Parting Shot

Kofi Kingston

EVERY YEAR IN LOS ANGELES, THE BIGGEST GAMING COMPANIES BRING their newest wares to E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). The weeklong celebration of all things gaming attracts fans from all walks of life, including World Wrestling Entertainment champ Kofi Kingston. He’s been one of the WWE’s most consistent and charismatic performers for more than a decade; this year he finally captured the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. Now that he’s on top, he intends to make the most of it. And that includes a healthy dose of video games on the YouTube channel UpUpDownDown. Kingston says he’s “on top of the world” now that he holds both the UUDD championship and the WWE championship, and wants to use his platform as a star gamer for good. “A lot of people look at video games as something that nerds do. But we look at it as a way to connect with people. It’s something that’s positive, that brings people together. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”

“Using our celebrity to do positive things is not just a gimmick. It’s something we believe in.”

What games were you most excited to see at E3?

The new Gears of War looks awesome. I’m really bad at shooting games. When Halo came out in college, I felt like everyone had a head start on me and I have never been able to catch up.

How do you keep up with gaming on the road?

I try to hook [my PlayStation] up in hotels. You used to get mad if you had a layover or a delay. Now it’s almost a blessing. “We have three hours? Let’s hook up this PlayStation in the airport.”

My Mortal Kombat was taken away as a kid because it was too bloody. Did that happen to you?

Remember Columbia House, where you got 10 CDs for a penny? I had Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, The Chronic by Dr. Dre... I was playing that out loud, so my mom took those away. But, for whatever reason, she never took away Mortal Kombat. Maybe she didn’t get a good glimpse. Or we got a little smarter about it.

Xavier Woods just used UUDD to raise money for children’s cancer research. What makes games appealing as a means of fundraising and outreach?

Using our celebrity to do positive things is not just a gimmick that I [and fellow WWE performers] Woods and Big E play on TV. It’s something we believe in. So raising money playing video games is something that’s very important. —Phil Martinez