‘Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin On ‘Destiny 2’ And His Ideal Avatar

Destiny 2 is heading to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 this September, and excitement for the second installment of Activision and Bungie’s latest sci-fi shooter seems to be picking up with every reveal. On Thursday, fans and celebrities from around the world joined members of the gaming media at the Jet Center Los Angeles to be among the first people to play the highly-anticipated sequel.

Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin was among the celebrity guests to attend the Destiny 2 gameplay world premiere event. Like the many 15-year-old fans his age who watched the gameplay debut and keynote presentation, he was really excited.

“Destiny 2‘s coming out and it’s better, stronger, and powerful,” McLaughlin said. “So, I’m waiting for that September 8. Let’s go.”

When it came time to play the game, his hands-on experience at the event did not disappoint, either.

“It was so fun,” he said. “There’s so much more to do now. The story mode starts right off the bat. It’s not slow, it’s just so good. So much fun.”

Stars and celebs of all playing levels were in attendance at the Destiny 2 event, from intrigued first-time players, like actress Ana de Armas, to those who’ve been playing since Year 1, such as Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Zach LaVine. McLaughlin is no stranger to the game, as he started playing on PS4 last year.

“I started playing Destiny like a year ago,” he recalled, noting that it might have been around September of 2016.

He’s a single-class kind of Guardian and runs a Titan.

“Honestly, I started playing with a Titan. I’ve never played with a Warlock, or a Hunter, but I’ve heard a lot that the Hunter is the best [class],” he continued.

When asked if he could envision himself as a character in the game, McLaughlin wanted to be more than just a Titan or Hunter.

“If I decided to be a Destiny character, what would I be? I would be… hmm,” he thought aloud, briefly pausing to think about the idea for a moment. “Well…I would [still] choose Titan, because I like what the Titan has…but, I dunno. I just think Destiny itself is great, so I would definitely love to be in the world of Destiny — and be me. And not even a Titan, or a Warlock, or a Hunter. I would just be myself, you know? And maybe combine all of the [classes] like Hunter, Warlock, and Titan to create me. That would be awesome.”

Indeed, it would be. With the latest advances in gaming technology, giving players the ability to scan their likeness into an avatar of themselves and to create custom classes could plausibly be on the drawing board somewhere at Bungie HQ. Destiny gamers can dream, anyway.

In the here and now, Caleb McLaughlin is living the dream thanks to his success on Stranger Things. The series’ cast recently won big at the SAG Awards, taking home the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series award. On his own, McLaughlin has also been nominated for the BET YoungStars Award.

“I literally found out on my friend’s page. He was like, ‘Congratulations!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, cool. I got nominated for an award.’ It’s super-duper exciting.”

Despite the rapid success, the young star remains grateful and aware of the opportunity he’s been given.

“It’s definitely an amazing experience,” he said, humbly. “It’s a blessing to be part of this amazing show, because not many people get great shows like this.”

“Lucas is such a great character. I definitely think he is, because I’ve connected with him a lot,” McLaughlin noted, keenly aware that he’s far from the only fan of his character in Stranger Things. “Some people know too many things about him, but you’ll see even more about Lucas in Season 2.”

[Featured Image by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images]