cash, and power into these ecosystems. I wish to do all the things I can to make sure we’re respecting that funding and enabling individuals to maintain taking part in lengthy after we’ve turned to mud.

That’s highly effective stuff man. Extremely acknowledged.

Andrew, thanks a lot for taking the time to speak with everybody at this time. It’s been nice!

Thanks for setting this up, Wynn. Till subsequent time!

Xbox Insiders, you’ll want to be looking out for extra content material all all through February together with extra interviews from the staff, a visit down reminiscence lane, and a lot extra. All of our tenth Anniversary content material will be discovered on our Hub Web page.

Till subsequent time! Wynn/