Hi, everybody! Wynn right here once more. Welcome again to a different Xbox Insider Team interview. Today’s chat is with Andrew—a Customer Experience Manager on the workforce who positively has extra Xbox 360 video games than you do.

How’s it going, Andrew?

Ha. Going effectively, Wynn. You didn’t must 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 are not any extra Xbox 360 followers, then we will know you’ve shed your mortal coil.

I can get behind that.

But 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 enjoying video games my whole life, whilst a really small baby. I’m relationship myself slightly 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 enjoying ever since. All the way in which from Mario to Halo, which is basically what obtained me closely into the Xbox ecosystem.

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

Before. I used to be on that prepare instantly. You bear in mind the Xbox Live Arcade when it first launched? I used to be sitting on my console each Wednesday getting virtually each single sport 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. Right initially of the 2010s I obtained employed to do Twitter Support 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 once I was within the retail shops. If you clicked “Support” on Outlook Mobile in like 2015-2017, you’ll have talked to me. It’s a more durable job than folks would possibly assume.

Yeah, you discuss folks by way of so many alternative points daily. You turn into a really well-oiled help machine after some time.

Absolutely. If I attempted laborious sufficient, I may most likely bear in mind a number of the error codes.

Same right here. I bear in mind many.

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

Well, I did the Twitter stuff for about six years. Worked my means up the ladder earlier than I moved over to a program administration place on the Support Team. Then, I did that for just a few years earlier than transferring to the Insider workforce the place I nonetheless kinda do numerous help. So, actually in some methods, I’m nonetheless Support, however I left the official “Support” group again in 2021.

Is there something you’re presently engaged on which you could inform the Xbox Insider group about?

I’m not engaged on an excessive amount of for Xbox Insider particularly proper now, although I’m all the time making an attempt to enhance the options we flight by way of this system. I assume probably the most fascinating stuff I’m doing—that might even be fascinating to this viewers—is that I’m engaged on all of our legacy Xbox 360 companies.

Okay, that’s sick.

Yeah, I’ve been on that workforce for some time now and it’s one thing I’m extraordinarily captivated with. I imagine we’ve got to do every part we will to finest protect and respect our historical past earlier than we will actually transfer into the long run.

I’m totally 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 just do have virtually each bodily Xbox 360 disc.

Well, each North American disc. I don’t have a PAL or JPN 360 but, so I don’t purposefully accumulate these for the time being.

My JPN 360 is amassing mud, however I’ve a bunch of Visual Novels that I ought to play someday on it. Since we’re speaking about your favourite system, do you will have 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 discuss most of them; even looking back. But I do have considered one of my most cherished sport collections objects from working right here.

Let’s hear it.

So, once 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 for those who pay attention laborious 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. But yeah, I used to be actually captivated with telling everybody I may how a lot I beloved that OS. Fast ahead to round 2017-2018, I had simply transferred over to a brand new CSS function, and I used to be speaking about my love for the blades with my new workforce. Well, a long-tenured teammate confirmed up at my workplace a couple of week later. Turns out, he labored on the {hardware} workforce, 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 considered one of my favourite issues I personal. A real gem in my assortment meaning lots to me personally.

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

Yeah man. Some folks have held onto some actually cool stuff for the whole 20-year run.

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

What’s a sport that’s had the largest affect on you all through the years?

Hmm. I’m unsure I can choose only one. But 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 assumed it was fairly cool, however the first Super Mario Bros. is once I knew I used to be going to be enjoying them for the remainder of my life.

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

Exactly. It paved the way in which for a lot. Even rising up my favourite sport, and doubtless nonetheless my favourite sport of all time is Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. I might play that sport again and again and over. I by no means get uninterested in it. If I transfer extra into my grownup life, I feel that those that impacted me probably 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 sport 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 amazing sport, however I do know you’re what I wish to name a “mechanical purist” with regards to 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. But the way in which Portal gave me the mechanical depth, but in addition 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 another style, my knuckles is likely to be altering colours, however I respect your opinion.

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

I’ve twenty-one data framed and held on the wall of my front room which might be one of the best music ever pressed. But for the sake of brevity, I’ll go along with Illmatic by Nas and The Undisputed Truth by Brother Ali.

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

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

Honestly, I’m unsure what I anticipated, however it wasn’t these.

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

I noticed the video for Fight the Power on MTV once I was seven years previous. It was speedy. Flav drew me in, and Chuck taught me classes. From there it was a wrap. Rakim, EPMD, LL, De La Soul; you title it, I used to be listening to it. I positively obtained made enjoyable of for liking this kind of music rising up within the space the place I got here from. It wasn’t actually till 2Pac blew up that folks began getting slightly extra into it. But even then, I’d attempt to present somebody the brand new Tribe Called Quest document they usually’d name it wack as a result of it was nonetheless too completely different from the hip-hop that was discovering wider success on the time.

I like when folks go actually deep into their musical leanings. I largely listened to no matter my dad was listening to rising up. It wasn’t till highschool that I obtained into my very own music tastes. Lots of “scene” music. Post-hardcore, metalcore, and so forth. Anything 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 every part there was within the hip hop world from the 80s till 2010. But there have been like 10 completely different albums dropping daily and I couldn’t sustain anymore.

Five THOUSAND?!

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

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

In the mid to late 90s, a rapper named Big L obtained 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 folks earlier than they blew up. It was only a world I used to be totally immersed in.

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

Do you will have any TV exhibits that you just all the time have on within the background?

Ha! Okay, you bought me. Yes, I’ve most likely had 4-5 episodes of Friends enjoying on my TV daily for so long as the present has been off-air. Well, that and South Park.

Way again once I initially had the concept for these, the explanation this query got here up is we had like three conferences collectively in someday and there was all the time a present on within the background of your digicam. I’m positively not a “can just listen to it” sort of man, so I assumed it’d be enjoyable to see everybody on the workforce.

Honestly, I may most likely recite just a few of my favourite episodes.

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

Okay, transferring away from media, do you will have any hobbies outdoors of the home?

I’m actually into sports activities. I took trip days to look at the start of March Madness. I watch numerous faculty soccer as effectively.

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 amazing 12 months.

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

Any different groups you get pleasure from? I gained’t threat guessing the Bengals, the Reds, or another Oihio-based sports activities entity.

Good! Because I’m all about groups not from my state. Bills, Tar Heels, Penguins, Celts, Pirates. Can’t say I’ve an excessive amount of hometown satisfaction there.

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

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

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

This goes to return to that concept of preserving historical past. If there’s a principal level in what I’m doing, it’s that I give attention to historical past over the long run. I would like in 60 years folks to nonetheless have the ability to 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 probably the most helpful 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 every part I can to make sure we’re respecting that funding and enabling folks to maintain enjoying lengthy after we’ve turned to mud.

That’s highly effective stuff man. Incredibly acknowledged.

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

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

Xbox Insiders, make sure to be looking out for extra content material all all through February together with extra interviews from the workforce, a visit down reminiscence lane, and a lot extra. All of our tenth Anniversary content material might be discovered on our Hub Page.

Until subsequent time! Wynn/