Tag Archives: Buzzfeed

BuzzFeed Quiz: Don’t Starve and Leadership

           I decided to create a BuzzFeed quiz based off of characters from the game Don’t Starve. I decided to choose this because each character from Don’t Starve has a unique personality with quirks, perks and drawbacks. I started with the original 9 characters and gave an overview of each character in the results as well as what that might say about the quiz taker’s own personality. Each character’s backstory and personality are over the top stereotypes so giving basic traits to the quiz taker based on the character is more likely to be resonated with. After that I imagined what each character from don’t starve would be like if they were a leader, how would they treat their followers and what would people go to them for and added that to each result as well.

            I asked my friends to take this quiz and tell me their result. Then I asked them if they believed it accurately depicted them or not and why. Most of my friends believed it to be mostly accurate to them but some were just a little too off.

            The first one to take the test was Nick. He got the result Wendy. Wendy is a sweet girl whose sister haunts her. I had her answers be mostly related to family, love, and care. Nick told me that he does like to be alone in his head or outside somewhere. He believes he is a caring leader and loves to listen to other’s stories and problems. The only inaccurate thing was that he didn’t have that strong of a connection with his mom.

            The second one to take the test was Jeremy. He got the result WX-78. WX-78 is a self-sustaining robot who constantly improves himself and hates humans. I geared his answers towards logical thinking and being alone without any desires or emotions. Jeremy believed this is really close to accurate for him in the sense that he doesn’t like rainy days, generally doesn’t like people, loves his pets, and is a logical thinker. The only inaccurate thing was that he is an emotional person, not a heartless robot.

            The third person to take the test was Connor. He got the result Wes. Wes is a silent French mime who expresses his emotions through physical motions and painting. I made his answers fall towards indecision, quietness, and wanting to have only close friends. Connor believed this result was accurate to him because he can lead a group of friends and express with art. He had no complaints with his result.

            The fourth person to take the test was Daniel. He got the result Maxwell. Maxwell is the antagonist of the game and is entertained by watching the other players struggle to survive. However, he crawled his way to the top after being at an all time low and decided to focus his answers on competition, winning, and himself. Daniel thought this was kind of accurate in the sense that he is competitive, but he loves people, doesn’t see them as subjects, and tends to have good relationships.

            The fifth person to take the test was Riley. He got the result Wolfgang. Wolfgang is a strong character who can take on the toughest foes and has a high self-esteem. I aimed his answers at strength, confidence, and attention. Riley thought this result was accurate for him except he hoped he didn’t come across as boastful.

            The sixth person to take the test was Zach. He got the result Wilson. Wilson is a witty, creative scientist who isn’t that good at being a scientist. I geared his answers toward creativity, ideas, and not being good enough. Zach did not think this result was accurate at all. He is extroverted, hates the winter, is afraid of the unknown, and says that no one goes to him for creative input. The only thing that this result kind of got right was that he means well even if nothing goes to plan. Zach then decided to take the quiz a second time and he got the result Wes, like Connor. He once again did not think the result accurately portrayed him because he is not silent and doesn’t communicate with art.

            The seventh person to take the test was Maggie. She got Maxwell as her result, like Daniel. She was sad that the result said she would rather be feared than loved.

            The eighth person to take the test was Rebecca. She also got Maxwell. She said that it was accurate because she liked control and to be respected but that it was inaccurate because she appreciates input from others and doesn’t make gut decisions.

            The ninth person to take the test was Julia. She got Wendy like Nick. She said she’d like to think it fits but she said that she does need to work on her active listening skills more for it to fit perfectly.

            The tenth person to take the test was Mackenzie. The got Wolfgang like Riley. She said it was accurate because she is confident, opinionated and likes to command a room. She also says she prioritized health, but she doesn’t center her life around it. She only thinks its inaccurate because she doesn’t see herself as a leader and people don’t look to her for instruction.

           The eleventh person to take the test was Ethan. He got Woodie. Woodie is a polite Canadian lumberjack stereotype who also turns into a werebeaver. I centered his answers around hard work, the outdoors, and being polite to people. Ethan believed this was fitting because he is down to Earth, people respect him and his values, and he also definitely turns into a werebeaver.

            So overall, I think my test was accurate with some exceptions. Tests that categorize people can’t all be winners because humans are too complex to begin with to be put into 1 of 9 characters from a video game.

Take the test for yourself here:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jackowcl/what-dont-starve-character-are-you-and-what-does-8yay0v5dcx

BuzzFeed Assessment: What is your Cooperative Gaming Role?

What is leadership and how is it displayed? It is said that leadership can take on many forms and while I agree with that statement, it begs the question: How does one quantify it? If asked whether or not one has what it takes to be a great leader, how would one respond? And what evidence would one use to exemplify it? As society’s next generation of leaders, we are called upon to answer these questions. My experiences as a Resident Assistant, and leader of a student organization, have led me to my own answer to these questions. While it is true that there are many ways to display leadership, leadership is not solely quantified by how it has impacted you, but by how it has impacted the community. Leadership is not about a title, but rather the impact and influence one has in the community. Thus, one of the best examples of leadership within a community can be found in team based role-playing games. Games such as Dungeons and Dragons, League of Legends, and Smite, all require their players to form a team with unique roles in pursuit of a common objective. Just as leadership is defined by one’s impact on the community, so too is a player’s leadership in their impact on the team. In an effort to assist thirteen individuals with discovering their own form of leadership in games, I have created a BuzzFeed Quiz which pairs the players with their ideal role in team-based games.

While there are various roles a player can take on a team, the quiz focuses on the four core roles. The Tank, the strong-hearted defender of the team. The Support, the tactical backbone of the team. The Aggressor, the strong-willed sword of the team. And the Ranged Fighter, the sharp-eyed spear of the team. Each of these roles are significantly important. The Aggressor and Tank are the team’s sword and shield. Their duty as the vanguard is to lead the team down the path that advances their goal. The Support and Ranged Fighter, on the other hand, act as the team’s eyes and ears. Observant and strategic, their duty as the rearguard is to support and lead the team towards the correct path.

Of the thirteen individuals that were surveyed, almost half of them were given the Support role, and all participants agreed with their designation. As leaders, this could suggest that these six individuals utilize a leadership style that focuses on supporting others. Moreover, it suggests that these individuals may be empathetic and possess the ability to accurately understand what others need. Interestingly, five of these six individuals have career aspirations that involve a service for others such as, psychologist, doctor and attorney. The second most popular role was the Ranged Fighter. A role whose leadership style suggests a more tactful and indirect approach to achieving an objective. One individual who was given the Aggressor role said, “I do not know why I got aggressor…probably because I believe Dishonored isn’t a stealth game.” Being given the Aggressor role, suggest that these individuals utilize a leadership style that focuses on pushing towards greater heights. For example, those individuals who were given this designation have career aspirations such as a paper engineer and an entrepreneur. A surprising result of this quiz, however, was that not a single person received the Tank designation.

How do our leadership skills set us apart from our peers? If asked whether or not one has what it takes to be a great leader, how would one respond? And what evidence would one use to exemplify it? Leadership goes beyond a title or an authority figure. Leadership is determined by the impact an individual creates. Accordingly, a community is filled with various styles of leaders. Likewise, each of the four roles have a specific strength that they provide, and if a single one was missing, it would lead to the failure of the team. Fittingly, the BuzzFeed quiz is relevant beyond gaming, as it can assist in determining one’s leadership style in society.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/bluelegend80/what-is-your-cooperative-gaming-role-1p0ibu4oo0