Hello Patrick,

When I recently listened to the audio clip that you posted from your Dark Souls call-in, I was greatly disturbed. Over the last year, I have come to see the Giant Bomb community as something of which I can be proud member. It seems almost impossible that this kind of crap came from inside the house. However, so much of the gaming world experiences, even tangentially, this sort of insane vitriol on a regular basis and even Giant Bomb is not an exception.

Part of what drives me to write this letter is an unexpressed sadness and appreciation for Ryan Davis. I had felt the urge to write something last summer but the words never quite made it out in a developed form. I'm relatively new to the community and consequently, I never had the opportunity to meet the man in person. Even so, I had a personal sense that I knew who he was as a person, a sentiment echoed by numerous others at the time. That trait, shared amongst all of you at Giant Bomb, is what has made the site something special. It is that defilement of that which was that upsets me so much.

For someone to invoke Ryan's name while wishing for your harm is the height of misunderstanding, for all that I could tell, of who he was. Twisting the memory of a good person for that kind of evil is enraging and deeply saddening. If ghosts existed, I'd imagine that the fucker would be haunted forever. This evil person is an offense to our entire community, not a true member of this mico-culture.

I was able to experience the Giant Bomb community in person for the first time at PAX Prime last year. It was an amazing event and I hope to continue enjoying more of them. You guys are the real shit. That panel, along with the CAH tribute, brought the memory of a baller dude to life in the minds and hearts of everyone that took part.

But this letter is for you, Patrick. Thank you for continuing to shine a light on the darkest corners of the Internet's bullshit. Thank you for having the courage to stand up against bullies. Thank you for asking hard questions. Thank for your pointing out the good when you find it. Thank you for keeping it real. Keep on keeping on.

-David Trudeau

(Context: https://twitter.com/patrickklepek/status/433391559258562560 A warning, it's really fucking bad.)