@roy42: Fair point, but I do remember myself fist-pumping so much harder when Drew or Brad managed to best him in some of the MPP videos, and feeling a specific type of glee when Jeff just sandbagged and continued to not care about his shenanigans.
That's the difference between competitive and cooperative though, in my opinion. I don't mind him gloating and turning everything into his 'Rocky story' in a competitive environment where it's folks for themselves. But in any team-based context, it is straight shitty.
I remember back when the crew played D&D, and the way Dan played completely clashed with everything D&D is about. Back then, I thought it was just Dan's unfamiliarity with the 'genre' of co-operative games, and thought it was a shame.
But in This Is The Run (even though he made the comment that he sees all games as a thing to 'win'), him and Vinny did show a bumbling sort of teamwork that was endearing.
Hell, Dan in Mario Party Party and Steal My Sunshine is endearing in a way. Every story needs a bad guy after all, and his cocky attitude gives us something to cheer against, an ego for the others to overcome.
But this isn't endearing. This is taking a well-crafted idea for co-operative storytelling, and turning it into the Dan Ryckert-show. It completely removes any risk, any form of investment and tension. It turned a gripping form of content into a dick-waving contest. For some this is entertaining, but it goes completely against the premise of the feature, as well as what GB stands for in my opinion.
Let me bring it back to my D&D analogy: back when they played Pathfinder with Dave Snider, Drew, Ian, Brad and Vinny, with Rory as the GM, Brad played a rogue. And as rogues do, he decided to steal some magical gem from the pockets of his teammates. It was charming, because sure, it is his right, his character, and the roll allowed him to do so. Later on (if I remember correctly) he did give it back, and no harm was done, other than a bit of rogueish skullduggery. It honestly worked, and never felt too antagonistic. It added to the party's story in their one-shot dungeon crawl, and a moment that is fondly looked back upon.
Dan's behavior in co-op features does feel antagonistic. It's actively and continuously putting himself forward at the expense of the story that's being told: the story that keeps bringing people back for more. He doesn't need to be the antagonist in this feature: the game is doing a good enough job of that. Right now, it's turning into '3 people playing XCOM', because the narrative many of us had been buying into has been revealed to be inconsequential.
I actually shed some tears this stream, watching Ron Galaxy, Johnny V and the Highwayman get super real and super serious for a second. This is what I love about this industry, but most of all this site and community. Everyone is loved. We've got each other's backs. We love you, Johnny. You'll get up on top of your game again, no doubt.
@austin_walker: you've brought a vitality, and knowledge and a very genuine excitement to the crew in a time they needed it most. You're gonna be missed, bud. But you'll always be part of this here family.
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