I never followed Gamespot when I was younger, so I never really knew who people like Ryan Davis or Jeff Gerstmann were. It wasn’t until 5 years ago during GiantBomb’s inception that I began to take notice.
For those five years Ive been a fan, not just of GiantBomb, but of Ryan Davis as well. Every Pax I would always make a point to catch their panels. I even had the opportunity of meeting him once. Our encounter was brief. I doubt he would even remember me, but I’ll never forget him. While similar sentiments are being echoed across the internet, I still have to say it too. The man was one of the funniest, most kind people Ive ever met. He was the kind of guy who could probably say something so incredibly insulting to you, and you would both still end up laughing over it with each other.
He even retweeted somethings I said. Let me tell you, the feeling of someone you look up to reposting something you say, was so incredibly validating to me. In a way I still use him and GiantBomb as a way to measure my own success. It’s still so surreal that I’ll never hear that energetic voice again. But even in his passing I’ll still look to him as a source of inspiration for everything he’s accomplished. He’s the kind of nerd and writer I want to be.
Matt Rorie