# What was that one game Dopers found that had the computer guessing who they were? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 25, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627 "2011-04-25T06:53:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/201 "2011-06-25T02:49:22Z")
It got Virginia Dare in 20. Stumped it with [Enguerrand VII de Coucy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enguerrand_VII,_Lord_of_Coucy), the main character in Barbara Tuchman’s [A Distant Mirror](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Distant_Mirror). ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/202 "2011-06-25T03:55:53Z")
> [@furt](#): > > It was unable to identify 1980s shortstop Steve Jeltz, or a tertiary character from one of my childhood books. > > Obviously useless. You probably cheated and anwered “No” to the question “Was your character a notoriously weak hitting shortstop who hit only .210 with 5 home runs for his career?” I tried to get it to guess Steve Jeltz and it guessed another weak hitting (power-wise) shortstop, Ozzie Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/203 "2011-06-29T19:17:44Z")
Color me impressed. It guessed Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in about 20 steps. It had one incorrect guess! ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/204 "2011-07-03T06:46:18Z")
Got it with Nimrod, the biblical character that has about 3 sentences devoted to him, though I wasn’t sure of the correct answer a few times. He wasn’t in the database, so he couldn’t get him anyway. Got it with Sweetums, though looking at the details, apparently he didn’t expect “probably” to the question “Has your character killed anybody?” He astonishingly got Gharbad the weak from diablo on the 2nd guess. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/205 "2011-07-03T06:56:20Z")
Also it didn’t have Steve Nash, the most ridiculous man in the world ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/206 "2011-08-22T19:37:08Z")
I had John A. Macdonald, first Canadian Prime Minister in mind. The game asked several questions, then I got this pair of questions: Q: Is he a good guy? A: Yes. Q: Is he Canadian? A: Yes. Two more questions and he got Sir John. Even computer databases think Canadians are nice guys… ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/207 "2011-08-22T22:18:47Z")
It got Artie Lange, Lorne Michaels, [Pablo Sandoval](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Sandoval), and Jared from Subway, but did not get [Charley Steiner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Steiner). ETA : It just got Cairne Bloodhoof from WoW… Joe ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/208 "2011-08-22T22:26:52Z")
How weird. I was thinking of [The Iron Sheik](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Sheik), and by question 16, it clearly knew the answer - Is he a wrestler? Is he Iranian? Is he bald? Then it went completely off the rails with some nonsense answer (like, gibberish words, not an actual name), before getting the answer at question 30… Joe ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/209 "2011-08-22T23:26:12Z")
Couldn’t get Jarah Mariano, but got Mariah alomst instantly. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/210 "2011-08-23T00:15:48Z")
Well, it guessed Manuel from Fawlty Towers. My hat is off to the designers of this. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/211 "2011-08-23T01:56:14Z")
I just wasted insane time there! It’s TOO good! ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/212 "2011-08-23T02:09:51Z")
He failed to guess Dennis Conner, famous America’s Cup yachtsman, but the weird thing is he guessed Ted Turner on his 2nd try, who also won the America’s Cup. Even when you beat it, it freaks you out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627.md?page=10)