Well, since James‘ last post was about how and why he gets destroyed at Halo2, let me tell you a little bit about why he doesn’t have an overall losing record. (We may even be able to find some leadership truth in there somewhere, although no promises.) Here’s the normal scenario:

James and I hook up the xbox to his freakin’ sweet 32in lcd tv. (HD, yeah, we’ve got that). We boot up the Xbox Live and usually begin with a few regular “team slayer” games. “Team slayer” is a game type in Halo2 in which two teams of four battle to see which team can accumulate 50 kills first. After we get a little warmed up, we switch over to our favourite game type called “double team”. As the name suggests, this is game pits two teams of two against each other in various game types. Sometimes it may be “slayer”, in which case you try to get 30 kills before the enemy team, or it may be an objective based game where you try to capture the enemy flag or plant a bomb. This is our favourite game type because it pits the two of us against only two other competitors. We don’t have to worry about all those other people shooting at us.

The question is, if James is so bad at Halo2, why don’t we lose every game we play? Well, the first is that the matchmaking system in Halo2 tries to keep you with people of comparable skill. The second is that I don’t suck as bad as he does. I can do all of the things that he can’t. In fact, I can usually watch his screen and mine at the same time. I can be in the middle of a fire-fight and warn him that someone is trying to sneak up behind him. What can I say, it’s a gift. (Now, I don’t think it’s a spiritual gift, but who knows?). I’m also always trying to tell James which weapons to use depending on his situation.

James knows that if he wants to win, he needs to surround himself with people who make up for his weaknesses. I am good at the things he isn’t and vise-versa. Well, what that really means is that James is good at throwing grenades, while I am probably the worst grenade thrower I know. James has the ability to put grenades into an exact location, sometimes even from across the map. Because I know he can do this, sometimes I randomly shout “grenade” at him to get him to unleash his awesome abilities. We compliment each other. If you are a leader, surround yourself with people who have gifts where you are lacking. I told you I’d try to find a good lesson about leadership in here.

Now, as if there was need to further prove my geekdom, I give you this picture:

Getting into the action
Yep. That’s me playing some Halo2. Well, if I could actually put myself into the game. That hat would probably have to go though, it doesn’t provide much of an armour bonus.

HALO 2 CHALLENGE:

Well, in closing I would like to take this time to openly challenge any church pastor/leader to a game (or games) of Halo2. The rules are simple: James and myself versus you and any other church leader of your choosing. No ringers please. If you’re interested, leave a comment and we’ll make arrangements. That is if you aren’t too scared. Craig, if you’re reading this, don’t be a scaredy cat. I know how much you hate cats. Step up to the plate. Verge vs Swerve. The people want to see it. What’s up for grabs? Bragging rights of course, and maybe a cool trophy to put on your blog.