(Note: This is a slightly modified repost from my Facebook wall. Just wanted to be able to share my thoughts with anyone interested in the community)

I just found out that Patrick left GiantBomb this past month. I missed the post from a couple days ago and stumbled upon it tonight. I haven't had that strong an emotional reaction to anything since Ryan died last year. I had a frown and was kind of choking up while reading it, when my wife asked me what was going on. As I was trying to explain why, I just started crying and couldn't really contain myself. I think I figured out why, at least in part, and wanted to share my thoughts:

1. Patrick was one of the first people to join GB that wasn't part of the core group that came over from Gamespot to form the site. That made my attitude toward him a little different than from the rest of the gang - almost like I was meeting a new friend and having to learn who he was and how he'd fit into the social circle that was built into the GiantBomb community. Turns out he didn't just fit in, he made it better than it was. I know that isn't how everyone felt here on the site, but that's definitely what happened for me.

2. Patrick helped organize the first annual MolyJam - a game jam based on some funny tweets. It was my first game jam ever, and was my first exposure to the idea that I could not just play and dream about possibilities in games, but that I could actively make them, even if they were rudimentary prototypes at best. Some of my most precious friendships from the past few years have stemmed from that one event, and if it wasn't for Patrick, I never would have gotten into game design. Now, it's influenced how I think about my job and will lead me to even greater things in the future.

3. Patrick mentions his relationship with Ryan over the years and how they connected and Patrick got the job. It brought back some more memories from last year and put things into perspective about how I feel about the GB crew - to me they are best friends, although I've only met most of them once at E3 this year. You don't listen to, watch, and follow the careers of a group of friends for close to 15 years and not become attached to them on an emotional level. Patrick was able to reach that level of admiration for me within a fraction of the time, and he has been a pleasure to listen to and watch on this site and elsewhere.

4. The content Patrick created are the ones I scoured the site for and watched, read, or listened to religiously. If Patrick was involved, it was definitely something I wanted to check out. Whether it was him in a dark room with headphones on getting scared by his wife while playing a horror game or an editorial piece about an indie studio's stumbles and successes, he created things that broadened my view of the gaming landscape and helped pull back the curtain on what makes games so important to me and so many others.

I know Patrick didn't pass away (knock on wood) or leave the industry (another knock). I know he will still produce content I can be excited for and do all the things he's been doing these past few years, just in a different context and with a different group of people (or alone, at this point I don't know). But that's really where it hit me most - this awesome individual won't be producing regular content with the same group of awesome individual guys I've been following for so long. It's just different, and, for me at least, it feels like a huge hole is once again making an appearance at GiantBomb. I'm glad Jason and Dan have joined - I loved them at Gameinformer and I'm happy they fit in so quickly just like Patrick did. That at least is a salve for me at the moment.

I know this is all really long-winded and dramatic, I just wanted to express how I feel about an individual that's been a big part of my growth over the past (almost) half decade in games.

My hat's off to you, Patrick (and I hate hats usually, but for you, I'll wear one today). I can't wait to see more Spookin' with Scoops somewhere else on the web. Good luck on the next venture, my friend!