There are a few non-negotiables in life. One of which is if you get a chance to ask Vinnie Jones some questions about tanks, you say yes. So we did, and here’s how it went.
Firstly, if you think about it, Vinnie Jones has a fair bit in common with a tank. Uncompromising, highly destructive, and… heavily armored? Okay, so maybe not a fair bit, but more than your usual ex-footballer. Vinnie has found himself as the Christmas ambassador for World of Tanks, appearing both in the game and in the reasonably funny new advert, where he has second thoughts about being the tough right-hand to Santa.
Being the enforcer for an all-knowing, all-seeing jolly man isn’t quite what it’s cracked up to be. People don’t realize that it’s a year-round gig, and although the company car is decent, apparently punishing the naughty can wear thin. With that, Jones is now plying his trade in the armored division, wreaking havoc on anything – and anyone – in sight.
We wanted to know what drew Vinnie to the World of Tanks, and how he’s finding the role, following up the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Milla Jovovich.“Wargaming gave me a fantastic opportunity: one day as Santa’s enforcer and the next as a virtual commander in World of Tanks,” he tells us. “It’s an exciting experience, exploring different roles and adding a unique touch to it.”
Vinnie doesn’t have much to say about his Christmas ambassador predecessors, other than how successful their campaigns were – something I’m sure he hopes to recreate this holiday season. Turning our attention to videogames, I’m eager to learn about his history with our favorite pastime; whether he enjoyed a few games of something in between match days. “I’ve played more football than videogames; however I do love Super Mario,” he explains.
It’s strange to think of an unrelenting, combative midfielder stomping on Goombas, but you’ve got to do whatever it takes to stay in that competitive mindset, I guess. I then float the idea of a ‘Bullet-Tooth’ Tony videogame – searching the length and breadth of the UK, looking for the perfect pint of Guinness, checking off each pub like so many map markers.
“The ‘Bullet-Tooth’ Tony action game would definitely become a hit, but I would need Franky ‘Four-Fingers’ and Boris ‘the Blade’ involved too,” Jones tells me.
That settles that, then. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I’m curious to know which of Vinnie’s former teammates he’d choose to be locked inside a tank with, and why. “I would go for my good mate Dennis Wise. Apart from being a reliable lad, it would spare some extra room for me, and in a tank, space is a crucial thing,” Jones explains.
Compact and reliable – the two attributes we long for in our soldiers. The World of Tanks Holiday Ops event, starring Vinnie Jones, kicked off on December 1 and will run throughout the holiday period. If you’re after some more no-strings-attached games, we also have a list of the best free PC games you can play right now.