The Challenge Dividend: Call Me "Guitar Hero"

A few months ago I gushed about my experience playing Guitar Hero II on Xbox. Two weeks ago I got a chance to put my skills to the test against rock/geek gods in Athens, Greece. The result is a fun story of how I probably took my Challenge Dividend theory a bit too far - but had a ton of fun in the process.

A few months ago I was invited to attend a digital/marketing conference called Stream, hosted in Athens by my parent company, WPP. The Stream conference was actually billed as an "unconference". The concept of an "unconference" was probably invented by one of our hosts, Yossi Vardi. The idea is to use a combination of user-generated topics, a very diverse cast of attendees, Spartan living (Club Med, Athens, was not 5-star) and a promise by each attendee that he/she would do something to contribute to the event.

I saw in the Wiki page for the conference a few months ago that there was going to be a game night, including a Guitar Hero competition. The winner would be based on a combination of high score and showmanship. Immediately I decided that I would "pwn" this challenge as part of my contribution to the event.

I figured that with a lot of tech/marketing geeks like me, there was bound to be some tough competition. I chose to play "Sweet Child 'o Mine" by Guns 'n Roses for the event and began practicing it on Expert level a few times per night for weeks. I patched together a costume of GNR lead guitarist, Slash, by ordering a wig, hat and t-shirts from eBay. And the weekend before, I even watched Youtube videos of the song with my kids and mastered some of Slash's body language. When packing for the trip, I nearly decided to bring my own Xbox guitar since I was most comfortable with it - but it didn't fit in my suitcase.

The event itself was outstanding. I got a chance to share an idea for a new book that I'm working on in an early morning discussion session. I met many bright people from around the world and made contacts that might lead to new business opportunities. But as I met people and delivered my speech, I kept thinking about the contest. There was a "playoffs" during the first night, and the guy running the contest saw me play and just asked me to be in the finals.

My big performance came on the last night of the event. There was an extravaganza in a small theater which included jugglers and dancers. Finally, it was time - our emcee announced that the contest was about to begin. I jumped on stage, ducked behind a curtain to don my wig and hat, and then emerged to a somewhat stunned audience of 150 people. My competitor looked at me with fright. Before I could think, the game started and I began playing...

It was a pretty amazing experience. I have been on lots of stages, speaking to far more than 150 people. In high school I had a small part in a class play. But performing a skill (no jokes) under the pressure of a competition like this had my heart pumping fast. As the notes cascaded down I just smiled and focused. I heard the crowd behind me "ooh" and "ahh" as I nailed particularly tricky sections. They laughed as I tilted my guitar up during the high notes, as I had learned from watching Slash videos. I nailed the high score, got an ovation and ran down to my seat so the next act could come on stage.

There was no trophy but I "won" the contest. Later that night, people kept dragging me over to the Xbox so they could watch me play again (and again). I didn't get to sleep until 4:30am.

In the end, I definitely over-prepared for this contest. No one at the event was anywhere near my skill level. The truth is that I may be the best GH player in the "digital/marketing thought-leader" world. I can't brag because this probably just means I spend too much time in my basement with a plastic guitar.
But I'm glad I prepared as much as I did. It was a chance for me to challenge myself and I put on a show that people enjoyed. I definitely "brought something to the party". And it makes one hell of a story.

(if you didn't guess, the picture here is the best one of my from the event)