Giantbomb affecting the way you view games?

Ok so this his been something I've noticed over the past year or so, that was magnified during this years E3 covering (specifically the podcast with David Jaffe and Cowboy). Have any of you guys felt that your perspective on games have changed due to the coverage provided by these guys at Giantbomb? What I mean is that it's normal for most people to look at games as a hobby, you know something you just dabble in for fun, something that you just enjoy doing. That's the perspective I've held for a most of my gaming life as well, but that's changed in the last few years. Now it's become part of a lifestyle, and developed a passion. I think the coverage these guys do, and the way they talk about the movers and shakers in the industry really give us a look at the industry as a whole, as opposed to just the final products. It's kind cool that people now know the names of guys like Ken Levine, David Jaffe, the bioware docs etc. and appreciate their talents, the way people know of movie directors like JJ Abrams and Ron Howard.

This shift in perspective isn't entirely due to giantbomb but I'd say these guys definitely opened that window into the industry. Anyhoo, I was just wondering what your guys' perspective was on how you view the industry and such personally.

Subconsciously... probably but nothing comes to mind. I still think LA Noir is an overrated game and Brad's enthusiastic view of it doesn't change my mind in the slightest. 

You can say that, though I think it's just me maturing more as a gamer. When I was younger, all I was looking to do was to either a.) shoot and kill things or b.) have fun. But lately, my tastes have changed. Call of Duty isn't as much fun as it use to be (I still enjoy it, but it pales in comparison to how much fun I use to have with it), and I've liked new types of things. I can say with 100% certainty that my favorite game this generation is Burnout Paradise because it was simply a blast to play. I know I'm wrong, but it doesn't matter. It's just a fun game.

Other than that, I'm looking for more mature, experimental games now that focus heavily on story. Heavy Rain, LA Noire and Bioshock all immediately spring to mind when I think of my favorite games this gen. All have flaws (Heavy Rain with some weird design choices, LA Noire having open-world jank and Bioshock having below average shooting), but all create unique experiences that other games try to imitate but fail horribly.

I've gone way off topic now.

i care a lot more about the development side of gaming, but thats because of the internet as a whole, not just giantbomb

I'm sure it affects me sub consciously, but I don't notice anything overt. I have definitely considered quite a few viewpoints after listening to so much bombcast over the past few years. It's one good tonic.

I think it's made me hold games to a higher standard, and notice flaws (and also be able to better articulate my issues with them) more in games than I used to be able to.

I've listened to these guys talk about games for hours every week for like two years now. I'm sure there views have shaped my thought, but I've never have one specific thing consciously change my overall perception. I've always spent way too much time analyzing everything.

I've always enjoyed reading articles, previews, reviews and an assortment of other video game related material. When I got internet and eventually broadband, the way I got that information changed. When Giant Bomb launched, it was just another evolutionary step in my hobby of reading about video games. But with that said, over the last 3 years, Giant Bomb has most definitely changed how I look at video games. And not only that, but how they're covered by the gaming press.

@Slaker117: I don't mean to say that they've dictated how you view the industry. I mean that them bringing in people from the industry to talk about games and the business as a whole has kind of your view of the industry. I'm not talking about their coverage as in reviews or opinions, rather things like hearing insight from guys like Johnny V, Ed Boon, David Jaffe, etc. has really expanded the way I view games. ya dig

Yes, that is pretty close to the way I view it. I think the fact that a lot games are becoming more of experiences like Bioshock, Red Dead, Uncharted 2, and Batman, I do equate them as movies or mini series that I can actually play. Far removed from the shit I used to look forward to like "What do I get to shoot, blow up, or beat down." The best part is, there will always be that as well. When a medium can make us smile, laugh, think, and be sad, it has moved into the upper echelon of media. Add the interaction, and I can't help it being my primary go to for entertainment.
 
I find it only natural to be interested in the way what I enjoy so much is made. I know a lot about the life and views of Ayn Rand, went to see Hemingway's house in Key West, and I follow J.J. Abrams to see what he will do next. So I would like to see more of what is going on in the inside of the business. The middle part of that bombcast in particular gave me a different reason to pay attention to game media other than "How many guns does it have? What's the multiplayer? When is it coming out? Now say the bullet points your PR guy said to hit." I still want to know all of that, but it is nice to see what makes it tick.

It's just something that happens. Nobody goes through life without being influenced by other people's views; so long as you're not taking any one person's word as gospel, then there's nothing wrong.

@ninjalegend: you read my frickin mind there

I've always been all about games from making half-life mods in highschool comp class to playing golden eye at the after party at graduation. If anything, I loved giantbomb when it was basically a big one page update and even more so now.

While I've been aware of developers since before I joined GiantBomb at the end of 2009, the last sixth months or so have really elevated my knowledge of individuals in the industry and made me care SO MUCH MORE.

Absolutely. I came here because I was sick of the perpetual system wars and looking for a fun website that gives me a good overview about gaming in general, and GB does that. Sure, the emphasis is on consoles, but 95% of PC games these days are console ports or multi platform titles anyway. I opened up to console ports, indie, casual and artsy games and all sorts of other stuff that you never see if you stick to PC only communities which are mostly concerned with technicalities. 
 
That said, I still consider myself enough of a PC dude at heart to warrant the white user name.

It seems pretty much unavoidable that when you're as into something as we are, so much so that you seek out communities of people with a relative level of enthusiasm, you're going to dive a little deeper than the surface whether you like it or not.
 
I also feel that gaming has become so popular in the past decade that it's cultivated its own set of A-list celebrities, normally on the dev side of things or with a history in development, that raise the profile of production and reach people who aren't just die-hard programmers or absolute fanatics.

I've become more interested in the development behind the game rather than the finished product as I grow older. I guess something in my mind is changing that makes the creation process of the game really pique my interest like it never did before back when I was younger. I wouldn't attribute that to Giant Bomb though. I enjoy it here because they don't coddle games and neither does the community. If a game is garbage they will let us know and they won't pull punches because of advertising dollars. Similarly there are enough realist (almost jaded/cynic) poster on the forums that digging into a game's flaws isn't viewed as taboo. Honesty is the best policy!

Yeah I know more names now.

Not really. For many years (good) print media have been doing what they do. Traditionally internet gaming sites have been more about news and reviews than detailed interviews and thoughts about the industry, but that has started to change.

However they are still not on par with magazines like LEVEL (Swedish magazine) where they go really deep into such things as how gaming affects the environment, the origin of certain gaming conventions like extra lives, articles about women in the game industry that are focused on their work rather than their looks and even almost philosophical debates about what constitutes a video game. Those guys have for years taken video games as a serious life style for mature people. I've heard they had the UK magazine EDGE as a role model, never read that so I can't say for sure but it might give you an idea what I'm talking about if you can't read Swedish magazines.

Hmm that live podcast made me want to give Street Fighter a go  so I've been playing third strike on GGPO and loving it!
It's funny because I have never enjoyed a Street Fighter game :P. 
Thanks Jeff!