Remembering Ryan Davis - Wiggy's Blog

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Remembering Ryan Davis Stuck

Posted on July 9, 2013 at 06:07 PM.

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On July 3rd, the gaming world lost one of its best orators and advocates, as Ryan Davis passed away at the age of 34. It's definitely not surprising to me how much love, sympathy, disbelief and sadness has been expressed about his passing, as the crew at Giant Bomb have fostered a unique cult of personality that galvanizes its fans by giving a window into the people who make the site what it is. The perils of doing this, it seems, have been made clear, as we feel like a part of the world that they invite us into with their personalized audio and video content. Now, feeling that connection to the site, the community is left with a profound sense of loss.

Personality is an elusive thing in the gaming press, as everyone who writes about the industry now strives to give you their "take" on something as well as purchasing advice or critique. Doing this with the correct amount of tact and humor can be something that is ultimately hard to pin down. For the folks at Giant Bomb, it is a (seemingly) effortless exercise, because there are no sacred cows with them. They completely pull back the curtain, allowing us to know them on such a personal level. Half of the time, their videos almost seem to beckon the user to participate, whether through emotion, like joy or laughter, or through forum/chat interaction.

Ryan Davis embodied this spirit, with a true gift of the gab and a presence to match. It was always a pleasure to watch Ryan converse and improvise while hosting live shows and podcasts, and he could exchange ideas with any guest, serious or silly. He knew how to throttle the conversation between absurd tangent and concise discussion, and it became so natural that a 30-minute discussion wouldn't seem long enough.

I guess the word I would use to describe Ryan is vivid. His persona was just so boisterous and full of life, and you couldn't help but feel good when hearing his infectious laugh. He's certainly had an impact on how I interact with the gaming world, and I credit all of the people at Giant Bomb for carving out something that is truly their own. No one does it like any of you, and no one did it like Ryan.

The interesting thing about the modern internet, though, is that Ryan's legacy can live on in the huge archive of audio, video and text content at Giant Bomb, and I recommend that you check out some of his work, if you haven't had the pleasure.

For his wife, family, colleagues and close friends, I can only imagine the intense emotions they are feeling right now. There will come a day when they can remember Ryan's energy and spirit in a way that enriches them personally without also feeling the severity of his passing. I wish that day for them now.

Thanks for being a force, Ryan � both as a person and in the gaming industry.

Comments

# 1 MFarrer74 @ Jul 9

Man.....I followed him from Gamespot to GiantBomb.......and let me tell you that this article is 100% spot on. I feel as if I shouldn't even continue to look at GiantBombs website anymore...He will be missed

# 2 Stats85 @ Jul 9

R.I.P. Ryan

# 3 Tengo Juego @ Jul 9

I didn't know there were any Bombers on OS. I'm going to miss Ryan. We all will. Giant Bomb will never be the same.

# 4 Zac @ Jul 10

RIP RTD
The bombcast will never, ever be the same.

# 5 cashless @ Jul 10

****! Ryan plays a big part in why I have like 15 video game websites bookmarked today. Really funny, sharp and engaging. He and that whole Gamespot/Giant Bomb-crew made coverage of games so much fun and off-beat.