I miss Ryan

I miss Ryan Davis the most when something really stupid relating to videogames happens. The Nintendo Labo stuff immediately made me scream ‘what the fuuuuck’ in a way I can so clearly picture Ryan doing. Labo is so beautifully dumb in a way that I know would have brought such joy to him...

I''ve rewritten my post a few times trying to find my words, but... Goddammit yeah, I miss him too.

I fully got into GB almost directly after his passing (though I had tangential awareness from watching the P4 ER forever ago as well as some QLs I'd seen with him) and thus, know him mostly from listening to old Bombcasts in order as some sort of video game history lesson. As such, it doesn't really feel "real" that he's gone. I know that's common phrase, but because I never experienced the tragedy in real time (not sure whether I should be thankful of that or not), Ryan feels a lot like Patrick or Austin. He just... moved on to other - God willing, better - things. I imagine some portion of this feeling will go away when I finally reach a certain Bombcast episode in 2013. Still arguing with myself if I should or shouldn't listen to that one.

Sorry, I guess this ended up being the place where I got that off my chest, such as it is.

Fuck, Ryan Davis.

I think we all do.

at least those of us who have been here at least 5 years.

Man it has been almost 5 years now. Time flies I guess.

Same. Was just thinking about this today out of nowhere. God damn he was incredible and joyous. Love Ryan Davis.

If you've ever lost someone close to you unexpectedly, I will say enthusiastically that that episode is very cathartic. I never had the platform or group of friends to go over how I felt about a friend I'd lost almost a decade prior to the podcast's release (in similarly out-of-nowhere fashion, due to a brain aneurysm), and at least for me, I'd been listening to the podcast and watching GB content for about two years and I felt like I got to vicariously have that conversation and reminiscence I never got to have through their own grieving.

Every time something crazy fun happens within games I think "What would Ryan have thought of this?" and it breaks my heart knowing that I'll never get an answer for that.

Only two deaths of people I don't know have shaken me:

David Bowie

Ryan Davis

Ryan was so great at what he did; connecting with people, helping to lead a personality-driven site like this. He was an amazing talent and taken far too soon.

It still feels weird to not hear him proclaim "It's TUESDAY!" as the Bombcast starts.

yeah, i think about him all the time (as my avatar might betray). going back to old shows is such a joyous thing- the man was so adept at drawing out the absurd and most pleasant qualities in everyone he spoke to. he was a tremendous presence alone, and in combo with others he was the ultimate force-multiplier.

as rough as it is to be without him, i'm tremendously thankful that we have his body of work to draw upon.

It was a loss when he passed.

However.

It's been like 5 years, remember him, but move on.

There is no one like Ryan Davis, and yes there are countless things since he has passed that I thought ' I wonder what Ryan would have thought of this?'

"$20 is $40 too much for dbz ultimate battle 22" is still my favorite thing anyone has ever said. I miss him too.

I know I miss his personality and humor like we all do.

But I also really miss just how eloquent and insightful he was when he wanted to talk a little more seriously about videogames. He helped steer the conversation in ways that led to interesting group discussions. I find that this just doesn't happen nearly as often since he's not around. You can really feel this impact during GOTY podcasts, but he brought that kind of subtle guidance to the group in just about every podcast or video he was a part of.

I’ve been thinking about Ryan a lot the last month or so too for whatever reason. I think it’s from seeing everyone together for the GOTY stuff. It’s hard not to think stuff like “man, Ryan would have loved this” sometimes. Can’t believe it’s gonna be five years soon. Miss that guy.

@xanadu said:

That video is one of my favorites. So good.

I still think of him often. I wonder a lot how much of Giant Bomb's current audience has never experienced any content with him in it.

It was during the Giant Bake Off, when they were playing Cook Serve Delicious, and the Ryan Davis burgwr came up. I thought to myself "Does Abby even have any idea who that guy was?"

Ryan was such a strong voice in video games. I also would have loved to hear his thoughts on the many things in video games since his passing. I would love to hear him on the bombcast again. He was SOÒOOOOOOOOOO good at his job. He was a fantastic host and he knew how to direct conversation. He could cut straight through bullshit, too.

The Whiskey Media Happy Hour and Thursday Night Throwdown episodes are still great to go back to.

You're not alone.

@poobumbutt: I had almost the same experience, I got serioulsy into Giantbomb in spring of 2013, I remember one of the first videos I saw Ryan in was the Bioshock Infinite spoilercast. His passion and enthusiasm for games was evident right away and I dove headlong into the old Arrow Pointing Down-casts, Bombcasts, QL's, CT endurance run, etc. It was like making a bunch of new gaming friends and just in time for new generation of consoles. I remember how excited Ryan was during E3 coverage about the big fall gaming season ahead.

Then one night I remember opening up Polygon and seeing Ryan's picture with an article from Justin McElroy and I knew something was wrong and I just lost it. It took me an hour to click on the headline and confirm what I was dreading to be true.

Miss you every day Ryan.

dito man, was just watching an older Best of GB and heard his voice....

When the message that he passed was posted I say there in shock then I tried to calculate the hours upon hours of entertainment that him and the Giant Bomb and before that, Gamespot crew had given me over the years with him as a primary voice.

I'm really happy with the way Giant Bomb has grown since his passing but man would I have loved to have him around to react to so many things.

There's something fundamentally wrong about the fact that Ryan Davis hasn't been a part of Giant Bomb for almost half of its history now. Still miss the big guy a lot whenever I stumble onto an old video or bombcast clip.

I always feel real guilty when I think about Ryan Davis. I always think of him through the lens of "What would Ryan think about this game?" or "Ryan really knew how to put that feeling into words." But then my mind starts to wander. Ryan would have been married for over 4 years now. "What if Ryan and his wife had a child by now." Rewind that even a little, "What would Ryan think of his honeymoon, or even marriage?" I think about how wrecked I was/am as just a fan, and I can't even begin to imagine how hard it was/is for the people that personally knew him. I think of what Giant Bomb would be now. Ryan was so charming and gregarious with a dash of crude that he probably would have been on TV by now. I don't mean anything too crazy, maybe something like that walk-on role on NCIS he talked about. I start thinking of all the things he's missed out on besides games and I feel like i'm being limiting and selfish with the man's life. Then I start to realize I'm probably over complicating things and settle on the truest thing I've typed on this website.

I fucking miss Ryan Davis for so many reasons.

Been listening to every bombcast in order lately, to catch up on what I missed (started listening to the podcast in 2012). The guy just seemed so smart. We lost a fucking icon.

As someone who recently started listening to their old podcasts, I really can't believe just how much of a joy Ryan was. I really wish he would have been here to interact with Dan because I feel like those two together would've been my favorite pair in the history of the company. I know they interacted a couple times and were in at least one video together which is cool. But yeah, I miss Ryan too. RIP duder

I feel like I think about Ryan pretty often. Way more than any other person who's passed away in my lifetime.

It's a weird place to be, missing someone you've never met, let alone talked to, but I find myself pondering how these last few years would have been if he hadn't passed.

@indiana_jenkins: I definitely can identify with these feelings all too well.

@arbitrarywater: When you put it like that my immediate thought is "no, that can't be right, surely not, there's no way that's true". Then I look at the dates and its crazy that's actually the case.

Ryan was the best.

I feel ya, man. Every time something crazy happens in video games, I think of Ryan. I still can't watch a lot of older GB material without that cloud hanging over it.

Yup, he's the only person I've never met whose death made me cry. Always nice going back to old videos and seeing his shenanigans. There were several times in the GOTY stuff this year that I was like, "Ryan Davis could turn this around and make this way more enjoyable." His laugh, and the way he could get Jeff laughing, was always great.

@indiana_jenkins: Dude, this is the most melancholic I've felt all day. This whole post made me smile wistfully and get choked up simultaneously.

Love and miss you, Ryan.

I haven't been around or watching GB for two years now, yet I was just few days ago reminiscing about Ryan. So to see this thread seems a bit timely. Dosnt help I always have my own video made in tribute of Ryan I rewatch from time to time...its the second last image of the entire gang together on the Green screen thats get me. https://youtu.be/u3wwDLQlFR8

Same. I haven't changed my avatar since 2013 and I don't ever see me doing so.

I'm going to be honest I didn't think Giant Bomb could carry on without Ryan Davis. He was such a central part of those early years and my favorite member of the original Bombcast crew. Credit to the the Giant Bomb staff both original and new for carrying on and still being just as entertaining as they have ever been even without Ryan, but he will always be missed.

It STILL feels surreal to me. Every Tuesday I wake up and think to myself "it's tyeeeeeeeeeewsday", the way he said it. I miss his love for that which is dumb. I just miss him in general. It's weird to think about how long I've been following this group of guys - and when I think of the group, I still think of Ryan.

Ryan is the only 'celebrity' death that really impacted me. I miss him on the site tpo2. GB is still fantastic but it is still less without him. I know Dan came in place of Ryan, but I often wish there was more Dan and Ryan content. He was a joy in videos and podcasts. Can't believe it's been as long as it has.

Me too, man. Me too.

Don't have much more of substance than that to add. There's times when I think of him, and the general excitement he had for things. How easily he could laugh, or just have fun with something. And I tell myself, when shit gets a wee bit frustrating or dark in general; "try to slow down, try to enjoy the time you got. Try to marvel a bit."

I've had some bad luck. I've known dear friends and family who became the dear departed. I still feel.. Strange, to count Ryan among them. Like hey, I didn't ever meet the guy. But the fella', and his ways, just wormed his way into my heart in a way I could spend hours trying to explain without much success. I love him still, genuinely.

Couldn't agree more. He had such a wonderful presence - he had an enthusiasm that was just contagious. I really believe he elevated everyone around him, which is why he was such a wonderful host for the bombcast.

I think Giantbomb has grown into something really special since his passing, but I don't think anyone would disagree in that it would be so much more if he was still here. Rest in peace

I still annually listen to the memorial podcast. I find it super touching and cathartic to hear just how much Ryan meant to his friends.

It's really hard to explain how someone you've never interacted with before can mean so much. How even in this weird one-sided vicarious relationship, his passing can be so deeply scarring.

Ryan, for so long, was just a given in my entertainment. His wit, his way with words, and his infectious laughter are so very greatly missed. His moments of self reflection were incredibly inspiring.

But, he was more than just his contributions to Giant Bomb.

He was a newly wedded husband. He was a son, a brother, a friend. He was Ryan Davis.

I sincerely hope that every person he was close with has been able to grow and move forward. Thank you for sharing him with us.

Thank you Giant Bomb for continuing in spite of the profound loss.

Thank you Ryan.

"Hey everybody it's TUUUUUUESDAY"

I miss the "The King of the Driveway" aka "Papa Bear" aka "DJ Fake Ryan Davis" aka "Hat Judge" every time I load up the Giant Bomb webpage. The big man left a hole that we knew at the time would never be filled. The site will never be able to capture the magic of those whiskey media days ever again, and that's okay. If you ever are feeling nostalgic, load up some old content of them just sitting around the office shooting the shit. It's nice.

The man died peacefully after having what I assume was the happiest day of his life. I hope one day I can go like that. I feel terrible for Anna, condolences continue to go out to her. I can only imagine how hard things have been.

Just want to throw in that I still miss him too.

Me too, I often think about what he'd think about things and different games.

I'm sure there's some form of GB content with him that I missed, I may go back to some Happy Hour episodes and relive them too.

Same.

Word. If you ever need a good shot of Ryan to remember the good times, any of the game show quick looks with him and Brad Muir (really anything with Ryan and Brad Muir) are always good for many laughs.

It is a testament to how impactful his life was that almost 5 years later we get constant comments and posts about him and his work. The good die young and the great live on through the people whose lives they touched.

R.i.p

I still miss Ryan to this day too! I've wondered come GOTY time which games would be his favorites and which games he'd push to win certain awards. How much would Ryan enjoy playing PUBG with everybody else on Murder Island? He was one of the key reasons why I became a Giant Bomb member after watching quick looks such as the Kinect QL's, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Hollywood Squares. Ryan was always a joy to watch/listen to in the podcasts and quick looks with his sense of humor as well as how he articulated his views on video games. Plus he always had the best laugh.

RIP Ryan

I remember i went on a hiatus listening to the giantbombcast and came back a year or two later wondering where Ryan was, it wasn't til like three episodes in that i went and searched him up and finding out he passed in 2013. I was sitting on my couch with my laptop in my lap and was literally like "What the fuck". Ryan had the most contagious laugh i think i've ever heard, i will miss him all the time.