Community Spotlight – Woodrow Jenkins

Over the years, the Sea of Thieves has drawn in countless brave souls with the promise of swashbuckling adventure and nautical nonsense. With a long career as a pirate already under his belt, and boasting a highly recognisable look and laugh, this week’s Spotlight star has made an impression both in-game and out. So let’s catch up with Woodrow Jenkins for a chat about his journeys across the Sea of Thieves…

[Q]: Can you tell us a little about what got you into gaming?

[A]: Yes! I first got into gaming from my parents. My mother loved the Super Nintendo and taught me and my sister how to play games like Street Fighter II and Donkey Kong Country. Then my dad got a PlayStation and we would play things like Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil.

[Q]: Were you a Rare fan before Sea of Thieves? Do you have any favourite Rare games?

[A]: Absolutely! Donkey Kong Country is one of my first gaming memories and still one of my all-time favourites. I still play and beat the game a few times a year. Also it’s so awesome how I grew up with Robin Beanland OSTs in other Rare games and now streaming Sea of Thieves is my full-time job. Feels like a full circle thing.

[Q]: What other games are you currently playing? Any favourites?

[A]: Hunt: Showdown for online gaming and I’m always going back and replaying my old favourites, from Silent Hill to Resident Evil. There is so much nostalgia from those titles.

[Q]: What brought you over to Sea of Thieves and its community?

[A]: When seeing the first trailer for the game in 2015, I knew that this was going to be something I had to be a part of. I began playing during the Open Beta in early 2018 and I haven’t looked back since.

[Q]: You’ve created a fun space and community over the years, what have been the best projects you’ve done together?

[A]: We used to do a server takeover every month or so where we would pick an island and run minigames like Hide and Seek, then after everyone had a turn we would regroup for a sail to experience the incredible story of Glitterbeard. I cried like a baby reading the notes! Having everyone there and experiencing that together was so moving.

[Q]: One of your greatest passions seems to be music, what instruments do you play and what’s your favourite genre?

[A]: I have played guitar for many years and I’ll mess around with anything stringed I can get my hands on. I love almost any genre of music. Anything from Bluegrass to Motown. Metal music is what I play and listen to the most nowadays. Bands like Municipal Waste and Vio-Lence are just so much fun. Letting loose and getting wild is so freeing. I was fortunate to be raised around many different musicians and music lovers.

[Q]: And one for fun: you have a fairly iconic laugh, how far has this got you in life?

[A]: It’s gotten me all kinds of funny looks and even funnier reactions. I come from a family of folks who love to joke, be loud and have a good time. So being loud and expressive has just always been a part of my life.

[Q]: Thinking back, are there any standout moments for you in Sea of Thieves since you started playing?

[A]: My absolute favourite has to be when my friend and our favourite Goose, Taaamas, made a personalized Tall Tale for my birthday a couple of years back. They built this incredible story of how these boats got stranded coming to my party and it was up to me and Taaamas to go and recover them from different islands in the game (I had no idea what was happening).

We showed up to the first island, and after some clues cleverly written down, I found SourScar, KroTukk and a couple of other incredible pirates hiding in a cave on Smugglers’ Bay. They were hot micing HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This carried on to a couple of other islands until we gathered an entire server’s worth of community members on ONE Sloop and we all sailed to Booty Isle for a Pirate Party. I will never forget that. One of the kindest things anyone has done for me.

[Q]: What are your favourite recent additions to Sea of Thieves?

[A]: Reapers and Athena Allegiance/diving for PvP has to be one of my favourite additions to the game this year. Having the ability to just press a button and be in a fight is something we could only dream of when the game first came out. Also, the animations and music for when you start matchmaking give me chills!

[Q]: What are your greatest achievements in a game, Sea of Thieves or otherwise?

[A]: It would have to be getting the opportunity to host streaming events like The Gauntlet and Last Ship Standing. Shoutcasting and hosting events like that is one my favourite and most shining moments as a content creator. Getting to represent and show my passion for Sea of Thieves with this unique community will be something I never get tired of doing.

[Q]: If you had to choose a pirate and ship name, what would they be?

[A]: My ship’s name is the Big Lil’ Dumpy, and a name for my pirate would be… Sally the Swishing Slasher.

[Q]: What kind of other hobbies do you enjoy outside of gaming?

[A]: Ocean and marine life has always been a passion of mine. I’m working on my diving certification now so I can continue to swim with sharks and other beautiful critters.

[Q]: Share a fun fact about yourself. Anything is fair game!

[A]: I’m double-jointed in my thumbs, I’m left-handed and sharks are my favourite animal. If you ever want to bribe me, just have sharks involved and you’ve got me.

A rousing thank you to Woodrow for taking the time to chat. We’re always ready to witness more of his high-seas hijinks with the legendary Sally the Swishing Slasher – and of course if you’re in the vicinity of Twitch you can catch him live several times a week.

In the meantime, if you can’t wait to hear more from our community, you can check out our previous Community, Creator and Legend Spotlights. Or to see what else our players have been up to and some of the wonderful creations they’ve been making recently, head over to our Community Hub. Until next time!