# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/121 "2011-04-28T17:14:45Z")
The oly Big Bang character he didn’t get was Evil Will Wheaton. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/122 "2011-04-28T17:31:52Z")
Stumped it with [Charlie Byrd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Byrd). ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/123 "2011-04-28T18:01:59Z")
So far it’s gotten every Sesame Street character I threw at it, with the exception of Forgetful Jones. It also was able to single out Ringo from the rest of the Beatles and Bill from Bill and Ted. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/124 "2011-04-28T18:27:44Z")
Still impresses every so often. It got Wayne Stalinsky (character from _Honey, I Shrunk the Kids_) and Henry Bemis (character from “Time Enough at Last”, an episode of the _Twilight Zone_) both on the first try. ---
**Author:** ![Beniamino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@Beniamino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beniamino)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/125 "2011-04-28T19:00:26Z")
Stumped with [Lepidus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aemilius_Lepidus_(triumvir)), the forgotten third of the Second Triumvirate. Came close with the question: “Did your Character know Cleopatra” (i.e. Marc Antony). ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/126 "2011-04-28T20:22:27Z")
It got the Whammy (from Press Your Luck) on the second guess. I cannot tear myself away from this thing. Curse you, Aghris, for reminding me what it is! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/127 "2011-04-28T21:14:07Z")
It took mid 20s to get Heinrich Schliemann with one wrong guess. I had stumped it with Dale Chihuly but at least his name was there. I also completely stumped it with Diego de Landa. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/128 "2011-04-28T22:49:17Z")
26 questions to get that I was a Hungry, Hungry Hippo…still, it got it eventually (second guess). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/129 "2011-04-29T01:30:24Z")
Stumped it with Agatha Christie’s needlessly competent sleuth Tommy Beresford and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’s brawny operative Willy Armitage. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/130 "2011-04-29T02:38:55Z")
Got Fenrir Greyback in 11 tries Totally stumped by Nox from the Incarnations of Immortality Got Maugrim (Fenris Ulf) from the Narnia series in 20 Emma Peel in 12 tries ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/131 "2011-04-29T16:41:19Z")
I stumped it today with John Alden. It guessed Miles Standish, then started in on John Smith and John Rolfe. Alden wasn’t even in the database. Tried Priscilla Mullins, who also wasn’t in the database. Also stumped it with Fred Casely (not in database) and Amos Hart (in database) but it got Roxie pretty quick. (From Chicago) It’s fun to try yourself, your child, your mom, etc. Even random people like “Grocery clerk”! I’ve been most surprised on Gone with the Wind characters. It asks me the most random things like “Has your character battled robots?” with almost nothing for a yes, then pops up with whomever I’m going for. It’s also interesting to see how the randomness of the first few questions affect how long it takes. My sister and I did Lilith at the same time, and it got it for me in under 10, but took 26 for her. My daughter was trying Harry Potter and was up around question 18 or so, seemingly still random, when the phone rang, cutting off the app. When we tried it again later, it had it narrowed down in 7 or 8 questions. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/132 "2011-04-29T19:55:55Z")
Quoth **pravnik** : > [@](#): > > Success on Schrodinger’s cat, the man in the moon, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster. OK, that’s spooky. Just now is the first I saw that post, but last night, as I was about to go to bed, for some reason I decided “Hm, I should see if Akinator knows the FSM”. It only took about a dozen questions, though those included “not standing on two feet”, “religious figure”, “not in the Bible”, “associated with food” and “from the Internet”, which pretty well narrows it down. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/133 "2011-04-29T20:10:18Z")
I stumped it with Graham Greene, which was a little surprising. It guessed JOhn Le Carre, Ian Fleming, and George Orwell. Close, but no cigar. It also didn’t get Old Tom Morris (old time golfer.) It asked if he was English or Irish but never Scottish. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/134 "2011-04-29T20:21:13Z")
I stumped it with [Zen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_%28Blake%27s_7%29), the computer from Blake’s Seven. It did guess Orac, but Zen wasn’t even on the list of suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/135 "2011-04-29T23:21:50Z")
Ooh, I thought I would have it stumped with John Wilkes Booth, since it got that he was an actor in question 3, but Booth isn’t famous (any more) for his acting. But then, question 16 asked whether he was famous for a particular crime. Yeah, that pretty much gives it away. I’m also impressed that it knows Boo, the miniature giant space hamster. But once he’s in the database, he’s not all that hard to guess (small furry animal from a video game that isn’t a cat or dog and is the sidekick of a hero). ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/136 "2011-04-30T01:56:11Z")
It Got Chell pretty fast. Then again, after human, gender, and a video game by Valve, it asked about portals. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/137 "2011-04-30T01:59:02Z")
Stumped it with [Rick Rescorla](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rescorla#Actions_on_9.2F11), the hero of Vietnam and 9/11. ETA: OTOH, it got Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in 20 questions. Two extremely similar men, but Chamberlain’s been a bit more famous ever since they made a movie out of _The Killer Angels_. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/138 "2011-04-30T02:00:08Z")
Took a second round of questions to get Merc from Mirrors Edge. It would seem he is more interested with Millitary than Anarchists. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/139 "2011-04-30T02:06:11Z")
Didn’t know Ed Bradley but did know Andy Rooney. ETA Superman in 10, John Stewart (Green Lantern) in 14 or so, G’Nort on the second guess. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/140 "2011-04-30T02:09:42Z")
Stumped it with Leon Jaworski, the Watergate prosecutor. After 30 and 40 questions, it guessed Clarence Darrow and Learned Hand, respectively. (Close - well, only sorta close - but no cigar.) [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=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627.md?page=8)