Giant Bomb #8 | It's a Hit!

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ab.aeterno said:
You're being that guy.


No one is saying they need to represent every permutation of people possible, the discussion is about how great if would be if there was any diversity added to the site's main staff. The implicit arguments here -- that there must not have been any qualified minority candidates with ability or that it's not with prising diversity unless we include everyone -- are kind of gross and don't address any of the concerns being brought up.

In fact, this argument about including everyone, as well as a few others, come up in every thread touching on diversity to such an extent that I may seriously have to create a Bingo card.


The whole point of this discussion is pointing out that it rarely comes naturally due to systemic issues in the industry at large.


Yeah, it must suck to have people bully you for traits that are outside of your control. I can't imagine what that's like.
People shouldn't do it, but it's kind of sad to see this when I often see from other gamers to just ignore the vile bullshit slung online.


This is a genuinely great post.
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I'm generally not one to complain about this stuff and I admit to being probably frequently non-PC myself (in ways I'm not always proud of in hindsight), but it immediately jumped out to me when I found out Ryckert was the new guy. Not JUST because it's all 30ish straight white guys but because it's all 30ish straight white guys with extremely similar tastes and similar cynicism and personalities. I like all the GB dudes just fine but damn, some more diversity would really help the conversations on the podcast and in their general coverage. It's not so much just about equal opportunity, it's also about having a more interesting and diverse set of views on offer.

Hell, even a white straight dude who is OLDER or YOUNGER would help give a fresh perspective. I was excited about the idea of Jeff Green just because he plays some of the types of games the other guys often don't (JRPGS and sim games for example) and his age gives him a bit of a unique perspective. But really anybody could have provided a fresher take/different set of tastes than another guy that has very much the same cultural background, perspectives and tastes as everybody else at Giant Bomb.
 
Jimmyfenix said:
3810361-6155496310-xUmLC.gif


Admit it my avatar is the bomb.
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You should go full goose.

fUZZMTR.png


I didn't even see the mini gies until I saved this one :p
 
mattp said:
did vinny say where in nj they ended up moving? i suppose there's no way of making this post without it being creepy haha but i'm just curious where they decided on since i live in nj
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I want to say he said somewhere in the Fort Lee area, but I don't know if that was my own conjecture or not.
 
securitypigeon said:
Many of these uber-liberal "feminists" are muddying these sorts of debates and blatantly speaking out of their depth. I'd be quite embarrassed to yell some of the things they do with my real name attached to the timeline.

What are they really calling for? There *might* be a minority personality out there that could fit with the GB crew, but Jeff and co. could have talked with a league of them and still found Dan and Jason to be the best guys for the job.

Diversity is obviously welcome if it comes naturally, but forcing the issue to fulfil some sense of social deed would be a totally pointless and misguided thing to do. And calling anyone at GB racist is just beyond stupid.
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I definitely think there's some people that are in the wrong for blaming Giant Bomb exclusively, as if they've done a big misgiving to the gaming journalist community, but I also feel that this hiring news is also just being used as a focal point for larger industry issues. As an African-American myself and someone who at one point (and still sometimes does) considered wanting to get into gaming journalism, news like this is really discouraging and the industry as a whole is disheartening as well. People say they hired the "best person for the job" but if the industry continues to play out the way it has for however long, then the "best person for the job" will NEVER be a minority, woman etc.

And why? Because the best person for the job will always be "generic white dude #3" who probably has 10+ years of experience, has lived in New York or Cali the majority of their lives and is likely already friends with the same other 100 or so people that have held the same positions for years.

So how is a minority or woman ever supposed to even reach a position where they become the "best person for the job" when the majority of the time they're never given the opportunity for any advancement or even the chance to build a portfolio of credible work on the same level as a Dan Ryckert when all the jobs all go to the same people?

It's the equivalent of Hollywood casting the same 10 or 12 guys for the same leading roles in films year after year and when the directors are questioned for their hiring procedures they go "hey man, I just hired the best guy for the role, he's a proven actor with years of experience!" Well no shit, none of the new guys ever really got a chance to show what they could do because you always go with same bets that have already been established. No one is asking for sites like GB to force diversity for the sake of diversity but the truth is that diversity in large part is never going to "naturally happen" if the industry never opens itself to "naturally change" and present new opportunities

Times are changing though and sites like Twitch and YouTube have opened up the door for people to make names for themselves in new ways that sidestep a lot of these problems but it's still an issue regardless. If history has shown us anything though, whether it be television, film, music, art, etc., if minorities or women want to have positions in these fields, they have to create their own things as the majority of the industry will never really give a fuck about you and remain a closed-off revolving door of the same faces gobbling up the lions' share of the work.

I don't want this post to come off as angry or bitter, because I love Giant Bomb and the duders like everybody else does and have been a huge fan for years. I look forward to seeing what Dan and Jason bring to the table for GB and feel they were great hires, but we can't deny the greater issue at hand and pretend it's not a problem that doesn't exist.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
Danny has a well paying job as the face of Gamespot. He's the main personality in their transition to a personality-based site.
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People are also always severely underestimating the numbers Gamespot pulls. They're not even in the same ballpark. Leaving to work at GB would be insane. Also look at the production values/budget he gets for his stuff.
 
nbthedude said:
I'm generally not one to complain about this stuff and I admit to being probably frequently non-PC myself (in ways I'm not always proud of in hindsight), but it immediately jumped out to me when I found out Ryckert was the new guy. Not JUST because it's all 30ish straight white guys but because it's all 30ish straight white guys with extremely similar tastes and similar cynicism and personalities. I like all the GB dudes just fine but damn, some more diversity would really help the conversations on the podcast and in their general coverage. It's not so much just about equal opportunity, it's also about having a more interesting and diverse set of views on offer.

Hell, even a white straight dude who is OLDER or YOUNGER would help give a fresh perspective. I was excited about the idea of Jeff Green just because he plays some of the types of games the other guys often don't (JRPGS and sim games for example) and his age gives him a bit of a unique perspective. But really anybody could have provided a fresher take/different set of tastes than another guy that has very much the same cultural background, perspectives and tastes as everybody else at Giant Bomb.
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I wouldn't really call Ryckert much of a cynic about games.
 
Poyunch said:
Patrick puts out way too much content to not be considered important to the GB Crew. I just hope one day soon he'll be able to run his own GB Chicago branch with coworkers/employees.
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I sometimes give Patrick shit for writing articles that I think soap box and preach the choir too often (and I think he does). But if anybody was going to bring fresh voices to the table at GB it would be him. Letting him "expand" GB Chicago and actually hire some fresh talent there would probably be nothing but a good thing for the diversity of voices on the site. I have faith that Patrick would find great people if he was given the opportunity.

Unfortunately I don't think GB has the funds to do that kind of expansion now or anytime in the near future if the guys are to be believed about the budgetary constraints they face.
 
Kaizer said:
Times are changing though and sites like Twitch and YouTube have opened up the door for people to make names for themselves in new ways that sidestep a lot of these problems but it's still an issue regardless. If history has shown us anything though, whether it be television, film, music, art, etc., if minorities or women want to have positions in these fields, they have to create their own things as the majority of the industry will never really give a fuck about you and remain a closed-off revolving door of the same faces gobbling up the lions' share of the work.

I don't want this post to come off as angry or bitter, because I love Giant Bomb and the duders like everybody else does and have been a huge fan for years. I look forward to seeing what Dan and Jason bring to the table for GB and feel they were great hires, but we can't deny the greater issue at hand and pretend it's not a problem that doesn't exist.
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Regardless of what you might think about him, Hip Hop Gamer probably only exists because the dude just decided to make a go of it on his own and forgo trying to move to SF to make videos for IGN or whatever. That seems to be the path to take if you are interested in carving a piece of the pie these days.
 
Myggen said:
I wouldn't really call Ryckert much of a cynic about games.
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I'll be honest that I don't him THAT well. But I did used to listen to the Game Informer podcasts and I seem to recall that when he was on segments with Phil Kollar the dynamic usually went that Phil was talking about some JRPG or some hard core indie game or something and Ryckert played the guy kind of comedically shitting on it.
 
nbthedude said:
I'll be honest that I don't him THAT well. But I did used to listen to the Game Informer podcasts and I seem to recall that when he was on segments with Phil Kollar the dynamic usually went that Phil was talking about some JRPG or some hard core indie game or something and Ryckert played the guy kind of comedically shitting on it.
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I think he really dislikes JRPGs or anything too Japanese.
 
Speaking of Danny, if they do have a freedom stream, they really need him on to take the piss out of the 4th of July.

Seriously, I'm American and I can't see how that wouldn't be comedy gold.
 
nbthedude said:
I sometimes give Patrick shit for writing articles that I think soap box and preach the choire too often (and I think he does). But if anybody was going to bring fresh voices to the table at GB it would be him. Letting him "expand" GB Chicago and actually hire some fresh talent there would probably be nothing but a good thing for the diversity of voices on the site. I have faith that Patrick would find great people if he was given the opportunity.

Unfortunately I don't think GB has the funds to do that kind of expansion now or anytime in the near future if the guys are to be believed about the budgetary constraints they face.
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By the sounds of what Max Temkin wants to do with his recently purchased massive building, Patrick will probably have access to quite a lot of interesting creatives without officially expanding GB Chicago.

Max rents out desk space to lots of people and small teams working on independent projects. So I'm sure Patrick will get lots of offers to help out considering the exposure it'll give them.

Patryn said:
Speaking of Danny, if they do have a freedom stream, they really need him on to take the piss out of the 4th of July.

Seriously, I'm American and I can't see how that wouldn't be comedy gold.
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There's only one way to properly celebrate freedom. Put the kettle on, grab the nearest red jacket and book a free doctor's appointment.
 
Zaph said:
By the sounds of what Max Temkin wants to do with his recently purchased massive building, Patrick will probably have access to quite a lot of interesting creatives without officially expanding GB Chicago.

Max rents out desk space to lots of people and small teams working on independent projects. So I'm sure Patrick will get lots of offers to help out considering the exposure it'll give them.
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This could also come across as kinda shitty though. "Yeah, we won't hire you, but you can totally work for free for us because EXPOSURE!"

It's not that easy.

One of the reasons this thing blew up so much is that it came right hot on the heels of a big discussion spurned by Jenn Frank (who is not only a great writer, but is also a pretty well known voice in the games space) barely being able to make ends meet, in the end having to resort to starting a patreon.
 
Kaizer said:
I definitely think there's some people that are in the wrong for blaming Giant Bomb exclusively, as if they've done a big misgiving to the gaming journalist community, but I also feel that this hiring news is also just being used as a focal point for larger industry issues. As an African-American myself and someone who at one point (and still sometimes does) considered wanting to get into gaming journalism, news like this is really discouraging and the industry as a whole is disheartening as well. People say they hired the "best person for the job" but if the industry continues to play out the way it has for however long, then the "best person for the job" will NEVER be a minority, woman etc.
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Gaming journalism is a long way from being a growth industry now, doesn't pay very well, and you generally have to live in one of America's most expensive cities to get a job. Those are far bigger obstacles to consider.
 
Patryn said:
Speaking of Danny, if they do have a freedom stream, they really need him on to take the piss out of the 4th of July.

Seriously, I'm American and I can't see how that wouldn't be comedy gold.
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They should run a second stream of Danny watching Independence Day on DVD and commenting over. That's what 4th of July always meant to me anyway.

"Good Duders. Good Duders. For the next 2 hours, I will join others from around the office, we will be launching the largest Windjammers tournament in the history of the Internet. Internet, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty genres any more. We will be united in our common interest. Perhaps it's fate that today is the 3rd of July, and we will once again be fighting with flying discs. Not with shotguns, swords, or staffs, but from the power of e-sports. We're fighting for our right to throw, to fling and should we win the day, the 3rd of July will have new meaning, as the day when the Internet declared in one voice, 'We will not Jam quietly into the night! We will not win without a Power Disc! We're going to throw on, and score 5 points. Today we celebrate Freedom Stream!"
 
Finally got around to watching UPF, looks like Next Car Game's improved quite a bit from the Unfinished they did. I hope the game does well for Bugbear, I'll do my part and buy the game right now. Glad to see the guys having so much fun with the game, too!
 
Sakwoff said:
This could also come across as kinda shitty though. "Yeah, we won't hire you, but you can totally work for free for us because EXPOSURE!"

It's not that easy.
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I'm not talking about formal positions, but the same way it already happens when Patrick works at the CAH desk - people jumping into his Splunky stream, joining in on the Lost podcast etc. It's a shared work environment, that's the point.

Sakwoff said:
One of the reasons this thing blew up so much is that it came right hot on the heels of a big discussion spurned by Jenn Frank (who is not only a great writer, but is also a pretty well known voice in the games space) barely being able to make ends meet, in the end having to resort to starting a patreon.
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That's nothing new. Plenty of writers for years have been unable to make ends meet and left the industry/took a part time job/moved. It's just a more vocal problem now because of the crowd funding push. There are literally no jobs in that industry.
 
rmanthorp said:
hxrJrBI.png


sigh... what is even she trying to accomplish?

It's gone now.
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So basically because she wasn't hired out of all the applicants she is now venting about it? It is one way to burn bridges if having a job there clearly means so much to her, unless I've missed something here?
 
Zaph said:
That's nothing new. Plenty of writers for years have been unable to make ends meet and left the industry/took a part time job/moved. It's just a more vocal problem now because of the crowd funding push. There are literally no jobs in that industry.
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Yeah, I know. I'm just saying that it was topical right at the moment GB was hiring two dudes.

The perception is that the few jobs that are there are then always given to the same circle of people, who are mostly men. Which is not completely unfounded.
 
rmanthorp said:
hxrJrBI.png


sigh... what is even she trying to accomplish?

It's gone now.
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Attention seeking. She knows the comments will get caught, talked about, idiots will abuse her on twitter and she'll get to continue believing she did no wrong, the community is evil and was witch hunted after her embarrassing appearances.

She also agreed with quite a nasty tweet suggesting GB was for industry veterens who "can't retire". She feels GB hung her out to dry and likes to get her digs in now and then.

And then all the legitimate criticism gets drowned out, doing her friends a disservice (but no one will call the top dog out on it). It's great.
 
nbthedude said:
So you permanently ignore anyone who ever says anything out of knee-jerk emotional reaction?

What is it like having nobody to talk to but robots?
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This started earlier today, nothing knee-jerk about it. First insulting the community, then the crew, now the community again.

Also, I choose to ignore whoever I want. Not sure why you would care.
 
Mesoian said:
Venting frustrations in a poor and extraordinarily public space.
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Undoubtedly poor form. But I emphathize with the frustrations. Hell, I pretty much knew it was a tremendous stretch when I was hoping they might pick up Jeff Green, a old straight Jewish white dude. I don't have any particular affinity for Leigh Alexander and in fact I quite often disagree with her opinions, but it's pretty clear how the deck is stacked.
 
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