More Editors vs The Guys We Know

Bigger Bomb. But only if I'm part of it.

Interesting question. Bigger and more personal bomb!

How about intelligent, well-read people with an insight into games? I don't care if I've never heard your name before you start talking about video games, I just want funny but insightful commentary of video games.

Bigger than it is right now, for sure. Not more people than you can fit on a podcast, though.

Adding one editorial position (and one production and an intern) isn't really making the bomb bigger or less personal. Also, I think the community on this website need to learn to grow with the site and not be so much "I only want the people I know because change is scary". We all love this place, let it grow. Don't go and make up some sort of "I didn't come here for this new person" mantra in your head. Approach it with an open mind and be welcoming. That's what makes this site great, the nice attitude.

I'm up for new people, new content, new ideas. Stagnation never lead anywhere.

Adding Vinny and Brad sure made the site better, because they are smart, real people. Bringing in more smart, and above all real, people will be a good thing.

Just so long as they keep out the fake-ass phony people who are all about manufacturing an image for themselves (like say, most of Kotaku), it's cool.

Yea like the warm reception Patrick received. He didn't have to fight to have a place here at all, never had to put up with bullshit for no other reason than not being an "original" member. /sarcasm

This will be no different it almost doesn't matter who it is there will be a vocal sect that will scream to the heavens how everything is ruined and now this guy is in everything (Because with a small team its crazy that you would hear from that person as much as everyone else *mind-blown*) I hope that whoever it is the community as a whole accepts them quickly because it has taken a Long Long time to get people to push that discussion to the side.

Also this pole has to few options. I don't want them to be ANYTHING like either of those sites. Bigger does not equal bullshit.

I want

@evilsbane: Chances are the new editor is Dan Ryckert, so I doubt anyone will have objections to him.

As long I like the new people it's okay.

I'd like them to expand, but I definitely think there's a limit. Not sure what it is. I'd like to think I'll know it when I see it.

I'm positive this poll would turn out differently if you left out Polygon and Kotaku and the implication thereof.

Something in between, but leaning more towards the personal style there is currently. I wouldn't mind even 3 or 4 new face, as long as they are still very much real people.

I was going to pick the first choice, but you mentioned Kotaku and Polygon. So F no. I would rather have it be just like it is right now.

They need a couple more people. They don't need twenty more people. The crew understands what kind of coverage they provide and that they're not designed to compete with the quantity of IGN.

I definitely think Giant Bomb is in need of some new perspectives. It's looking pretty obvious that Dan Ryckert is the new editor and while I like Dan a lot, his point of view is really similar to everyone else already on the staff. I'd like to see them bring someone in with a completely different perspective on games that would challenge the kind of echo chamber that Giant Bomb has become.

Also, making a poll and then even mentioning Polygon and Kotaku in one of the options is going to seriously skew the results around these parts.

@corruptedevil: this is the internet, someone always has an objection

Did they ever announce who they hired?

I'd like them to get big enough to be able to capably subdivide a little. Do things they are individually into and not have to be the lone voice in the wilderness about it...like say Vinny way back in 2009 in regards to Souls games, Brad's sporadic DOTA, or even Patrick's crazy sojourn into Monster Hunter. Hell, one of the most beloved things on this site is the Endurance Run for a JRPG/High school simulator. I think a few more people would be critical to allow for that both in terms of available man hours and potential range of interests. Beyond opening the doors to more varied long form (but self contained) content it might help a little with the end of year stuff where more than one person can argue a game's merits while muddying the waters with more games being discussed. Win all around I say. Just don't make it so big the crew don't interact regularly.

I think it will be great to have some new people around but I wouldn't want Giantbomb to turn into another Kotaku or Polygon. There is a reason I come here over those other sites. Giantbomb is one the most unique gaming sites I've ever visited and I would hate for that to go away by hiring a shit ton of people.

Bringing on more people if fine and certainly welcome, as long as they can keep up the same dumb/fun shenanigans this site's always had.

I mostly just want someone funny. If the new hire's quick on their feet, they can take some time and learn the games stuff, for all I care.

A mixture of the two? They need more people, but I certainly don't want it turning into Kotaku/Polygon. Just enough to get them back to operating capacity.

Haha to all who read Kotaku/Polygon as "GB must be like them", obviously I don't think so :P I'm more just referencing the volume of content and how they have way more people to make it. Isn't it a shame that the sites with the most new stuff are the ones posting crap? Would more giantbomb content dilute its goodness? idk...

Hey, Patrick joining the site got me here in the first place, so new blood can go both ways: The team and the community. Anyway, I feel like it would be impossible for the team to do what they do if they can't all fit together on set for an Unprofessional Friday.

I choose C. A few more people would be cool. But only a few. Kotaku and Polygon have lots of people cause they need to pump out news constantly (regardless of if it's worth it) that's the last thing I want here and I doubt Jeff would either. But a few new hires would be rad. #hireCarrie

Total agreement here. What Giant Bomb needs more than anything else is more diverse voices to break up the echo chamber. Ryckert, assuming that he is the new hire (and all evidence seems to point to that being the case), doesn't fit that need. My biggest worry in Giant Bomb's hiring process was that they would go for someone within the inner-circle of the established games press rather than reach out for some new blood. And new blood is desperately needed, not just at Giant Bomb, but at the other major online publications. The established games press has become a revolving door; leave one website to join another and remaining buddy-buddy with absolutely everyone in the off-chance you might be coworkers one day.

It's absurd, because even though guys like @patrickklepek talk about how the games press is changing and a lot of it has to do with growing influence of YouTube stars, Giant Bomb didn't hire such a personality. Rather than invite new blood from a younger generation of journalists and critics, they (apparently) returned to the well of establishment, oblivious of the cycle that they're perpetuating.

Don't really care as long as they're funny, 5-6 is probably the ideal number of editors/podcasters.

@hailinel: Yeah, Giant Bomb could probably benefit from more diversity. Perhaps a charming JRPG and Nintendo-loving woman who is relatively new to the industry.

It could really freshen things up!

Quality over Quantity in my book

and this

A lot of people would argue that it's not their responsibility to break that cycle. I'm probably not one of those people.

That really would. I just find it hard to picture Jeff choosing to hire such a person.

Yeah, it sounds far-fetched, but boy howdy, how great would that be?

I mean, I don't know if most of the Giant Bomb audience really wants someone that different(like when shows change things up a bit or add new characters and people complain that it isn't the same), but as a long-time regular, I think it would be pretty exciting. Anyone new is a big deal in itself, but someone rather different could spice things up.

I guess I'm looking forward to some new folks. If only so people will start complaining about how "things were better before the new hires" instead of "things were better before Ryan died". It still feels like Giant Bomb has been in a post-loss situation since then, and a shift to a post-change situation just sounds more hopeful to me.

I've been with Giant Bomb since the earliest days, and I've been through all of the changes, good and bad. There was a time when Patrick was a breath of fresh air (and he still is to a great extent, though his interactions with the rest of the staff are lessened now that he's in Chicago), and I remember quite well the insane backlash his presence received, supposedly disrupting the core of what made Giant Bomb great. I imagine that any new hire will have his or her share of detractors (some crazier than others), but to have someone as different as you suggest on the staff would be an excellent way to shake things up.

Yeah, I guess more change will definitely be good. It hasn't been the same 'bomb since Ryan passed. I feel Jeff is the least like his old self after this, and who could ever blame him?

I remember those days, as well, and heck, I even wasn't that sold on Patrick out of the gate. ha. I thought he didn't fit the staff's style, and he seemed too young. Yet, I quickly came around, and fortunately, most members came to accept or even quite like him. Patrick has made the site even better, and I can't really imagine Giant Bomb without him in some capacity. I'm so glad that he has actually ended up creating -more- content while in Chicago. It has worked out better than I expected, and I hope I'll keep that in mind as we get used to the new hires.

We're probably gonna have a rough time for a while with the new hire, but I'm already prepared for the weekly "It's not like I hate [name], but they're terrible and ruining this site." threads. heh. And if they end up actually being rather different and maybe even openly disagree with the guys on some things, well, we'll get through the storm eventually!

I think most people here would welcome that, all they really seem to want is someone who is knowledgeable, witty, has good chemistry with the existing stuff and likes to have fun. If this hypothetical hire has that, I think they'd be welcomed warmly.

I think one of the factors in Patrick's rough treatment when he first got here was that his persona came across initially as a little self-serious. Which is understandable given his role at giantbomb, but to those people who had this rigid idea of what the site was, it was alien.

And when it comes to complaining about shows, I suspect it's often because of the way Giantbomb handles it. When shows get cancelled/scrapped they often don't have a clear replacement so the viewer it just feels like a loss, eventhough the guys may have something in mind to replace it with.

I would bet if you could analyze what actually makes someone get a sub at Giantbomb, it's not the wiki or the video reviews or the critical commentary or the chance to interact directly with staff, it's all about the comedy. Things like Flight club or UPF or Load our Last Save or Bioforge playthrough or the Endurance run are what puts money in the bank. That's Giantbomb's money maker and secret to success.

Giantbomb may call itself a website about video games, but really what I suspect when you look at what drives the bus financially, it's a website about having good times with video games.

I think many regulars would be welcoming to someone quite different, but we're still only a small fraction of the audience. That's what I mean. I would hope people would like someone new, but I wouldn't claim to know how the majority(who don't comment that regularly) would really respond. Here's hoping!

Though, that's still a hypothetical based on them choosing someone noticeably different. As @hailinel said, that doesn't currently appear as likely as someone closer to what they're used to.

And I agree about Giant Bomb's appeal. More so than games, it's a website about having good times with video games, and in many ways, it's a website about being a gamer together with other gamers.

You know maybe this is a separate issue, I'm just spitballing here and I'm sure 90% of people here will disagree with me and tell me I should fuck off but one of the reasons I'd really like for Giant Bomb to go out of their wheelhouse a bit is to distill this attitude of Patrick as the token "social justice guy." It's why I was a big proponent for hiring Cara Ellison or just anyone else who isn't afraid to talk about these kind of things.

Of course, this could also just be fixed by the guys currently on the staff talking about these kind of issues more. (This is the part where everyone turns on this post.) I'm not saying the guys should go on random social crusades in the middle of the Bombcast but I don't think their opinions in this area differ all that much from Patrick's. The Giant Bomb community is a direct reflection of the ideals and attitude of the Giant Bomb staff whether you realize it or not. And I think if the staff is a little less hesitant to talk about social stuff in games then the community in turn will become more accepting of these ideas. Of course, I'm not asking them to force anything or talk about things they don't want to. But it would be nice to have someone willing to push the conversations in this direction a bit.

I'm not sure if this even has anything to do with the topic at hand. Just something that popped into my head while reading the thread.

I feel like the staff here are more concerned with Is A Game Fun and Lets Play This Crazy Thing, rather than Here Are Issues That Are Controversial And Let's Discuss Them. I think they create a friendly environment for all to game by not talking about it, and simply acting the way gamers, and people, should. They have women on shows and I never feel like they are excluding them or questioning their credentials and accusing them of false gamerhood. The guys have commented on sexist type things as gross before, and in general I feel GiantBomb is not a place social justice minded people rail against. What is GB doing as a site in the cycle of excluding areas of the gaming populace?

Given the choice between GB and Kotaku? I'd like GB to stay the way it is. Given the choice between GB and GB plus 2-3 more people? I'd take 2-3 more people.

@dkraytsberg: Well, I fully believe that the site can be both "Crazy Fun Times" and "Serious Issues." I don't think those two things need to be mutually exclusive. As far as excluding areas of the gaming populace (excluding may be a little harsh), I think Patrick's recent post about the E3 shows are a pretty good summary of the issues that Giant Bomb can run into sometimes.

http://patrickklepek.tumblr.com/post/89165256269/my-rolodex

@milkman: I found this write up sort of upsetting. I read about was how numerically there were 5 women to 45 men, and so thus there must be more women. Why did he stop the there? Most people on were white. Don't there need to be more racial groups as well? I disagree with decisions based on "are you a man or a women?" as ever promoting something positive. The groundswell in gaming at more inclusion is at its core about equality and treating people as people rather than a Male Gamer or Female Gamer or Gay Gamer or [fill in blank] Gamer. Patrick has good intentions I'm sure, but his point seems to be more women because they are women. How is such an attitude helpful?

But...but...he's white so he's the devil and awful. *rolls eyes*

I hate this idea of forcing someone in for the sake of diversity. You pick who fits best. If said person is a blue alien from Jupiter then cool. If it happens to be a straight, white male there should be no objections either.

yeah we are, but that doesn't change my opinion on this. I've read enough comments on this site (here and off site) over the past 3+ years to feel like I have a decent idea of what people think about it. Of course it isn't hard data so I could be wrong, but it's all I've got to go off of.

I really don't think most people care one way or the other if the person is different or the same as long as they are entertaining. That's it. The underlying thread to all site compliments and complaints seems to center around humor. (maybe I notice people's fixation on humor, because that was actually not what attracted me personally to the site. For me the appeal was the independent nature of the site, coupled with Jeff's reputation for integrity and the quick look format which I find super useful for purchasing decisions. The Dungeons of Dredmor and Dark Souls quick looks won me over)

So on one hand I think do people would be welcoming to a different person, but on the other if the new hire is more status quo in terms of diversity of background and opinions I don't think that's going to upset 90%+ of GB fans either.

The downside of that openness to just about everybody as long as they are funny means, that there also is no real incentive for the site to do what @hailinel has mentioned several times that he would like to see and hire outside that "rolodex" as Jenn Frank puts it. Most people in their shoes would probably play it safe and hire a known commodity for the editor position, which is what we both suspect they have done.

I agree with you 100% on this. If it's Ryckert, ok. I'll give him a fair shot. But I really want(ed) someone like Cara Ellison or Jenn Frank.

I hope Giant Beast expands to a point where they have like 3 editors and a couple of producers over there. They just have to be careful about who they pick. I approve of Ryckert. Although if they decide to hire another editor I do echo the sentiment that it would be cool to get some new blood.

While I wouldn't mind like at least one more editor, I'm all for more guys we know because I go to Giant Bomb for their content. For more broad gaming info I have plenty of other options, especially Polygon, Gamespot, and Game Industry. So while I wouldn't scoff at another editor I like Giant Bomb to be who they are. It makes them far more unique.