Hearing he wants to "change the world" makes me hugely uncomfortable! Otherwise, I concur with all the praise! Cool duder!

I think he brings a certain brand of awesome to the team. So far all that he's done has been nothing but great.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Austin's commentary with the crew during the We Talk Over The (Name your Publisher) Conference series this year and certainly speaks his mind while blending in well with the rest of the gang. He is also a wonderful writer and overall I loved his inclusion in the Giant Bomb crew! Keep up the good work Austin!

I wish I knew how to make GIFs, because this could be way better, but Austin and Jeff's shared incredulous glance during the "Mechanical Apartheid" bit of the Deus Ex presentation was amazing.

I definitely agree with you there. Austin took no time at all to win me over - I wasn't familiar with him prior to his arrival, but he has such a cheerful, friendly demeanour that it's hard not to instantly warm to him. His writing style is immensely compelling, too. Halfway through his "Why we write" article I hopped into his ACNL piece just intending to get the gist of it, only to find I'd breezed through the whole thing a few minutes later. He also seems to be a great fit to the team because he seemingly has interests in several areas the other staff don't really touch, plus his background allows him to offer a different perspective on stories. He's been fantastic in the E3 livestreams so far, too.

He definitely has a lot of positivity in him, but also a mind to be critical where it's necessary. He isn't afraid to speak his mind, but is also open to listening to opinions from others. I can definitely relate to him in a lot of ways, but also see things about him that make me want to do those sorts of things better than I currently do. Giant Bomb once again nailing it when it comes to hires.

Yeah he's pretty fucking great! Some of his mannerisms remind me of Ryan and I mean that in the sincerest way possible. He fits right in with the cast perfectly. Can't wait to see what he writes/talks about next, so excited to have him be a part of GB.

He's got mad swag

Still so much potential untapped in terms of long written features and video coverage.

High hopes for Mr Walker here =)

Yeah, he seems totally cool so far, and I imagine that he will continue to be cool. Glad to have him on board.

I just hope all this love doesn't go to his head :D

<3

Really liking Austin as well. Thoughtful writing with the Why We Write and Witcher articles, but also great just shooting the shit on streams and podcasts talking about whatever.

Smart dude, and his self-deprecating humor jives pretty well with the rest of the beast team.

Austin is cool and has managed to blend in with the rest of the crew in a way that makes it seem like he's been around for years. Even Dan had a harder time fitting in at first (and some may argue that struggle still continues).

Had only read maybe three or four of his pieces prior to GB hiring him, but already liked him then.

Also I completely agree that by now (I was a bit sceptical after his first Beastcast appearance were he was very quiet.) he fits in perfectly and that he has a good sense of humour.

He's already put out some solid content. He gives great background on his thoughts and explains why he has certain views. Funny on the show, not trying to overpower anything. He's just darn solid.

Wasn't familiar with him till now but he seems like a rad dude. He fits in great with the rest and brings a lot to the East coast squad. Real glad he's here.

I like to think I'm at least a superfan if not exactly a real friend of Austins via Streamfriends. But I respect the hell out of him as a writer and I'm still not really over him being here on GB

Austin is great! He's got good humor, does terrifically good writing and just fits great with the rest of the crew. He's truly a great addition to the site!

I didn't say it already but welcome to the team. Giant BEast needs you. Thanks for filling the void that Patrick left and giving Alex and Vinny some extra hands. I look forward to seeing you and your work grow here on the site.

I have been a HUGE fan of Streamfriends for the past couple years and it is so surreal to see Austin just kickin' with the Bomb crew like he's always been here.

And let's not understate how GD ADORABLE this man is! I dang near cried from cuteness overload watching him lose his shit when Jeff was describing the HoloLens demo.

An awesome addition to the Bomb Crew. I'm always skeptical of how anyone new will mesh with the chemistry that the guys have always had but it seems like Jeff, Vinny, etc. know exactly what they need to look for a new hire because they have knocked it out of the park. First with Dan and Jason... and now with Austin.

Austin you're fantastic. I'm excited to read and hear what you have for all of us Duders in the future here at Giant Bomb!!!!!!!!!

This is nice and all, but where's the photo-edit thread?

He's already been taking Giant Bomb in new directions and it's great and I can't wait to see more of it.

Austin seems to be "living the dream," so to speak and is obviously a fan of Giant Bomb and the Bombcast. From what I've seen so far, he's doing an excellent job of bringing his own personal views to the table while also fitting in and making references to classic Giant Bomb jokes without being too heavy-handed. I was a fan after listening to his first appearance on the BeastCast, but when he made the reference to "the cleanest faces" after the MS press conference, I knew he was a perfect fit.

Welcome, Austin!

That Watch Dogs piece was fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

You're a great writer Austin. I'm glad to have you on the site.

Austin is a great addition to the team, especially on the Beastcast. Great presence on the E3 shows already too.

Jeff has been crushing it with these new hires. Think back to where we were before Dan, Jason, and Austin showed up. Giant Bomb is in a great place right now

His references during E3 were on point. Referencing Pusha T AND Dashboard Confessional?

Austin's fucking great.

He is really great. Like, he is i'm-jealous-great: smart and funny? Damn Austin!

AUSTIN AUSTIN AUSTIN

Austin has been awesome he totally feels at home here. Watching him on the livestream felt like he's been at Giant Bomb forever.

Austin has style.

Yeah, Austin is an absolutely perfect fit for the site. Where, when I find myself spontaneously wondering which of the crew is my favorite (it happens pretty frequently), Austin already comes to mind even though I've been following the others for about three years longer. I feel like he somehow manages to get along well/be entertaining with every single other person on the crew, and it doesn't seem like he's intentionally just trying to fit in at all. Go you, dude.

Premium content idea: Austin tries to teach Dan about Historical Materialism

Really liking Austin with GB so far. Really interested to see what he writes coming out of all the E3 stuff.

I also think he should do an East Coast version of Jar Time for Premium members. I think that would be amazing!

Do you shoot it in the Punch Out room?

I usually roll my eyes at what seems to me pointless nit picking about sexism and diversity in pew-pew games, but that line you quoted gave me a bit of a goosebump, dang. Too bad the actual discourse about that stuff does NOT sound like what Austin made it seem in that quote.

When me mentioned he ripped his pants during the E3 live show ended me lol.

@whatisdelicious: Oh ok sorry for the misinterpretation then. I agree with your point on how some of the writing on social issues can sound. A lot of the people who have started to write about these things recently don't have the sort of formal training that someone like Austin does and I think it can show here and there.

@thatpinguino: @whatisdelicious: Hey both, just a heads up: Forum rules prohibit the use of dismissive labelling, so I've gone ahead and removed your conversation about SJW's. Nobody is in any trouble, just trying to keep the discussion on topic :)

Thanks.

@sweep: Thanks for the quality moderation and thanks to @austin_walker for being awesome.

It makes me very happy to have an intelligent, funny, just nerdy enough person of color on the staff. And a scholarly mother fucker too! My grandma would be so proud of Austin...if she gave a shit about video games...

I've enjoyed Austin Walker commentary pieces and thought it was akin to something I'd read at Grantland, one of my favorite sites on the planet. There's enough pop culture references and humor to his writing that can break down some of his argument without it sounding to analytical.

I had a cool moment when Austin was hired where I was reading his recent stuff and realized that I had independently read and loved his pieces before, not knowing they were all by the same person. He's super friendly and enthusiastic and ALSO immensely talented - Austin Walker is actually OP. So GDLK.

This dude is dope.