Ben Pack Appreciation Thread

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Zaghnol

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Thank you Ben for all the fantastic content you've made even better. Best of luck with what ever you'll end up doing! :)

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deckard

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That’s too - I’ve always liked Ben’s perspective on things. In fact just this week on the Bombcast he convinced me to reinstall CrossCode on his glowing recommendation. He’ll be missed - good luck sir

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YoThatLimp

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Damn, sucks to see Ben go! Going to miss Jan and Ben's cooking show segments, I loved his recent Rogue video series. The After show was one of my favorite pieces of GB content! RIP 3am boys.

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cheesebob

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Best of luck Ben! I enjoyed what you brought to the website and there will be big, literally and figuratively, shoes to fill when you go.

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MonkeyVee74

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Thanks junior science guy and best of luck big man! Take care of yourself and hope you make a special guest star appearance on a charity stream or event in the future...

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digitaldisco

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Ben will be missed.

Between this, the staggering lack of content lately, and the acquisition, it really feels like GB is on its last legs. I guess it continues as long as it continues to be profitable. Here's hoping those incoming targeted credit card offers get some of ya'll to generate more revenue.

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hermes

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This is tough. The b-mail/aftermath will be sorely missed, and I loved Morning Mahjong, even when I couldn't understand what the hell was going on. The chemistry he has with Jan is great.

However, he leaves on his own accord, so there is nothing left to say than: Good luck, Ben. You will be missed on this shores, but I am sure wherever you end up going will be happy to have you.

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ocelotfox

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Thanks for everything you’ve done, Ben, it has been a joy to watch and listen to you over the last few years. Best wishes on your future endeavors, but remember - 3AM Boys forever.

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hjort

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It's so sad to see you leave, Ben. I respect your decision, and I wish you nothing but the very best in the future, but damn this will be felt.

You've been a real asset to Giant Bomb and a great source of laughter and enjoyment. Thanks for everything, Ben.

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majorchin

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You will be missed, Ben! Good luck wherever you end up!

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thebipsnbeeps

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Oh man, i'll miss the hell out of ben on the site. I hope he continues to thrive at whatever next is coming his way and is doing okay in his own private life!!

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Hurvilo

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Why are all the new Giant Bomb people leaving? I guess Jason or Jan is the next one to go? :(

Anyways, thanks to Ben for all the memories and #content, and god speed!

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guip1408

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Ben had become my favorite, I've always felt he brought the most passion about the games he enjoyed, and always had the most balanced and genuine opinions e critiques.

I feel really sad that he's leaving, he and Jan created the perfect dynamic among the rest of the staff. Also, he was the best at "fitting in" on any content. He was the only member you could see doing a 2-man series/video with every single member of the GB crew, especially when Dan and Abby were still around. And that's an amazing quality for a person in this line of work.

Thanks Ben.

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MocBucket62

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#167  Edited By MocBucket62

Best of luck to your future endeavors Ben!

I really enjoyed having Ben here at Giant Bomb. His features such as Breakfast N' Ben were always fun, him and Jan were an excellent duo for things like You're Gonna Finish It (The Bouncer, Spongebob) and Jan Can Cook/Ben Appetit and he proved to be a good Jr. Scientist on Ranking of Fighters. Oh yeah he also took over for Drew on Demo Derby and I really enjoyed having him on that feature. I also found that his tastes in games lined up with mine the most over the past few years compared to most of the GB crew. Also hey, Ben was one of many influences that got me to try and look at Fighting Games more seriously.

I'll definitely miss having Ben around but I wish him the best and hope he's happy with what he does in his next chapter.

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tartyron

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Ben will be missed. He had a certain snarky wit that I felt blended very well with the rest of the crew.

Guess this is the end of the division of new business.

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superslidetail

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Wow we are really getting down to a skeleton crew here. Good luck Ben, you did a great job! You'll be missed!

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youeightit

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I love Ben and wish him nothing but the absolute best from here on out. I warmed up to him immediately and have pretty much enjoyed everything he did on the site. I was always sad when he wasn't on the Bombcast.

This news is hitting extra hard for me though. In the long run it doesn't mean much to my life as a whole, but in the last month my grandmother died from Covid, I just lost a friend to cancer, and my cat has been in declining health and his vet visit on Monday finally drove home the fact that he might not be with me much longer. So one of my favorite staff members departing from a source of genuine comfort in my life is hitting a little harder than it normal would.

But I do want to reiterate, I wish Ben nothing but the absolute best going forward and I hope whatever he does next brings him as much joy as his presence on the site has brought to me over the last few years.

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StanleyPain

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Pretty gutted GB is losing both Abby and Ben, but I wish you the best from here on out. Sucks you will no longer be on Ranking on Fighters (if that ever makes a return) They were just about to get you your own lab coat, too! Really! Seriously!

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antime

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Sad to see you go, and good luck in your future endeavors. I greatly enjoyed what you brought to the site.

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threeOCT

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#173  Edited By threeOCT

Ben said he felt like he needed to play/act a certain way during streams and the like, and I found that weird because I genuinely like how he spoke about games he played and the news going on during each Bombcast because it was about as off-the-cuff and natural as he ever sounds in GB shows. I get it, though. There's a lot of push to (even a little bit) play a part in internet content because of the potential of internet assholes saying things about you, one way or another. I include myself in that, as I got blocked by Ben on Twitter around the time his Spider-Man review came out (I swear this is not me asking him to unblock. Everybody's gotta a point where they act like a shithead online and this counts for me. Ben doesn't need me in his ats, so I'm fine with it). I definitely feel bad if my response to something he wrote or did on stream led him to wanting to get away from it. You gotta remember it's okay to dislike stuff, but maybe you don't have to project that at the people who make it if it's not constructive. Like, I know better more often than not, but everybody can have moments where they ignore that. Generally speaking, we all got be better at that and I know I'm still doing my best to not act out.

Good luck with the next step, whatever it may be, and hopefully we didn't shake you up that much.

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msx2

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Thank you for all of the laughs you have given me during all these years Ben. Right now I'm sad to see you go, but I wish you all the best in the world. Love ya duder!

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fetchfox

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The Times They Are a-Changin'... All the best Ben! Your antics and personality on the podcast will be missed.

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SSully

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Going to miss you Ben, but you have to do what is best for you. Thanks for all the years of entertainment you brought and good luck with whatever is in store for you in the future.

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MrGreenMan

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Ben's weird sense of awkward and silly humor brought me so much joy over the years. It's made me really appreciate that you don't need to always take things so serious and just have fun. I totally understand his reason for leaving, having anxiety myself, I honestly don't think I would have made it 4 months into that job in lock down. Thank you!

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Kaname

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Big bummer, I really appreciated the energy that he brought and the younger view together with Jan. But I just listened to the announcement and yeah I can see that. I wish him all the best with whatever he ends up doing.

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tdous

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Seeing this thread is how I found out. I hate this. His humour and energy were an exact match for the site, and played well off each other member of the staff just as well. I've particularly enjoyed seeing more of Ben and Vinny (sometimes with Jan) and I will miss all of his input and enthusiasm on the site tremendously. I don't have an upbeat end to this. Best wishes for the future, @benpack

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tdous

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...in the last month my grandmother died from Covid, I just lost a friend to cancer, and my cat has been in declining health and his vet visit on Monday finally drove home the fact that he might not be with me much longer

So sorry to read this, duder. I hope things pick up for you as quickly as they can sour.

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DaBoost386

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Well this news sucks, but good luck and thanks for the years of fun, Ben.

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dantez

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#182  Edited By dantez

Man, this one sucks. Both Dan, and Abby were not always my cup of tea, so have not really missed their presence after they left. However I always enjoyed Ben's humour, and a lot of the features he was responsible for. So definitely going to miss his input to the site a lot more.

I am sure he will do great at whatever he is moving on to. Good luck Ben!

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primeate

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Thank you Ben for all your work. You have provided a very bright spot on this site and in my life personally through more than just the dark of the recent past year. I always found you engaging, your opinion valuable and thoughtful. You will be missed, I hope your future is bright and full of love and life. As you slide down the banisters of life, may the splinters never be pointed the wrong way.

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drdust

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Thanks Ben, best wishes to you, gonna miss you

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lord1maiden

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Thank you very much for your time, your talent and your content Ben.

Please don’t be a stranger and you will be missed.

Take care and I hope for the best for you

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drmadhatten

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#186  Edited By drmadhatten

I think the biggest thing I enjoyed is similar to what Brad mentioned in the Bombcast, which is an articulate way to discuss gameplay mechanics. I think as games continue to get more complex, we need people who can not only compare across different types of games in the same genre (battle royale, battle chess, etc.) but also between genres. Ben's critique using Ghost of Tsushima of praising it for avoiding what every other open world game couldn't (taking the best ideas of Breath of the Wild with poor execution) is one that I will never forget.

I return to Giant Bomb for their knowledge-base, and as a 31 year old I am so sick of kids talking about video games. Despite the fact that Ben is younger than me, I never once felt like he couldn't "punch up his weight class." I am so thankful for the years with Ben on this website. Looking forward to his awesome opinions in this year's GOTY discussions.

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rawdanger

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Haven't heard this on the bombcast yet, so this news came as a surprise. I'll miss Ben's contributions, but we all have to do what is best for our own lives. It sounds like being "on" all the time was a point of stress, so hopefully his future is more laid back and along the lines of what he's looking for. Thanks for the laughs, good sir.

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Sessh

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Oh man, that's a real shame. I really like Ben and he's involved in a lot of great shows (Going Rogue, Mahjong, Ben&Breakfast, The Aftershow). I was afraid something was up, after Going Rogue just stopped deadin its tracks.

Very sad to see him go, hopefully he doesn't part because of bad eggs in the community, cause fuck them. Anyway best of luck to you, Ben. Hopefully you'll make a couple guest appearances in the upcoming years.

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BrunoTheThird

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#190  Edited By BrunoTheThird

Drew leaving destroyed me; Dan leaving destroyed me; Abby and Ben now, too, and the destruction continues.

Wish Ben the best. He has great chemistry with literally everyone and brings so many games I'd never entertain into the spotlight and into my wheelhouse. That's all a great host ever needs to do, and he always achieves it.

Good luck! Remember, the ska's the limit!

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Undeadpool

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So the Rogue streams really WERE just anti-comedy Tim & Eric-style sketches?! I KNEW IT ALL ALONG!

Seriously, @benpack you're going out on a series of high notes, and we're all going to miss you so much.

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Girafro

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So what does this mean for Kingdom Heartache?

Sad to see Ben go, hopefully he finds success and happiness wherever he ends up. His energy on Aftermath will be missed, assuming the post-podcast podcast continues without him, he always teamed up real good with Jeff in everything (as well as everyone else, but Jeff especially I found).

Take care out there Ben, best wishes!

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streetninja

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Ben, thanks for being fun and silly. I hope you still do some things semi-public whenever it suits you. You are leaving big shoes that I'm sure can't be filled unless they find someone equally as tall or someone smaller but with potentially humongous feet.

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Smirlax

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Ben, you were such a great addition to Giant Bomb. The Mario Maker streams were some of my favorite GB shows. When a topic fell into your wheelhouse, you usually had a paragraph ready to go about why you liked something and why it was great. And after that paragraph, I felt like I knew the game more. Take it easy.

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mathey

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Hey Ben,

I will miss your laugh. I will miss your goof 'em ups. I will miss your perspective and honest appraisal of this dumb hobby of ours. I will miss how much trouble the camera had framing you properly. I will miss your cuisine.

But I will accept that its better for you to get out of the spotlight for a while and focus on a quieter, less fraught environment. You deserve it and all the new opportunities that come with it.

Best wishes,

A Duder

<>

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ZedFlips

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Ben, best wishes, good luck, may you achieve your dreams.

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hnke

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Ben was a perfect example of what I like about GB and personally the biggest bright point since the team split into two coasts. Hearing him describe how self-critical he was during his first years on the site is jarring because of how much of a hard carry he's been for a lot of the content. Hope he can enjoy some privacy for once

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xGreyfox357

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Thanks Ben! You gave me a ton of laughs which helped alot this last year! Best of luck!!

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jerinx

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Long time listener first time caller kinda deal here. Subscribed to support a site/crew/business model I believe in years ago, but don't frequent the community. Caught this news elsewhere and felt the need to come over. Hope Ben gets to see this.

The entire crew is best when there's more and different personalities (within reason) around to play off each other. Ben brought a great energy that helped elevate everyone. I will truly miss his contributions. It was night and day improvement to the podcast (felt the same about Abby!).

I hope the new ownership climate around GB allows them to try to fill the empty shoes and lost energy. Ben is leaving behind some big friggin shoes (figuratively, literally) to fill. Best of luck and hope you get what makes you happy.

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mattfosho

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Ben, you are great. I will miss you on GB.