Say hello to the Locked On Lads! A group of players originally from Australia, who bonded over their mutual love of videos games! The team chats with us about how they came together and why raising funds for cancer research is so important to them.
What’s the first game you remember playing?
Wilko: Sadly the first game I remember playing was Pac-man, the most boring of answers. My Brother had a Commodore 64 and PAC-Man on a cassette. The cassette was broken however and the game data was halfway through the cassette so you had to load the game (which felt like 30 minutes) and then when it froze you loaded it again from that point and it would work. It took a lot of time and effort to play my first game. So I guess you can blame my brother for getting me into gaming as I was always sneaking onto his stuff from there on out to play whatever I could to pass the time. It was amazing back then and made all kinds of worlds to escape to possible as it still is today.
Cal: First game I remember playing is Vanguard on the Atari 2600 – I also remember getting RSI from playing it waaaay too much!
McDad: The last Ninja on the commodore 64
Butters: it was Mario Bros/Duck hunt… It was the highlight of my young life when I went to my granparent’s house even though it was an old Black and White telly
Can you tell us more about how Locked On Lads got started?
Wilko: Locked on Lads is probably my third attempt to be part of or make an online community that was inclusive and fun for all. A place where people could go to and be themselves while finding people that they could enjoy their hobby with. We all know how hard it is to find other gamers in your day to day lives, so finding friends from around the world that enjoyed games was easily the best option at the time. So out of a community called ARMD I fell into a community called Ultra Super Mega and we started a podcast there. Out of that community we created a Tom Clancy games focused podcast called Locked On. Once Ultra Super Mega started to slow down, the “Lads” from the “Locked On” podcast created our own little area of the internet and Locked On Lads was a thing.
Cal: From what I remember, Wilko (who I knew from playing Mechwarrior and doing a Mechwarrior Podcast with, wanted some other talking monkeys to discuss a new Tom Clancy game….I thought ‘hey I am a Monkey and have a talking head, count me in!’ – the rest is history
McDad: Started before i was involved, but joined the team because Division had been my go to game since launch.
Butters: The Locked On Lads started coz Wilko cornered me in a room and told me I had to do it, but for reals, just a love for the Tom Clancy-verse… also did kinda get roped in though
What’s been one of your bigest or most exciting achievements?
Wilko: Any time I have met up with people from the community at events or for whatever reason it has been such a highlight. Being on stage in PAX Aus for a panel would have to be right up there with a highlight as well. The one that does stand out for me was the Ubisoft Experience in Sydney where so many of our community were able to get together at once. Walking around the show floor and stopping and talking to so many people who we had only met online and really connected with our content was a memory I will never forget. I have met so many amazing people through this whole experience that I do feel really special and lucky that it has gone this far.
Cal: Biggest achievement would have to be doing a live taping of our Podcast at PAX on the show floor, while the Rainbow 6 invitational was going on in the background.
McDad: See Cals comment and to reach 100 episodes.
Butters: Biggest achievement is being able to know some of those kids who do some of the Rainbow Six casting/analysis… APAC STRONK… oh shit…
Who in the video game industry (or which game character) inspires you?
Wilko: I have always been inspired by the Kinda Funny crew, what they have created out of podcasts, not only in the gaming space, but in podcasting as a whole is just simply, spectacular. Greg Miller and the crew have truly created an amazing community and create such good content that it is hard not to be inspired by them. On a smaller scale, some of the cosplayers I have met along the way have inspired me as well, DB who does Division and Ghost Recon cosplay and Eric,The Last Chancer cosplay have so much time for people, even when they have such time intensive jobs they still make time for people and for their passion.
Cal: I am sure the guys will want me to say Chris Roberts…ha! I think honestly though, would have to be someone like Devmarta (who shoutcasts, does stats for Rainbow Six comps all over the world) or David Haines – a Simspeed commentator. They have taken something which they love doing / passion project and been able to travel the world doing it.
McDad: I’m going to say Tom Clancy (even though he never made any games)
Butters: Honestly its Toshihiro Nagoshi, he got the Yakuza series off the ground. Essentially against the wishes of his upper management, but its gone hard… the epitome of a big bet and a big win… also Nagoshi’s cat is cute af
Why is supporting cancer research important to you?
Wilko: 2022 was a terrible year for me and Cancer had a big part in that. Firstly my dad had just beaten cancer and one of my oldest friends’ husband wasn’t so lucky when he succumbed to brain cancer after a long fight with it. A good mate then had a large sun cancer removed from his face leaving him sore and with a long road to recovery. Our new next door neighbours that have become like grandparents to my children then have had to battle cancer on two fronts in that 12 month period as well. However, finally I lost my dad to cancer after it returned late in the year and I had to watch the life drain out of this amazing man over the 3 months that he tried to hold on. Watching someone die like that is a horrific process and one I do not wish on anyone. These stories, everyone has, and this is the problem. So many people are continuously touched by this horrible disease and any little thing I can do with this community we have grown I am absolutely more than happy to do it.
Cal: My grandfather, Mother and Stepdad all have passed due to cancer. I have seen close friends’ family also suffer, survive and perish due to the terrible disease. I am happy that I can do something as simple as play video games to help fund people far smarter than me find ways to better treat or cure cancer.
McDad: My mum passed away from Cancer last year, and Cancer has affected all of us.
Butters: Cancer research is important because I have had several members of my family have cancer diagnosis’ in the past and I just want a cancer diagnosis to be something that is akin to having a cold
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