As I was listening to the Giant Bombcast last week, I noticed it felt a little empty without Ryan's voice. I thought to myself "I can't wait until Ryan is back from his honeymoon". The Bombcast just isn't the same without him, and now, it never will be.
I did not know Ryan, but he was a part of my life. I started watching Ryan and Jeff when they were at Gamespot and then followed them when they created Giant Bomb. The How To Build A Bomb videos when they were starting off were equally interesting and hilarious. I was hooked and never stopped watching.
Ryan made me laugh. He was one funny motherfucker. Week in and week out on the podcast and on live shows and in in Mailbag videos, etc, Ryan was the glue that made the Bombcast so unique. I do not connect with celebrities or people I do not know, but Ryan was an exception. I would watch every Tang video he did. He made me care about what he was going to say about movies I never saw and his sense of humor was different than what you would get from a comedian or a talk show host. He was a real person and a natural talent. I came across a page when he was still alive that highlighted his verbal flourishes. This page is amazing. It is a testament to how people were moved by him. Moved enough to create a page like this.
I did not know Ryan but I could tell you that he loved music and he had damn good taste in music as well. Ryan introduced me to specific songs like Booth Love and the great remake of Steppin Out just recently. He inspired me to create better playlists. One could only strive to create something as epic as his Summerjam playlist. I trusted Ryan's taste. When he liked something, I sought it out. He was the reason I tried out Hotline Miami and then became obsessed with the music in that game. When I heard Ryan talk about Saint's Row The Third, I knew I had to play it and I knew I would love it.
I once hung a poster with his autograph in my office. I'm not sure if it was out of admiration, respect, or both. No one else could claim that honor. Not a sports star or a rock star or any celebrity. And, Ryan was the same age as me, but I looked up to him in a way. Here was a guy who was living the dream, playing and writing about video games for a living. And you just knew he enjoyed every minute of it. I think that's one of the reasons people adored him so much. There are plenty of people who earn the kind of position Ryan had, but everyone collectively just knew, he deserved it. He was the right man for the job. We all vote in a way, to determine who is cool, who is beloved, etc. Ryan always had that vote from many people including myself.
Ryan once wrote me an email as a response to a support question I had for the website. Some stupid billing question I had. I thought here is a guy who must be a hard worker. He was answering a basic customer service email. I'm sure he didn't have to, but he did. He was a real person and I could tell he loved what he did. And that is inspiring.
When I started my new Twitter account, @taswell was the first person I followed. I always wanted to hear what he had to say. His tweets were not the ones you skip over. Here is my Ryan Davis YouTube playlist.
My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Ryan's friends, family, and every Giant Bomb fan.
Thank you Ryan Davis.
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