Interviewing a Member of the Next Generation – Jacob-John

We have all been seven years old – well, unless you are six or under and reading this – and I doubt that any of us had a life like a lot of seven-year olds have today: easy (and secure) access to the internet, decades of video content at their fingertips, mind-blowing graphics from video games, vast worlds to explore, and people from all around the globe to play with.

Jacob-John lives in this world.

His parents are both avid gamers, so he has naturally been brought in to the fold over his lifetime. I do have to wonder what his generation will be like when they hit 18. Will they be multitask masters? Will they be digesting data on the go without even knowing it?

Or will they be just like us, and am I thinking like my parents did when they watched me absorb the Mega Drive and SNES catalogue of games?

I decided to interview him and see where his mindset is. It’s mostly unedited.

Jacob-John aka Proto JJ

Thank you for joining me.

It is okay, but you know I don’t do interviews.

I know, thank you. What is your name and how old are you?

Jacob-John, and I am seven years old.

Seven years old? Fantastic. What is your favourite thing to do?

Play, why?

Play what?

Hmm, that is a really hard question!

I am sorry.

I don’t really know, hmm, Transformers: Fall of Cyberton, Lego Batman 2, and Minecraft.

They are your favourite games?

Yes. I play them a lot, I think they are really creative games. I would say Lego Star Wars would be my fourth, but I don’t have it anymore.

We have [YouTube] on the TV, but it doesn’t work very well. It’s kind of rubbish, really.

Any other games?

Skylanders, yes, that’d be my fifth I think. I am really looking forward to [Skylanders] Trap Force, because you know when you capture a villain? You can play as the villain! And do you know when you capture one, the rooms of the world fall in and they shout “Hey! How did I get in here? Let us out.” It’s quite funny.

What do you look for most when you play a game?

Hmm. In Minecraft, it is diamonds.

What about gameplay?

I like doing challenges in Minecaft, to stay [up] during the night without a house, with just a wooden sword and no armour. So far I have only survived five nights, I may have put it on easy though as it was on death mode.

What game that is coming out in the future that are you most looking forward to?

Skylanders Trap Force. Not another Harry Potter game though.

On favorite YouTube personalities: “Erm, I like StampyCat, and RyanX14. They are really cool.”

What is the hardest game you have ever played?

Hmm, well, hardest game? [Taps phone]. I have to say it is The Pirates of the Carribean, not the Lego game, the actual one. I could only get to the second level because it didn’t save and I couldn’t redo it. I still play the demo though. 

Who is your favourite video game character?

From Mummy’s games, I have to say Ezio. Mummy has some nice statues of him. From your games, Daddy, I have to say [whispers] Master Chief, and mine is Crash from Crash Bandicoot. He is so cool, I can’t believe there is so many Crash Bandicoot games.

I also like Dragon Ball Z, I like learning how to become one. Starting as a kid and becoming an adult! I am watching it now and somehow he got transformed back in to a kid! 

How do you view most of your TV?

[I use] YouTube on my tablet. We have it on the TV, but it doesn’t work very well. It’s kind of rubbish, really.

Do you like the content you watch on YouTube? The videos you watch? And who is your favourite person to watch?

Yea, there is a lot of it and I can watch it anytime. Erm, I like StampyCat, and RyanX14. They are really cool.

Great stuff. Now for the last question; what do you want to be when you grow up?

A game maker!!

I am sure you’ll do really well. Thank you for joining me for this interview.

Yeah, it is okay. Bye now.

So, there you have it. A glimpse in to the mind of a seven-year-old gamer. He doesn’t take interviews.