Original Article: https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404484936814952856#_0
Original Author: 小胖子 (Published by: 爱战DAYTOY_1005)
(TN: This is more related to physical games as opposed to video games.)
The highlights of Xiao Zhan in games…
From hopscotch of our childhood, to table top games, to even ice breaker games in working life, games can be considered as a common activity in our lives. Where do all the fun in games come from? A part of it comes from the interaction among friends, and a big part of it comes from competition and the joy of victory. In order to obtain victory in games, you need to find the shortest path to the goal, and that is like problem solving – you need analysis and understanding to find the crux, and you need effective techniques to solve it. Different games have different requirements – some need you to have swift reactions, some need strategies, some would need logical thinking, some needs endurance and patience, some require teamwork, some require physical strength…
When we speak of “Gamer Monster”, I feel that this person would at least be outstanding in most of the above mentioned requirements, so when I saw some comments that Xiao Zhan is a “Gamer Monster”, my first thought was to ask – what qualities does Xiao Zhan have to be called a “Gamer Monster”? After doing some research into his history, I appeared to have found my answer.
Top 2 Moments of Gamer Xiao Zhan
When we speak of the top moments in Xiao Zhan’s game history, we would have to praise the two “45° Inclined Soda” and “Who’s on the Shiatsu Pad”. After watching these two, all I have to say is – intelligence is a good thing.
45° Inclined Soda
Game Mission: To drink the soda in the can down to a specific amount such that the can is able to stand inclined at 45° on the table, as shown in the image below, balanced on a corner:
Xiao Zhan was the first of the eight to complete the mission – what seemed like random chance was actually calculated.
At the end of the game, Xiao Zhan spoke about the secret to this game – “It’s just the principle of equilateral triangle, so you have to drink until the bottom becomes an equilateral triangle, then the corner will be stable.”
In fact, this is a very simple theory, we just need to ensure that the center of gravity of the can is above the corner, and we will be able to ensure the can’s stability; when this happens, we would have an equilateral triangle. For Xiao Zhan, as an art student, to quickly react to with this physics and math theory, we should be quite glad to know that we do not really forget what we learn in school after all.
Who’s on the Shiatsu Pad?
Game Mission: One of the five members of Group A is standing on the shiatsu pad, only their upper bodies are visible. Group B will need to guess who is standing on the shiatsu pad by giving them specific instructions to complete.
From the first look of this mission, most of us would probably have the same idea – let the 5 of them jump on the spot, the one who is jumping on the shiatsu pad is probably in pain. But after understanding Xiao Zhan’s strategy, you might feel that your idea might be a bit too flimsy, after all, people can be acting.
So, what did Xiao Zhan do?
First, he let each of them hop past each position. (It seemed logical, since someone’s expression is bound to slip.)
But! At the end, Xiao Zhan said that he was not looking at the expression of the person jumping, but at the expressions of those at the side – when the person jumps on the location of the shiatsu pad, the surrounding 4 persons would unintentionally look at position, and he used that location to determine the person who was standing on it.
Shocking! We did not know that you’re Mr. Xiao-Calculated-Psychiatrist-Zhan!
Full Marks on Skills, Full Marks on Attitude
Sporting: What is idol image? I don’t know
There are those with idol-worthy looks, but tosses his image away like trash.
There is this game that both guys are tied together with a long rubber robe and they would need to bring items from the basket to their respective tables. Xiao Zhan, in order to increase friction with the ground, took off his shoes and socks, totally ignoring his idol image.
In addition, there is this game where they were to put on pants without hands, and all kinds of weird positions were used.
The only thing we can see in all his expression and his casually tossed away image is – I! Want! To! Win!
Memory Power: I am a lines robot with emotion
When it comes to games that require memory power, Xiao Zhan’s teammates would unanimously nominate him to participate. In the lines memorization game, both teams were to reenact classic scenes from Chinese Drama, and the team with the most number of correct lines would win.
The first scene is a classic scene from “Romance in the Rain” (TN: This scene is already a meme in China.):
Xiao Zhan was acting as … the door, but he is not an ordinary door – he is not only a talking door, he can also remind his teammates of his lines. It’s a door with lines prompting and lines correction.
The second scene is a classic scene from “My Fair Princess”, a conversation between Meng Dan and Han Xiang.
This part was slightly longer, Xiao Zhan not only had to memorize the lines for two persons, he also acted as both roles, and in the end he won the victory for the team, unlocking the title “The Lines King”.
Self Control: A real man will not smile if he does not want to
From many of Xiao Zhan’s interviews we could see that he has a lot of self control – he spoke of dieting and his strict self discipline in his work and daily life. We can see this once again in his performance in the game.
This game required the other participants to try to make him smile/laugh, whereas he will need to control his emotions and not smile/laugh. Xiao Zhan was the only one in the entire session to not only maintain his emotions, he was actually attempting to cry, and in the end he made the other participants laugh instead.
Reflexes: As fast as a rabbit
This is a game where the participants were assigned values, such as 1 dollar or 50 cents. When the game master calls for a specific amount (e.g. 2 dollars), the participants will need to quickly gather together to form the called amount. If you are not part of any group, you would be eliminated. This game required fast reflexes, and Xiao Zhan displayed his quick reflexes by ending the game before anyone else has realized.
In the trash segregation segment for his “Happy Camp” episode, Xiao Zhan not only reacted fast, he also used his actions to prove that “if you change your answers fast enough, you can’t be wrong”.
Using his own advantage: With my looks, I can be whimsical
In the challenge “send a Weibo post without using hands”, Xiao Zhan chose to use his nose, and only spent 52 seconds to sent a 9 worded (TN: Chinese words) Weibo post, winning the challenge.
In the background and in the comments were full of “Zhan Zhan’s nose is so good looking!” You can say that he does whatever he wants with his looks.
Serious challenger: Let’s play well together, shall we?
During team games, we can observe that Xiao Zhan would always be patiently explaining his ideas to his teammates, and suggesting on how to cooperate in order to meet the goal more effectively.
Not only he does this to his teammates, he is also very serious and respectful to his opponents. In this game, where both of them were to cross a log bridge in a sack, and if you were to fall, you would have to start from the beginning. In the whole process, as long as the opponent fell off, he would push Xiao Zhan off the bridge, so that both of them would have to restart together. Despite all these, Xiao Zhan did not get angry, but instead after noticing his opponent’s frustrations, he calmly said “Let me teach how to play this game, let’s play this round well shall we?”
In this, we not only see his serious attitude for fair play, we also see his good nature and good upbringing.
After reviewing so many of his exciting moments, do you want to play a game with Xiao Zhan?
Easter Eggs!
Try to guess what Xiao Zhan is gesturing! (Answers at the end.)
Answers:
- Firecracker
- Sunflower
- Rocket / Space Shuttle
- Square Dance
- Teletubbies
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