Last week I finished Bioshock Infinite. But this post isn't about that. After I finished it, I wanted to discuss it. The ending raises a lot of questions and it begs discussion. I know very few people who are as enthusiastic about games as I am, which means, in situations such as this I have to go online to have this sort of discussion. Inevitably, for this kind of discussion I end up at giantbomb.com. I have been a regular visitor for only a few years, however this site has given so much to me. In a way it gave me a glimpse of the future. I was able to watch a version of TV that I was actually interested in. I was able to watch people who shared my passion and excitement and at times my anger, incredulity or just fascination with video games and the industry that makes and enjoys them. To get back on point I went to GiantBomb and downloaded the Bioshock spoiler video they did. I watched it over a few days commute and finished it on Friday. As I did I found myself wondering if seeing this close group of friends talk about it, if I was using that as a substitute for finding friends of my own to discuss it with. I raised the issue with my girlfriend and thought that, no, maybe I wasn’t a part of the conversation, but it was still a valuable contribution to the experience of the game, because they could offer insights that no one I know could possibly have access to.
Now that group of friends is permanently smaller by one. I feel as though I have also lost a friend. I think that this is an expected response, despite never meeting him. I listened to Ryan’s voice just about daily. There are very few people I speak to daily, and if I lost any of them I would be upset and it is no different with Ryan’s death. He seemed like someone who had fun in life, no matter what was happening. It’s a sad fact of life that people who affect your life, in profound or minor ways will pass on and appear all but forgotten. However if someone did really affect you they are never forgotten. The impact Ryan had on me is to remember that video games can be just as moving, just as impactful and just as culturally important as any other media. There are those who still, STILL treat them as games for kids, but they don’t matter. Because we know how much fun they can be, we saw how much they can give, as I’m sure Ryan would attest to.
To those at GiantBomb and his widow I’d like to say how sorry I am for your loss. I think the public outpouring of grief and gratitude is a testament to the man he was. I am sure that being ‘on’ as much as you all are, being public figures like you all are must take its toll, so I wanted to say thank you.
To those who feel seriously upset, or even just kind of miserable today don’t feel that it is strange or stupid to be affected by the passing of someone you may have never met. This is the world we live in now. We are connected across borders and barriers like never before. The idea that you have to speak to someone for them to have an influence on your life should seem strange.
Some will chalk these emotions up to the cult and culture of celebrity, which is ridiculous. We didn’t lose a celebrity. That puts him as something different than us, but in the end we were all fans of video games. We lost a friend. A guy we played games with, a guy we tweeted with. No different to a friend who now lives overseas but you still keep in touch with online. It hurts and it sucks and I wish it didn’t happen. But it did, so today we mourn try to remember the good times and know that nothing stops the Bombcast.
And if all this was too serious for you, the TL:DR FUCK RYAN DAVIS
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