In the most recent “Mic’d Up” edition of USA Track and Field, Olympian Freddie Crittenden was featured while attending a training session. During this time, he met Kenny Bednarek, and they quickly bonded over their mutual interest in gaming.
Their conversation exposed a different side of these two well-known American athletes, highlighting their interests off the track. Crittenden asked Bednarek about his favorite game, “What’s your top game that you play?” To which the 25-year-old replied:
“I play COD. I like to play more multiplayer, but I’ll play Warzone. So, I play that. I’ll play Madden. Right now, I’m playing Rise of the Ronin. But I’ll play anything.”
Bednarek’s gaming interests spanned across a variety of genres. He began by referencing Call of Duty, where he became more interested in the classic multiplayer than the Warzone mode. Aside from the action-packed FPS title, he showed interest in sports games such as Madden NFL.
The American sprinter did not stop there; he said he recently played Rise of the Ronin, an action role-playing game. These were big titles, but Crittenden was particularly interested in the last one, which he considered a soul-like genre.
However, Bednarek instantly denied it. Crittenden mentioned Elden Ring, winner of The Game Award for Game of the Year 2022, during their gaming debate about soul-like games.
The hurdler also stated that he had 270 hours of the From Software title. Bednarek was shaken by the revelation and wanted to learn more about Crittenden’s experience with the souls-like game.
Despite his enthusiasm for the game, the 30-year-old admitted that he had yet to complete the primary story. Because Elden Ring focuses on boss fights, Bednarek was curious whether Crittenden had defeated the first boss or not, and when he discovered that he hadn’t, he made a claim, saying:
“That game is too hard.“
“That’s how it is, though,” Crittenden admitted to the difficulty of Elden Ring. Since From Software‘s 2009 hit Demon Souls, soul-like games have become well-known in the gaming industry.
These games tell their stories to the audience without guides, extensive tutorials, or even in-game maps. They allow the player to experience the entire game based on their own decision-making skills and how they want to progress through it, just like in real life.
The American hurdler was impressed with the game and gave Bednarek a tip: avoid the first boss, Tree Sentinel, and instead explore the realm of Elden Ring, then come back to fight it with the appropriate amount of strength.
Additionally, he mentioned that players can choose to co-op in the game. Bednarek then joked about battling the game’s first boss alongside Crittenden, saying:
“That guy is cold, we’re both getting our a*** whooped“
Crittenden invited Bednarek to join him in Elden Ring, explaining that because he was in the endgame, he would not have a tough time completing the early objectives in the game.
