Interview conducted by William Chui
Some journalistic instinct informs me and I infiltrate the Gimkit Club to find Ben and his pals watching Gimkit rituals.
William: So what’s something you're passionate about?
Ben: I would say speed running Gimkit Don't Look Down. I spent a lot of time doing that and that's something that really grew on me.
William: Do you want to tell the readers what Gimkit is exactly?
Ben: Yeah, so Gimkit is an educational platform, really designed on creating interactive learning experiences and kind of creating change in the education space. And I think that's something that's really valuable. Um, so it kind of gamifies education to better reach young audiences. And specifically, it’s a platforming element. So there's like a character that jumps between platforms, and it's a race to the top. Yeah.
William: Fascinating.Thank you for telling me about Gimkit. So what's one of your favorite songs?
Ben: I have to say I don't listen to music very often but when I do it's mainly the Gimkit Don't Look Down main theme.
William: [exhales] I see where this is going…[slowly looks at Henry Gustafson who’s also in the room] [Ben laughs] Does this have something to do with Henry and his five Arc Browser related answers?
Ben: [laughs] Yes.
William: Okay. And yeah, the next question is going to be what's something on your bucket list other than meeting the founder of Gimkit?
Ben: Oh yeah, no, I don't really care about meeting the founder of Gimkit. But what I do care about is reaching number one on the speedrun.com list. Currently, it's a middle schooler, named RobotCornerClipper, unironically, and he has a time of about just over six minutes and 20 seconds. Yeah, six minutes and 20 seconds. And my dream is to get an under six minute PB in Gimkit Don’t Look Down.
William: And what's your PR right now?
Ben: Like, eight minutes or something—
William: Oh, well you’ve got a long way to go—
Ben: [laughs]- No, or maybe more. Yeah, it's gonna be a grind. But it's really all about the grind.
William: Do you have a non Gimkit related answer?
Ben: To what question?
William: The bucket list one.
Ben: Oh [thinks] no.
William: Okay.Thank you. Yeah. How have you changed during your time in College Prep?
Ben: Yeah, well, coming in, I didn't know that much, I've never really played Gimkit before. And I feel like over my time here, I personally, I have like, quantitatively improved. I've improved my time from around 20 minutes my first run to like, eight or nine minutes or wherever I'm at now, which I think is really valuable. And then I also think qualitatively, just the amount of sheer quality time I've spent playing Gimkit has just shot through the roof. And it's just been, it's been one of the most special experiences of my life. Yeah. Also, unironically, I think I've gotten to be a better writer, which I think is useful.
William: Good answer. I like it. Well, the good writing part. So would you say that one of your favorite memories at college prep would be joining the Gimkit club or becoming its leader?
Ben: Yeah, I think starting Gimkit club is one of the most, one of the single most valuable experiences. Honestly, like unironically, like every week we meet and it's generally a good time. I don't know, other than that, doing all school quiz bowl has been super interesting and fun. I tried to slip in a Gimkit Don’t Look Down question. But unfortunately, there just aren't that many things to ask. Yeah.
William: And your advice for freshmen, incoming classes, I presume would be to join the Gimkit club?
Ben: Yeah, yeah, and if you can, really try and improve that san skip time, um, because it'll just help your run so much. And that's the kind of determination you need to get number one in the world.
William: All right, it was a pleasure talking to you and learning more about Gimkit club.
Ben: Yup
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