How long have you been following Giant Bomb?

Hey duders. I was just trying to remember how long I've been here, and it's really been surprisingly hard! Based on the video archive I guess it must have been sometime in 2011? Patrick was already staff, I think. I don't remember how I found the site either. I have to think, based on what I was doing around the time, that I got linked to it by somebody on GameFAQs. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to hear from some others of their Giant Bomb Origin Story.

• When did you first start coming to the site? Do you remember how you found it?
• Who was the "cast" at the time?
• What office were they in?
• Have you watched/listened to content from before you came here?

I hear that some people just listen to the podcast and never watch any of the videos. Is there anyone here that is/was one such person?

1) Since early 2009. I don't remember exactly how I found it, I think I was just curious about what Jeff Gerstmann was doing after he got fired.
2) Brad, Vinny, Ryan, Jeff, and Drew and Dave.
3) The name escapes me, the first one!
4) Don't think I did. Though I did watch a couple of quicklooks here and there before committing to the podcast.

Btw, 2011 was probably the best year here.

Been here since the beginning starting with the arrow pointing down podcast. Jeff, Ryan, Vinnny, and Brad were the cast once the site started. They were in someone's living room for the arrow pointing down casts and then moved into the first basement when the site started. I followed all of them back in their gamespot days and just followed them here. Their brand of podcast is one of my favorite things. I used to watch all of their videos starting with the how to build a bomb videos, but now the volume is so much I can't watch everything. It's changed a lot and cast has rotates through, but this site and community have a ton of heart.

Since someone I know said something about this site aggregating gamerscores from XBox Live... or some such thing... and I came to the site to see what kinda site could have been called "Giant Bomb". I watched a few videos and decided to stick around.

As for who was on the site... dammed if I know. Jeff and Ryan I think.

Oh, also... bring back the metagame thing you guys used to do.

I ony signed up for an account late in 2010. But I had followed the site for a year or so before that. So that would've been the first office with the main original four, Jeff, Ryan, Brad, Vinny.

I had followed the events of Jeff's leave loosely, but I didn't check to see where he went until a friend of mine was like: "That guy what got fired from the Gamespots made his own site and it's rly good". And now here we are!

For the longest time, Ryan was my primary reason for following the site. He was so charismatic and likeable in everything he did, audio, video, writing. Legitimimately one of the funniest dudes I've ever seen. During 2013 I was really close to falling off the site entirely, but I'm glad I stuck through the rough patch. Now the site feels stronger and more fleshed out than ever. More content more regularily, more varied stuff, more perspectives and personalities to work off of each other... It really is the best time to be playing video games. And watching videos about playing video games! :D

I followed Will Smith when he left Maximum PC and came to Tested/Whiskey, so... earlyish 2010. Somewhat ironically, I lost interest in Tested but stuck with GB.

Since it was an arrow pointing down. (Or since all of the gang was at GameSpot, if you want to count that. I followed them from there to here.)

Since 2010 but I did not sign up as a member until January 2011. That was the best year in terms of video content so I'm glad I jumped in at that point. All the Whiskey Media shenanigans.

@ltsmash: I wonder what Fat Steve (Tjock-Steffe) is doing right now..

• I think I found the site in early 2010 and I got here through someone on the internet recommending the bombcast (I think it was someone on another podcast, but I can`t remember which).
• The crew was Vinny, Jeff, Brad and Ryan with Dave and Drew popping into the foreground now and then.
• It was the first one (Sausalito?).
• Yeah. I fell in love with the site after being introduced to it and went back and watched all their quick looks and listened to the old podcast. I went through everything they had put out and kept up watching everything they did for a while. I still watch a ton of their stuff, but I skip some of it these days.

Back when the Deadly Premonition endurance run started, so back in 2010, in the basement days with Jeff/Ryan/Brad/Vinny and the occasional Drew and Dave appearance.

It all started when one day I was out with friends at the mall on a Saturday, as we usually were. In Gamestop, I was browsing the 360 section, looking through the lower shelves looking for weird or cheap stuff(I love to check out weird bad games, for example I played and beat both Mindjack and Vampire Rain), when I came across a game that I remember being announced a year or two prior and then just completely disappearing. It was new and only 20 bucks, so I figured why the heck not? This game, of course, was Deadly Premonition.

I got home and started it the next day, and after finishing the prologue I went online to see how I could possibly miss this games release, how had nobody been talking about this thing? Well, I found out the answer, it wasn't officially released yet. The officially release date was that Tuesday, the 23rd, but whoever was in charge of stocking the shelves at that Gamestop didn't notice(or care, after all it is a weird niche third party game) it wasn't supposed to be out yet. I played the heck out of, finishing it (according to my achievements) on that Thursday and from their just watched as the internet slowly discovered the game, from Jim Sterling's Destructiod review to eventually GB's endurance run.

I was hanging around the gametrailers forums and someone posted a link to the deadly premonition endurance run (they were only a few episodes in at that point so it must have been around april 2010). I had been visiting gamespot since the late 90s/early 2000s, but pretty much exclusively for written reviews (I only had access to 33k internet until 2006). So I was aware of some of their work way before 2010, but not really of the people behind it (the first time that really came to the forefront for me was during gerstmanngate).

I also only started listening to the podcast in 2012, years after I started visiting the site regularly.

Member since 2013, premium since 2014.

I started listening to the Bombcast in 2010 or 2011, but didn't make an account on the site until 2012. The only old thing I went back and watched was the Persona 4 ER.

Late 09

Listened to the podcast for about 6 months before coming to the site

Ryan, Jeff, Brad, Vinny

Sausalito

I've watched some of the older videos but I've never gone back to listen to older podcasts.

I started out podcast only and I often think I should go back, all the time I spend watching video is time I could/should be doing other things.

I think 2008 or 2009. I followed a link here for the Punch Out!! (Wii) quick look and started visiting the site after that.

I had an account from back then but I don't remember the login info. So I made a new one to subscribe.

I've been a Giant Bomb fan since sometime 2008. Ryan and Jeff appeared on the 1up Yours podcast and I instantly loved both of their personalities so I decided to follow on over. Been listening to the weekly bombcast ever since.

-sometime 2008

-Ryan, Vinny, Jeff, and Brad

-Original Office

-Yes

2009-08-16

Ryan, Vinny, Jeff, and Brad (and Drew the intern)

The Basement Office (aka OG office)

Was on GS, but never watched any of the stuff there (was apart of an art guild). Didn't follow Jeff when he was fired, but years later watched the P4 ER in like two weeks and have been hooked ever since.

1. I remember someone on another forum talking about the Persona 4 Endurance Run, which was then only just beginning, and I've stuck around since then.
2. Jeff, Vinny, Ryan, Brad. Somewhere in that office were also professional Snuggie model Drew, and Mr. Straightjacket Dave Snyder.
3. Sausalito, also, the first flea infested basement.
4. The How to Build a Bomb videos, the Too Human video and the GB ads should be required viewing for every GB member, ever.

1) November 2009. Someone posted the Tony Hawk Ride QL to the View Askew Message Board's gaming thread. I created an account a bit later and started using VA less.

2) Jeff, Ryan, Brad, Vinny, Drew, and Dave

3) Sausalito

4)Yep! I think the only stuff I haven't watched on here has been the MGS5 part of MG Scanlon and Brad's dota stuff.

2010-ish, someone linked to a Deadly Premonition Endurance Run video on another forum. I think it was the one where Ryan and Brad discovered the giant dogs that spawn at night. I was an IGN guy back in the day, so I wasn't too familiar with any of the crew, but I was on board immediately. Didn't subscribe for a while, I wasn't into the Happy Hour stuff back then, but when they moved to the model they still use now with more varied content I signed up. Still miss the Random PC Game show... UPF fills some of that gap, but still I could use me some more retro PC content.

In Late 2015 I googled "Videogame podcasts" and the giant bombcast was the first result. I've Been listening every week since. Became a premium member in 2016

- Jeff, Vinny, Brad, Dan, Drew, Jason, Alex, Austin

- CBS office

- Yes, Metal Gear Scanlon, Vinnyvania and Mario party

Arrow Pointing Down

(also when they were all at GameSpot before that)

1. Starting coming here in March/April 2010 (I listened to the bombcast where Will Smith and Norm Chan introduced Tested). I found out through NextGenWalkthroughs.com (now WikiGameGuides, I think). They were talking about how the guides on GB were good and it made me check them out. I never looked at the guides but really enjoyed the podcast and eventually gave a look at the video content.
2. The original 4, Drew, Dave and the people at Whiskey Media at the time.
3. The original office.
4. I went back and listened to all the podcasts from 2009 and I've watched most of the quick looks so that would include stuff from 08. I've also looked at other things that were made prior to me finding the site.

Someone on Twitter linked the Hitman: Absolution QL and I've stuck around since then.

I remember being mad when I heard an editor got fired by Gamespot for a negative review, but I was never on that site or realized it was Jeff until at least a year after I was watching Giant Bomb stuff.

I feel like this question comes up every year or so on here. I've definitely answered it before, but I'll do so again!

I came to the site during its initial "blog post" phase pre-launch. Specifically, around the time they posted Episode 2 of "How to Build a Bomb" - so technically it was just a Jeff & Ryan joint at that point in time. I was a big fan of GameSpot, and "On the Spot" in particular, for several years and was sad when Jeff left. Then, a little while down the road, while I was waiting for an episode of On the Spot to start someone in chat mentioned that Jeff and Ryan had started up a new site called Giant Bomb... I headed straight over here and never looked back (well, I kept watching OtS, but my focus certainly shifted dramatically).

I was very excited when Brad and Vinny arrived - Brad was one of my favourite editors whenever he showed up on OtS, and although I didn't really know who Vinny was at the time just knowing he was the guy responsible for producing that show and doing all the dumb cuts and effects was enough to make me happy that he'd joined GB. The rest, as they say, is history.

• I came to the site I think closer to the launch of the Xbox One and PS4 around November 2013. I'm sure I probably visited before that, but some of the first videos I remember watching were Quick Looks for stuff like Dead Rising 3, because I had to see what these games looked like. In terms of how I found it, I found it through the Bombcast while looking for other videogame podcasts to listen to at work around May 2013. (Yeah, it took me 6 months to actually go to their website)
• Brad, Jeff, Ryan, Vinny, Drew, and Patrick. If memory serves me correctly, it was just before Patrick moved back to Chicago. (Fun fact: There was a brief time where I thought Jeff and Ryan were the same person.)
• The first CBSi office.
• I think I stumbled upon the last episode of the Persona 4 Endurance Run years ago (like around 2010-ish).

Since its inception. Jeff was always one of my favourites from Gamespot so soon as he left I followed and never looked back.

Since it was a podcast. I used to frequent gamespot previously.

I discovered The Bombcast through top iTunes podcasts around 2010. It was maybe late 2011 or 2012 when I started visiting the site and tied voices to faces.

I wanna say it was around 2010, and I made an account here in 2011. It's funny, there was a while there listening to the podcast and nothing else from the site that I didn't want to see what the crew looked like. You know you get this image in your head and then reality is different. For instance, Vinny and Brad were the complete opposites of what I imagined their appearance and voice to be. In fact when I saw them for the first time I matched their voices to the opposite person.

Since the day god breathed life into my lungs

I lurked on Gamespot a lot in the old days, and I came to Giant Bomb a few months after Jeff was fired, probably in mid-2008. This was back when it was still a wordpress blog being operated by two dudes in a Sausilito basement and they were still tasting bad energy drinks on the podcast. I don't think Vinny and Brad had even come on yet. Boy, that was a time, huh?

For a while, but hard to but a exact figure. Been kind of on and off. Figured it was time to stop lurking and making an account though. That being said; GB guys, if you read this, might want to fix your sign up page. The username I originally wanted (iamerror, as a Zelda II reference) was taken, and I tried several variations on that before giving up, mixing The Worlds Greatest Artist with The Worlds Greatest Fighter. Anyway, that lead to be having to reconfirm several times over that I wasn't a robot. Might just be better to throw in a error message when you've actually typed the name, as opposed to wait until you clock join. QoL improvement I know, but it kind of gave a bad first impression.

As much as I'd like to say I've been following Giant Bomb for years (like many of you have)...

I started following Giant Bomb around E3 this year.

My partner hooked me up by adding both: Giant Bombcast + The Beastcast on my phone and I've been hooked ever since.

Felt wild to find out both Abby and Ben are newer, because they both seem like such natural additions to the crew!

Words cannot express how much joy all these folks bring.

Listening to their podcasts and watching their videos (which I ought to do more of) is such a hoot. I simply can't get enough. :)

Since the beginning. I first found Gamespot back in 2001 when I was looking for Final Fantasy X information and found Greg Kasavins glowing review.
When Jeff got fired and everyone else left, I checked in with what Jeff was doing once in a while. Then they started the Arrow Pointing Down podcast and eventually this site. Been here ever since.

Summer of 2011. I remember because that was the summer I played through Persona 3&4, and also found the Endurance Run.

I've been with it since the Arrow Pointing Down days, back when the site focused on what really matters: terrible energy drinks. I stayed on when they pivoted to video games, but I think we can all agree that it was a mistake.

since 2005 or 2006 whenever hotspot was the number one podcast about videogames news, back when bob kalico was still talking about the starcraft guides carrie gouskos was reviewing kingdom hearts and talking about the term "gamers" and rich galup would only do the podcast standing up

followed them ever since.

• Early 2009. I had followed Gamespot for years and knew all these guys from those days but tapered off shortly after Jeff got fired. I think I heard Jeff and Ryan guest on some 1up podcast not knowing that they had started this thing called Giant Bomb. Started watching the Endurance Run, listening to the Bombcast and I became a big fan of these duders all over again.
• Jeff, Vinny, Ryan, and Brad featuring Drew and Dave.
• Sausalito office.
• As stated above I consumed a lot of Gamespot content which basically felt like prototype Giant Bomb.

Since probably about 2001, when they were all back at gamespot. I remember reading Alex's Burning Questions column religiously, and very vividly recall browsing Gamespot whilst listening to Alien Ant Farm like a total early 2000's goober.

My account says it was made in september of 2010 so probably around then? I have a crappy memory so I don't remember. I wish I could I say "since the hot spot days!" but nope, it was definitely after that and after arrow pointing down. I think it was on the tail end of their first office where the P4 endurance was shot iirc.

I've been following Jeff since 2001 when I saw his GTA III video review which was also the 1st video review I ever saw. Kinda got hooked and started visiting Gamespot constanstly where I got acquainted with Alex with his wrestling reviews, Brad with his super monotone, and Ryan with his bleached blonde hair. I was jumping on and off other game sites after the whole Kane and Lynch drama, trying to find a new home.

I randomly searched Jeff in 2010 to see what he was up to and found GB...and Vinny. Signed up in 2011. Time flies.

I didn't realise it was time for another of these threads so soon!

I've been following the GBers since their GameSpot days, I normally timestamp it as when Rich Gallup was presenting Button Mashing and On The Spot, so 2007.

• When did you first start coming to the site? Do you remember how you found it?
  • Since the site first launched. Or before that technically, when Jeff just had a blog.
• Who was the "cast" at the time?
  • The OG crew of Ryan Davis (RIP), Brad Shoemaker, Vinny Caravella, and Jeff Gerstmann. Plus, my introduction to Dave Snider (who would appear from time to time even back then).
• What office were they in?
  • Sausalito, CA.
• Have you watched/listened to content from before you came here?
  • Yes. I followed the guys since 2005, 2006...? On the Spot, Hotspot, etc.

Since the beginning, when Jeff and Ryan left gamespot in 07; although I used to follow them through the podcast exclusively.

I wasn't very active in the site until much later, when some video content (specifically the Persona 4 Endurance Run) make me visit the site regularly...

Started coming to the site a bit sometime in 2013, can't remember the exact date. I had been looking for something Mythbusters-like to watch, and stumbled on an old Tested video, the Lego endurance run with the Death Star playset and Super Star Destroyer during the Whiskey days. That eventually led clips from BLLSL and Happy Hours, which ultimately led to Giant Bomb and here I am.

Cast was Jeff, Vinny, Brad, Patrick and Drew (Unfortunately, I just missed Ryan, but I've watched tons of content from the early years).

They were in the CBSi office on the third floor.

Watched loads of the old stuff from Giant Bomb, and the occasional GameSpot video with some of the guys and Rich Gallup.

Really wish I'd found them sooner, especially during the Whiskey Media days, that stuff seems really cool.

I found Gamespot in 2001 and basically the rest is history. If it wasn't for a random forum post on GS about Ryan's new project called Arrow Pointing Down I wouldn't have joined GB on day one. I even remember e-mailing them to join the site early before Giant Bomb was formally announced. I have also been a subscriber since they introduced it in 2010.