This week we have the privilege of interviewing Graeme Boyd, better known as AceyBongos. Graeme is the social marketing manager of Xbox EMEA. He is also a proud ambassador for Special Effect.
What is your Gamertag and the reason for choosing it?
AceyBongos! This is something my mate Hadyn Cooper in Aberdeen used to say when we were teenagers. At the time ‘ace’ was the word everyone was using, so he invented ‘aceybongos’ as something even better than ace. Works for me! It reminds me of home and I like that it’s quite unique and has a funny rhythm to it.
What is your favourite genre/s of game and why?
I’m actually a sucker for strategy games where you build things like Civilization, Sim City and Theme Park (old school…) or turn-based games like XCOM, which I’m absolutely mad about. I have always loved creating and growing a city or base or whatever, then developing my own world and story. Outside of that I love racing games because cars + speed = awesome, and Bethesda’s first-person RPGs have taken up A LOT of my time. Fallout in particular has been a favourite of mine since the original game so Fallout 4 is my current obsession. I’m playing a lot of games with my son Fin now too, so I have a new-found respect for games like LEGO Marvel, Disney Infinity and Minecraft that are crafted for kids but don’t compromise on quality or design.
What is your favourite game so far? (Doesn’t need to be an Xbox title!)
I’d say the game series that has given me the most joy, pain, frustration and elation over my whole life has been Civilization. I just love the scale, depth and vision of the game – it truly feels like trying to create your own world in the truest sense, because the other Civs are trying to create theirs at the same time.
What is your most memorable gaming moment?
When Rock Band was launching on Xbox 360 I found myself playing lead guitar and singing at a bunch of press events, public shows and Xbox office parties dressed up in zebra print leggings and a massive wig as my 80s hair metal alter-ego Jimmi SpandexX! It was kind of a dream come true for me and for a wee while I was getting quite used to the rock and roll lifestyle. The pinnacle was playing Bon Jovi’s ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ live at the Ibiza Rocks hotel on a hot summer’s afternoon in front of lots of nutters going mental – and being able to tell people it was ‘work’.
Which achievement has been the most frustrating to obtain? How long did it take you?
The one I’m proudest of is Master in Skyrim – reaching Level 50. It took me over 120 hours of playtime to get there and really felt like closure on one of my favourite games ever.
What is your gamerscore and how long has it taken you to get it?
Currently 60,871 – was quite chuffed to pass 60,000 over last Xmas holidays! I’ve been on Xbox Live since 2005 so in all honesty I wish it was much closer to 100,000, but having kids has definitely slowed down the rate I’m unlocking Achievements! That said, those kid’s games often have some really, really cheap Achievements, so it’s not all bad…
What is your gaming guilty pleasure?
I guess this is kind of a guilty pleasure… But I think that The Last of Us is probably one of my top 5, possibly 3, games of all time. What an absolutely beautiful, riveting, engaging and emotional game. A stunning combination of strong gameplay mechanics with gorgeous design and best-in-class scripting. I love post-apocalyptic settings and it has the most authentic end of the world scenario I’ve seen in a game. Also, the prologue and end of the game had a genuinely emotional impact on me, especially now I’m a dad – A masterpiece!
If you could pick a video game character, who would you be and why?
This is an amazing question! I’d love to be the Vault Dweller in any of the Fallout games, exploring that irradiated Wasteland, but since he or she is a player-created character I’ll go with Geralt from The Witcher. He’s a brilliant, multi-layered character that doesn’t fit neatly into stereotypes, a total badass with sword and sorcery, looks amazing with a beard and is pretty handy with the opposite sex. I’d quite like to try all that out for a little while!
If you could pick a location, from any game, to visit, where would it be and why?
Another great question! I absolutely loved the world and level design in Titanfall so I’d quite like to travel that universe on an IMC command ship and stomp it up in a Titan. However, the videogame location that’s seared into my brain is Vice City. Being Scottish I’ve always felt a connection to the GTA games and Vice City was a very special game for me! Such a brilliant city to explore, amazing soundtrack to explore it by, and I especially loved Starfish Island and the Vercetti Estate – once you liberated it from Diaz, of course! That was the coolest Scarface moment in a game stuffed with Scarface moments…
Finally, where do you see gaming heading in the next decade?
VR is exciting so I’m looking forward to trying that out! I’ve tried to blag my way into trying Oculus Rift a few times and never been successful! I do think it’s going to work better for static experiences like driving a car or flying a spaceship than FPS-style stuff though. Similarly, Hololens should be a big moment for gaming too, so I’m looking forward to trying that out. Aside from that I love the way that gaming is starting to converge across devices, and that portable devices are able to handle much more sophisticated games and experiences. I travel a lot so being able to play big, proper games on the move is a big deal for me. XCOM: Enemy Within on iPad is one of the most perfect gaming experiences I’ve had in my life – the perfect storm of game mechanics, control method and portability. Lovely! More of that please!
Special thanks to Graeme Boyd for taking the time to answer our questions. Keep an eye on the website and Twitter for information on how you can feature in the next Meet The Gamer.
Michael is a games journalist, contributor at 1080Players. They contributed 22 articles to ICXM in 2016, focused on game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: wrote for 1080Players, whose content also appeared on ICXM.