When Jordan Groetken took up Big Buck HD Wild, a modern remake of the early 2000s-era arcade classic Big Buck Safari, he was just looking to break up the monotony of daily life.
He works for the city of Durango as a security analyst in its information technology division. He said he would go to The Garage Billiards Hall at 128 W. Eighth St. in Durango and play for a half-hour a few times a week to relax and take his mind off things.
Last month, a year after he picked up the hobby, he found himself in Chicago at Marathon Music Works for the Big Buck HD Wild World Championships with a starting global rank of 75. Groetken, 33, finished ranked 105th out of 128 top worldwide players.
It was his first time in the Windy City; his first time competing on stage in front of hundreds of people; and also the first time he’d gone toe-to-toe with players in person who far surpassed his own skills.
It was also his first introduction to the global Big Buck community, which he said was a phenomenal experience.
For the uninitiated, Big Buck HD Wild is an arcade shooter video game with laser guns for controllers, just like those seen at bowling alleys, movie galleries, bars and, of course, arcades of yesteryear.
The objective is to shoot down virtual game such as elk, wildebeest, bighorn sheep, bears and lions, and to rack up points for landing difficult shots while avoiding shooting deer, which can cost one many points or the entire game, depending on the format.
“Chicago’s where every single game in (The Garage) is made, even the pool tables,” he said. “Except, I think, Skee-Ball. Pinball, Golden Tee (Golf), Big Buck Hunter, the pool tables, all made in Chicago. So it’s really cool to kind of get to that arcade scene.”
Groetken said everywhere he went in the venue, he recognized big-time Big Buck Hunter players. He recognized some of them from global rankings who bested his personal scores. He recognized others from matches broadcast live on the venue’s jumbotron over the weekend.
“It was good meeting a bunch of people from Colorado. I met someone that was from Breckenridge, a couple from Denver, and they all just kind of brought me into the community,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Yeah, we should go practice.’ … They just helped me out the whole time.”
Before getting into Big Buck HD Wild, Groetken was an avid pinball player. And he knows a thing or two about hunting in real life.
The arcade game and the real hunt, of course, have wide and varied differences, but they share some similarities.
He got his first rifle when he was about 10 years old and his first down, or kill, at 12 years old hunting small game like rabbits and squirrels, he said. He has hunted big game such as elk, but truth be told, that’s boring compared to the arcade shooter.
Big Buck HD Wild requires a fast-paced strategy that just doesn’t compare to real hunting. The simulated animals appear in quick succession, sometimes simultaneously, and each species is worth its own amount of points (in addition to extra points for accurate shots).
“If you see a buck in the back and he’s just poking his head up, you might want to wait until he gets away from that doe before you get him,” he said. “Take out the easy ones first and then prioritize that.”
The next closest Big Buck HD Wild arcade outside Durango is in Grand Junction, he said. It’s a niche hobby. It was something else to see so many passionate fans and players in one place in Chicago.
Groetken said he doesn’t play many typical video games these days, adding that he already spends so much time in front of the computer fighting cybercrime. Big Buck HD Wild is different because it keeps him on his feet while he plays. And he tends to only play in short sessions.
His girlfriend joined him on the trip to Chicago. Outside of the gaming world, they enjoyed Chicago-style deep dish pizza and ate Chicago hot dogs every single night. The experience left him looking forward for what’s to come.
“I want to go to next year,” he said. “They usually travel around; this year, Chicago. Last year was Las Vegas. Who knows? Maybe we’ll go to Canada next,.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
