Melos

No, but because I'm such a good person I would donate the toilet banana to a food drive.

I'm sorry to be cynical, but I've been hearing about this mythical "Dreamfall Chapters" for the better part of a decade now. If that new company finally gives the project momentum, that's fantastic. I love The Longest Journey series. I'm just saying, I've been holding my breath for a while now only to get a bunch of Conan MMO that I don't think anyone cares about.

I haven't played any of the games people have mentioned here. Maybe they are that bad, but there seems to be a pretty narrow focus on big, mainstream games. Surely the worst of the worst is a mostly ignored dog management data phishing game on Android or something of that ilk. That's not really the spirit of WGotY, though, I know.

I'd probably cast a late vote for Intel Discovered. I certainly overreacted to that with a moment of self-righteous disgust after the Quick Look, but I still think that "game" is the worst piece of shit to come along since those "punch the monkey" banner ads.

I'm about a third of the way through Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. I think it's a bit metaphor heavy, and the dialogue gets grossly melodramatic sometimes, but overall it's intriguing. Plus I'm a sucker for prison stories. I never saw the movie, but I'm going to assume it's not as good as the book since that's the way it usually goes. What I was really looking for was a good psychological thriller novel. That isn't the genre that I feel Shutter Island falls in, so if anyone knows of any books that would qualify, bring 'em on.

Also, I'm stalled about halfway through Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. That book is well written, linguistically speaking, but the story seems to have a lot of padding. Then again, maybe I'm just used to the more economical pacing of a short story or short short.

Goddamn, stellar work! Nice clean, professional images that not only jive with Persona, but also perfectly characterize the Bomb crew. I can't even imagine how much fun an actual Giant Bomb Persona game would be.

I loathe following elections for the same reasons I hate watching commercials. I generally try not to discuss politics either since those conversations turn into two people not listening to each other. I have always voted, though.

Those of you who don't vote have that right, and if you don't know anything about the candidates, voting is an empty gesture. In the case of this election especially, not voting might make more of a statement than voting. (The better choice would be to write someone else in the ballot.) Anyway, I'm not going to treat voting like it's the most important responsibility an American has. I think of it mostly as a pacifier.

Maybe I'll just write in "The People" for my vote this time.

...On second thought, that's like saying I want the internet to be my government.

I noticed a few people asking, "So what?" Well, it's true that we're all familiar with these issues, but does that mean they aren't worth exploring? Even if the problems are obvious, they are problems that need fixing. I don't believe anything can be improved by ignoring it.

As for trolling, what bothers me is how it fosters this attitude that either everyone agrees or someone is just trying to be disruptive. People start dismissing legitimate concerns and prevent any kind of meaningful dialogue. Other times someone will respond to a troll with a good point, one worth considering, but nobody will respond to that person because they assume that person is a fool for being "trolled."

Yeah, the internet is full of stupid shit, and often in good fun. That doesn't mean there's no room for an intelligent discussion. Honestly, I think that's the appeal of Something Awful. There's layers upon layers of stupid shit and in-jokes there, but the forums also have some of the most constructive and insightful threads on the internet.

@James_Giant_Peach said:

@Melos said:

I don't consider myself a "fan" of Jeff, Ryan, etc. because that would mean I put them on a pedestal and worship them, which is the opposite of what they strive for.

No that's not what 'fan' means, double check your dictionary.

I'm not sure what you're getting at. "Fan" is a loaded word. My point was I consider the personalities of Giant Bomb to be peers, not rock stars. I don't want their autographs or to make shrines of things they've touched. How would you describe "fan?"

I mulled over the same observations when I finally went premium. I don't consider myself a "fan" of Jeff, Ryan, etc. because that would mean I put them on a pedestal and worship them, which is the opposite of what they strive for. They're experienced every-men, accessible and frank. People I'm happy to have in my life, people I respect, but ultimately just people. Yet I can't say they are friends since they have no idea who I am. So what do we call this weird space we exist in? I'm not sure there's a precedent for it -- certainly not for me at least.

Giant Bomb is also attractive to me because it's casual entertainment. I can watch five minutes or five hours and pay as much or as little attention as I want to and still have a good experience. TV shows, for example, require a lot of investment. There are commercials to wait through, plot progression that has to be watched from beginning to end during a set period of time, long waits between seasons... Sometimes shows are worth the investment, but still, something like Breaking Bad fills a very different entertainment need than that of Giant Bomb.

Naturally, I'm also a gamer and interested in the raw information provided here. The wiki is cool and crucial to many people in the community, although I don't use it. I like hands-on information, which is why I gravitate to Quick Looks. I can see a game on a system I don't own and know what I am or am not missing. I can discover new games that I would never have naturally found, that can end up being some of the best games I've played. Giant Bomb is an excellent place for that sort of exposure.

So yes, Giant Bomb is what it is because of the personalities in charge. Take them away and everything will fail. However, I don't think they are the only successful element involved.

@Drebin_893: I agree, although I have to say that there are plenty of people in the community and right here in this thread that demonstrate the maturity to question their own opinions, if not change them. People who are trying to be better people who get obscured in the overall view by the intensity of others.