Nite Three at E3 2018: Dave Lang, Adam Boyes, and John Vignocchi!

My 2 cents: Like I said in my original post, Dave Lang did take some of the stuff being said personally, especially about his son. Anyone claiming otherwise is either naive or willfully pretending nothing happened. I'm sure he is over it by now, hopefully, but that definitely happened. We'll see what happens at PAX.

As always, this was an absolute delight. Haven't laughed that hard in awhile. Kessler is a legend.

And also, as always, I'm baffled by the comments for this segment from people who apparently have no idea how good friends interact with each other. I pity you, I really do.

At least the thing everyone has in common is the ability to definitively claim without doubt what a person they don't really know at all is feeling at a given time.

@av_gamer: this is beginning to get excessive. You don't know any of the people involved at all, yet your insistence that you know them better than they know themselves is...honestly kind of gross.

No one NEEDS to contribute this take. Even if you ARE right, it isn't going to be addressed by the parties involved because some overzealous fans are playing Sherlock while watching the video and then reporting it in the comments section of said video. What, you think Jeff is on here and going to ask Kessler to apologize or something because he saw your post? In what has become a veritable sea of "look at me!" comments, this variation is second worse only behind being outright mean. It offers nothing at best, and at worst implies that you know the people involved better than they know themselves and each other, both of which is pretty damn insulting in it's own right.

Wow, this was truly awful. Nothing like an in-joke broadcast to the masses.

@ironscimitar: the Kessler bit was fuckin' gold

Dude when people watch something, they're going to give their own opinion and view of it. Some say it was all part of the act, othera say it got personal at some point. I agree with the latter. It's not that serious.

....so every year when they do this exact thing? It is always amazingly fun to watch and this year was no different.

Is that Abby just howling with laughter in the background? Lol

@av_gamer: so, my overall point that the armchair analysis of people you don't know in the comments not contributing anything notwithstanding, you are certainly right that to some degree most of the back-and-forth within the community isn't all that serious. However, there is a relatively long history at this point of this rather dimestore analysis of on stream or podcast behavior at best leaving the staff exasperated and at worst outright annoyed. Again, just as recently as a couple of months ago Jeff Bakalar had to basically put out a call during the Beastcast for people to stop talking about him being bullied, because it was incredibly annoying (and wasn't true).

Now, if you still feel like the definitive statements like the one made by you and others need to be said, despite the fact that they have no constructive value to really anyone, far be it for me to ask you to stop. But after seeing the same sentiment several times in these comments and elsewhere, and in such a sweeping, declarative way, it's hard not to feel annoyed myself, and more so irritated on behalf of the staff (and their friends) when they're likely enduring it on an even larger scale. So again, if everyone that had that take just kind of, repressed the need to share it with everyone as if they were an expert on the lives of these people they don't actually know, we'd probably save a lot of people a lot of frustration. But that's just my own $0.02 I suppose.

@breq: You're allowed to just like something, that's still a positive emotion.

I love how idiots are arguing in the comments about people they don't even know. Go outside.

It was alright, 3/5.

This reminds me of a couple years ago in the Counter-Strike esports scene where a professional player said rude things to another on stream and then was forced to go to a "bully seminar". It became a longstanding meme where whenever someone said something remotely rude or competitive, they'd have to "go to a bully" seminar. People are way too sensitive here. The dynamics between people vary a lot by relationship and location. My family on the east coast will casually say "go fuck yourself" and that's just a thing on the east coast, where people talk more candidly and aggressively but it's not to be taken seriously. I get that vibe from Dave Lang and Johnny V.

I'm happy Matt Kessler, Hardcore Dave, Alexa and Koontz found high-paying work elsewhere, but it does make you wonder how amazing Giant Bomb would be if it held on to these people. Kessler was amusing as an intern but he's really become a great stream personality. Same is true for Ben, of course. And the other intern who shall not be named... (too bad how that went.) Maybe GB needs more interns?

@breq: I agree, these segments are good, but would even be better if you are there I guess. I think your comparison is spot on, a story about friends can be funny, but its more funny if youre there. That said, people should stop thinking they know how other people feel, especially if they are not in the same room. How sometimes loose and awkward, and I mean that in a positive way, it gets, everybody is probably pretty aware there are cameras in the room.

Popped in to see if this segment was similar to previous ones, and I sounds like I can safely skip it in favor of other E3 videos. I find the Old Midway guys’ humor really abrasive and uncomfortable, but I’ve never really liked I’m Just Busting Your Balls-style jokes, so it was never going to be my thing, anyway. Glad other folks like it.

I've been fairly opposed to cringe-based content on the site lately, yet even so this is something I inexplicably look forward to watching every year. How Johnny V is a real person is nothing short of remarkable. I'll continue to assume that he just judges cakes on TV for a living. The Kessler bit was pretty humorous to me though I'm not sure I'd support hashtag freeing him. If nothing else he should take this as a lesson in using social media responsibly. If he really had built up 10k+ followers he should have at least known some basic terms and service by now like not issuing joke death threats merely because he got publicly razzed by these ding dongs. Thanks as always to the Bomb crew for this lovely annual trainwreck.

@mezmero: To be fair assuming that Twitter actually banned anyone for breaking rules is something of a stretch.

Point taken, though admittedly I don't use twitter myself so I guess I wouldn't know.

Was thinking the same about the Matt bit, it got awkwardly long.

Whew...

@bathala: Did they ever say why this was the last year? I might have missed it.

This community simultaneously has some of the most creative, kind people, and just straight up cruel dullards.

The Kessler bit was fun and it should be obvious to absolutely everyone it was friends messing around.

Don't see how anyone could miss that.

I'm hoping this is like some good gaming franchises and does take a year off. The Kessler bit started funny and then went on WAAAAAAY too long and then the whole segment seems to have run it's course because they're trying to one up themselves each year.

Also, and this is a selfish thing, I do always feel it's a shame when they get and Lang and Boyes on and don't get a chance to ask some actual industry quesitons. Some of the best bombcasts have been Lang talking about the industry from his current perspective in it.

I would really love this line-up with a sober Johnny V and additional Ed Boon. The first time that they did this it was Boon, Vignocchi, and Lang, and we got a lot of funny Midway-era stories out of it, rather than everyone yelling over each other.

Sometimes I feel like the cameras don't really need to be on for these night shows? It's cool that everyone is together and having a good time, but Phil Spencer tends to be the only segment that's worth watching because he's actually there to have a discussion rather than to simply hang out.

The ranting went a little too long, but the wife's instructions and freestyle rap were spot on.

@brewster: Totally agree about Lang and his industry perspective. He chatted on a Bombcast one time about the PC problems with Batman: Arkham Knight, and it was an awesome dose of perspective about how hard a supposedly easy problem can be to solve. The old Midway crew have seen industry change, and then change again—I would love to have them chat more about that in an informal setting.

Finally, someone who gets it.

Love this segment, every year they are great.

The only segment every year I have to wait for the office to clear out so I can get my laugh on without pausing every two seconds to stifle it. Take me to the deepest reaches of the Langzone.

@adamalc: I'm not really even sure what you're driving at here. I suppose it is a bit presumptuous I guess (although it's not like I'm reporting posts or saying people don't have a right to their opinion, it was just my personal feeling on the matter, as I stated), but considering the number of times they've expressed their frustrations over this hollow kind of analysis over the tiny window into their lives that their fans and subscribers have, I'd hardly think me being irritated over it continuing to happen is an outlandish response. Either way, if people felt less inclined to over-analyze these people that they don't know, I'd never have said anything to begin with so, who's truly being presumptuous in this situation?

To be honest, you don't really need to answer, I had stopped really caring about this weird debate over other people's feelings either way. Sorry if my irritation offended you in any way, just the same.

@sethmode: I am not driving at anything, I was simply curious why you would bother replying to a comment that "offers nothing," especially with the vitriol that you did. I mean, all I did was ask a question and you continued to get defensive about something that you don't care about. Both sides are being presumptuous, theirs for assuming there is conflict when there may or may not be, and yours assuming the right to be offended for someone else who may or may not be.

Your irritation didn't and doesn't offend me, people have a right to be upset about whatever they want. I wasn't then and am not now trying to pick a fight, was just reading the comments and was curious.

@adamalc: Well, the word presumptuous certainly carries a meaning with it that I felt implied you were offended, and I'm sorry for even inquiring about it at this point (although I didn't know what you meant, I wasn't trying to be defensive).

I'm removing myself from this discussion, and this isn't in an attempt to be defensive, it's simply because I'm actually not trying to be as vitriolic as you think I am. So again, I apologize for how I've come across and any misconceptions it may have caused. I do think that I've stated my position on this about as thoroughly as possible so I'm not sure what else I can say to further illustrate what I think or feel on the matter. Have a good one.

Was really hoping for a crowd reaction camera like the one during Andrew W.K's performance at the Bethesda Press Conference.

Lang was not prepared to handle this moment.

@htr10: How long until "He Who Must Not Be Named" can return to the limelight?

It's been almost a year. Without Griffin McElroy, he might be gone for good.

About time to retire this segment isn't it?

Anyone who thinks there is any real beef here has been watching far too much wrestling.

@iamaparade: he did? The only thing I remember is him saying that he can’t speak about it because of his business relationship with Warner Brothers. It would actually be great to get a little bit of insight into such things.

"Would you do a squat?"

"Nope"

Perfect.

Adding to the Kessler edit pile

Man I wish Kessler was on this site more!

I had a smile on my face throughout this whole thing.

John looks like a mob boss trying to stay low.