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[Northeastmonk]

It's safe to say how I feel about it. The people at Giant Bomb are fantastic. I listen to Jeff on mixlr and I listen to the Bombcast every week. As it turns out I probably gave a little head way into asking, "why is everyone talking about this man?". He's a year older than I am. I wondered if he was catering to people. Then I listened to him and found out that that was how his life was except it was being idolized. It's one reason to like someone for being in the industry and then there's the other where you enjoy who they are.

If say Andy McNamara wrote a book on big bikes, who would really care? The people that like him that's who. You tend to follow those who work hard on delivering you content. Does that mean I'm wearing his t-shirt, growing out my beard, and doing things he does? Not necessarily. I don't think a lot of us do that. That would be obsession, right?

I follow Giant Bomb because I like the people there. I like how they make content and how they speak their mind. A lot of those guys know each other in the industry, so its like "what more can you say?".

He has a way of sharing how his college life was and his own interests because of his position at Giant Bomb. Maybe that comes with his job? His book on anxiety is his work. For some people its getting to the punchline of the joke with the other person knowing you already know the punchline.

If Stephen Totilo or even if the Comedy Button made content then you are probably more encouraged to enjoy it. I'm not saying don't buy his book either. There's also the opposite side to this because I have a lot of books on Kindle where I don't know the author at all or their previous work, but I bought it because the topic was about Game Art or information on retro games.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Had a long talk with my supervisor earlier today, and it eventually led into him thinking I have anxiety and it either stems from or could lead to depression. It's extremely prevalent in my field, and it doesn't help that depression and my family have a bit of a history. It was kind of an eye-opening talk, so this is incredibly well-timed actually.

 

[Malfunky]

Guy goes around saying shit like ""Why is every country that's not America confusing?" and "Taco Bell is the greatest food ever" but the people put off by such statements are the ones who are close-minded and dismissive.

Yeah, okay.

thisisneogaf.gif

Yes. Exactly this. He's a silly person. And incredibly charming and kind based on everything I have read and heard about him. And yet people are angry at him and dismissing his experience with anxiety and his ability to write about it because they don't like that he likes Taco Bell.

Thisisneogaf.gif indeed. Dicks for the sake of being dicks.

 

[Askherserenity]

Yeah...not sure why people here are being so rude. Kinda fucked.

He's seems like the nicest dude, who just enjoys being himself and fucking with people.

Anyways, from what I've read, it seems like the book is actually quite good. The stories he's mentioned on the podcast have really hit home. I wonder if he goes into depression at all since i think it often goes hand in hand with anxiety. Planning on picking up the book soon.

Taco Bell is delicious.

 

[Dion Blaster]

OP if you are looking for a good book to help with anxiety try Hope and Help For Your Nerves. Pretty much cured me

 

[Mully]

Yeah...not sure why people here are being so rude. Kinda fucked.

He's seems like the nicest dude, who just enjoys being himself and fucking with people.

Anyways, from what I've read, it seems like the book is actually quite good. The stories he's mentioned on the podcast have really hit home. I wonder if he goes into depression at all since i think it often goes hand in hand with anxiety. Planning on picking up the book soon.

Taco Bell is delicious.

He never mentioned depression in the parts I've read so far, but it's pretty clear that he struggled with depression when it came to women during college, and his job after college.

He was like a lot of GAF members during his early 20's. Awkward, anxious about his career, and shy about his favorite hobby. What made him succeed in handling those anxieties and fears, was facing them head on and being honest with people. His book is not about depression, but as a person that struggles with it daily I can't deny how valuable his stories have been for me over the past couple of weeks.

 

[NevaNopa]

As someone who suffers from anxiety, I'm kind of appalled by the people who feel the need to hop into a thread to trash someone who is open and brave enough to share their experience with mental illness. I'll give the book a read. It helps to hear the stories of other people who have learned to cope with the symptoms.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Whoa, I vaguely remember someone on an episode of the bombcast mentioning Ryckert writing a book, but I thought they were joking. Good for him though. I like the guy.

 

[AcridMeat]

OP if you are looking for a good book to help with anxiety try Hope and Help For Your Nerves. Pretty much cured me

Was going to post about this book. Very helpful.

As for the Dan thing. I haven't even participated in any sort of Dan Ryckert discussion in months and I'm already feeling tired of it reading this thread. If you like him and support him fine, just understand that the people who dislike him are probably so vocal because his antics are hard to avoid because of his "look at me" personality.

Personally I like that he's injected a bunch of energy into the office and forced a lot of new content to be made. He's single handedly made a subscription to the site worth it, because lord knows there would be fuck all premium content without him.

That got all ranty, basically good for him to write this book.

 

[nintendork666]

The more you say about him the more I realize I am Dan Ryckert.

We are not alone.

 

[Kworn]

I just bought the book recently. I suffer from panic attacks and depression. My first panic attack was like Dan Ryckert experience. I got my first panic attack at an imax screening of The Dark Knight. I still suffer from it but life goes on.

I suffered from severe panic attacks for nearly 4 years.

Much like you I had a panic attack at a cinema watching Revenge of the Sith but it was a minor one. The big one came the next day and I smoked a little weed and I think I triggered some sort of psychosis in me. I was certain I was dying. From that moment on-wards my life has been hard. Before this moment I was a very glass half full kind of a guy and very confident and boy did this take me down to the lowest point in my life and the effect was detrimental to the life I lead today.

I am very much a hardened shell of my former self and rarely have issues with panic attacks anymore but I definitely suffer from depression.

I would not wish my enemies to suffer a panic attack as they are quite possibly the worst thing I have ever experienced in my life. During the worst of it I was experiencing 4-6 a day with the fall out of each lasting hours.

It takes a very brave man to face a full audience like Dan has while having one because I know exactly how he feels.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

I like Dan, although the thought of nonstop Taco Bell makes me want to hurl. I would guess he acts the way he does so he can overcome his anxiety issue. I too am sometimes like Dan.

Yep, only a cinema buff could make such subtle references as Dr. Strangelove.

He's also a Metal Gear fanboy which has references to that movie so it all comes full circle.

 

[Stereogatari]

I noticed this in the podcast as well, I just assumed it was some minor Ebook on games he wrote or something.

Just noticed the first review on Amazon is by Justin McElroy .

 

[Broder Salsa]

It is when the point in question is "why do the others play along if he's not serious".

But quite often they don't. I've heard them more than a few times say stuff like "i'm not even bothering about this with you". There's a never ending amount of tears on GAF for him though, but that goes for most things these days.

 

[Stereogatari]

Jeff and Vinny like to goof, but it's very obvious when they are goofing or when they are trying to argue or learn something from a conversation. What people are insinuating is that basically all you see of Dan is a character on GB, which flat out isn't true for the rest of them.

Could it just be that we're so used to Jeff and Vinny that we're better at reading them than we are reading Dan?

But quite often they don't. I've heard them more than a few times say stuff like "i'm not even bothering about this with you".

I always thought that was just them playing along with Dan's playing along.

Then I listened to him and found out that that was how his life was except it was being idolized. It's one reason to like someone for being in the industry and then there's the other where you enjoy who they are.

If say Andy McNamara wrote a book on big bikes, who would really care? The people that like him that's who. You tend to follow those who work hard on delivering you content. Does that mean I'm wearing his t-shirt, growing out my beard, and doing things he does? Not necessarily. I don't think a lot of us do that. That would be obsession, right?
.

I don't think it's a big deal though. Perhaps most of these "obsessive" types are younger than Dan and see him as a "big brother figure" kind of person.

 

[| Praxis |]

“The Godfather game is better than The Godfather movie, if that’s what you’re asking.”

This is off to a good start.

I nearly choked on my snacks when he said that on upf.

As someone who suffers from anxiety, I'm kind of appalled by the people who feel the need to hop into a thread to trash someone who is open and brave enough to share their experience with mental illness. I'll give the book a read. It helps to hear the stories of other people who have learned to cope with the symptoms.

True.

 

[SillyEskimo]

I always feel sorry for Dan. He seems close to being an alchoholic. He seems either unable or unwilling to hold a relationship. The stories about his father and how he lives is depressing and sheds a lot of light on Dan. It's just a sad situation all around. He seems like he's constantly trying to make the best of a bad situation. It's weird.

He does seem like a nice guy though. I'd hang out with him.

 

[Ostinatto]

I nearly choked on my snacks when he said that on upf.



True.

Same here when he said;

"Is sodium on the periodic table?"

 

[Broder Salsa]

I always feel sorry for Dan. He seems close to being an alchoholic. He seems either unable or unwilling to hold a relationship. The stories about his father and how he lives is depressing and sheds a lot of light on Dan. It's just a sad situation all around. He seems like he's constantly trying to make the best of a bad situation. It's weird.

He does seem like a nice guy though. I'd hang out with him.

Close to being an alcoholic? He just sounds like someone who enjoys getting wasted every now and then. All the other stuff I don't feel like I know close to enough about him to say anything about, despite always listening to the bombcast and having read this book. But overall it just sounds like the normal standard guy who hasn't gotten married and had kids yet.

 

[danm999]

But quite often they don't. I've heard them more than a few times say stuff like "i'm not even bothering about this with you".

They're learning is why

Jeff hasn't let himself get so embroiled since their Terminator discussion.

There's a never ending amount of tears on GAF for him though, but that goes for most things these days.

I don't really see any tears from anyone in this thread...?

 

[Mechazawa]

Life would be much easier for some people in this thread if they didn't take everything at face value.

 

[Dylan]

All things aside, it's pretty impressive that he manages to have a full time job that requires playing hours of video games in his off-time, while also maintaining a pretty hefty drinking schedule while also publishing a bunch of books. I mean there are only so many hours in a day.

 

[| Praxis |]

I always feel sorry for Dan. He seems close to being an alchoholic. He seems either unable or unwilling to hold a relationship. The stories about his father and how he lives is depressing and sheds a lot of light on Dan. It's just a sad situation all around. He seems like he's constantly trying to make the best of a bad situation. It's weird.

He does seem like a nice guy though. I'd hang out with him.

He's no more an alcoholic than most people I know his age, and his relationship with his father is great I would give anything to have that with my dad. I don't really see how their lives are depressing either, well, more than most people's lives anyway. You'd probably think my life is a Greek tragedy.

 

[Broder Salsa]

I don't really see any tears from anyone in this thread...?

But it happens quite often.

 

[Tobor]

I think that might be why it rubs me the wrong way. When you listen to Jeff or Vinny or etc talking, you aren't wondering if they're playing a dumbass. They might come off as quirky or whatnot at times but it always feels genuine. When Jeff asks Vinny about something in a Dynasty Warriors Gundam quick play, they're not playing characters, you're actually in the midst of a real conversation between guys you can relate to, and Vinny is giving off knowledge from his various viewings of Gundam or whatnot.

With Dan, it's either all a fake troll, which is hard to take when we've had these genuine personable interactions with everyone else, or what you see is what you get and he literally is just a real-life Homer Simpson, which is also insufferable.

Nailed it. He's annoying at best, and I try to actively fast forward through his bullshit now. The show is much shorter as a result.

 

[Antiwhippy]

He's the American Karl Pilkington, except replace dour British negativity with American enthusiasm. It's really not that hard to get.

 

[Codeblue]

Correct. Hes an extremely smart and nuanced dude who just loves to say ridiculous shit to see the reactions it garners, it's part of his public Persona.

Well that's somewhat of a relief. He really nailed being a child in those Mario Party videos, so much so that I was convinced that this dude never really progressed past age 12.

I can see the humor in that, even if I'm not necessarily interested in listening to it on a weekly basis. I might check out this book if it's a more sincere side of him.

 

[aeolist]

He's the American Karl Pilkington, except replace dour British negativity with American enthusiasm. It's really not that hard to get.

i only know about him tangentially, does pilkington inspire this much debate as to whether he's a real idiot or a fake one?

 

[Pinko Marx]

I always feel sorry for Dan. He seems close to being an alchoholic. He seems either unable or unwilling to hold a relationship. The stories about his father and how he lives is depressing and sheds a lot of light on Dan. It's just a sad situation all around. He seems like he's constantly trying to make the best of a bad situation. It's weird.

He does seem like a nice guy though. I'd hang out with him.

What a weird, judgemental post. Seriously weirded out about this post. I feel like you stalk the man or something.

 

[The Elite]

As someone who deals with anxiety I would be curious to hear some reviews.

 

[bigwinnerx]

This is a secret guerrilla marketing thread, isn't it?

Screw the haters. Dan is great.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Dan gets in my nerves from time to time(especially when he was bashing Monster Hunter. The game isn't THAT hard to understand.) but he seems like a genuinely caring guy. He's also the one who really seems to have the most fun and diverse taste amongst the GB crew. He's a great foil to the rest of them and I'm glad he's there.

 

[Risible]

i only know about him tangentially, does pilkington inspire this much debate as to whether he's a real idiot or a fake one?

Yes, it's a very commonly asked question about Pilkington.

 

[Tesseract]

i only know about him tangentially, does pilkington inspire this much debate as to whether he's a real idiot or a fake one?

yes, but only among idiots

head like a fucking orange

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Wow, jeez, there are some fairly mean posts in this thread.

 

[| Praxis |]

Dan gets in my nerves from time to time(especially when he was bashing Monster Hunter. The game isn't THAT hard to understand.) but he seems like a genuinely caring guy. He's also the one who really seems to have the most fun and diverse taste amongst the GB crew. He's a great foil to the rest of them and I'm glad he's there.

If you find yourself getting worked up over Dan trashing your favourite game/movie, just tell yourself this guy likes wrestling. The dumbest fucking shit ever. It's what I do when he's saying Terminator is worse than 2 and 3 or the Godfather game is better than The films or Bubba Ho Tep is a bad film.

 

[Ohnonono]

His story about anxiety and not understanding what the hell it is is something that I would imagine a ton of sufferers can relate to. One of the worst parts of having had panic attacks for a long time is not knowing what they are. You just feel... horrified, mostly for no damned reason. As an adolescent it is insufferable and infuriating. Most people lack the ability to identify it and explain it to people at the age they may start to suffer from it. If his very well meaning book helps some kids this age then he has done more good than I have.

I got help when I was 30. I delt with it for pretty much as long as I can remember. It is a serious thing and as someone coming off drugs to deal with it, any help that does not involve "just take this pill and you will be fine" is welcome. GAF does not usually seem this aggressive about mental illness. Kind of a weird thread.

 

[DrFunk]

Wow, jeez, there are some fairly mean posts in this thread.

thisisneogaf.jpg

Dan is good guy. And he's doing what makes him happy - which is something most people don't understand. Which could explain some of the mean posts in this thread.

 

[Pinko Marx]

I got help when I was 30. I delt with it for pretty much as long as I can remember. It is a serious thing and as someone coming off drugs to deal with it, any help that does not involve "just take this pill and you will be fine" is welcome. GAF does not usually seem this aggressive about mental illness. Kind of a weird thread.

Dan tends to bring on some very strong opinions.

 

[Zomba13]

I think that might be why it rubs me the wrong way. When you listen to Jeff or Vinny or etc talking, you aren't wondering if they're playing a dumbass. They might come off as quirky or whatnot at times but it always feels genuine. When Jeff asks Vinny about something in a Dynasty Warriors Gundam quick play, they're not playing characters, you're actually in the midst of a real conversation between guys you can relate to, and Vinny is giving off knowledge from his various viewings of Gundam or whatnot.

With Dan, it's either all a fake troll, which is hard to take when we've had these genuine personable interactions with everyone else, or what you see is what you get and he literally is just a real-life Homer Simpson, which is also insufferable.

I kinda feel the same way. Dan is ok though in small doses around something that actually interests him (like Danswers or Metal Gear stuff) where he is honest, well informed and genuine. But then you have him saying stupid shit and you can't be sure if he's playing it up or genuine. Like when Jeff hates on Yoshi you know it's an act. He doesn't like Yoshi but you know that at the end of the day Jeff gives no fucks about Yoshi. When Dan dislikes something or says something dismissive (like the comment about black and white movies) you don't know whether he genuinely believes it or is exagerating (like many of GB crew does). It might be because he's the newest and we've not had him with that crowd for long so we haven't picked up on his nuances or it could be he really is Homer Simpson given human form.

On the topic of the book though, I think it's good to for him to get his feelings out there on the subject and how it has affected him. His stuff on Danswers is great and while not always the best advice it does come across as honest and genuine and gives you an insight into Dan's world. If the book helps even one person deal with anxiety then that's a win, regardless of whether it sells well for him. I'm sure if it helps even one person Dan would be happy with the work he put into it.

And then he'll go back to Air Force Gator books and the inevitable animated CGI film with Troy Baker as the voice of Air Force Gator.

 

[oti]

Dan is the worst and Dan is the best.

 

[Ohnonono]

Dan tends to bring on some very strong opinions.

That is fair enough I suppose, but man if I was 14 or 15 and had a site like GB and got to read this book at that age. Holy shit my life would have been easier.

 

[Antiwhippy]

i only know about him tangentially, does pilkington inspire this much debate as to whether he's a real idiot or a fake one?

Plenty.

 

[Dylan]

yes, but only among idiots

head like a fucking orange

I really need to go back and listen to those podcasts. The first time I listened through them all was on train rides through Europe; I would crack up constantly while surrounded by strangers.

 

[LiK]

I bought it. it's a good book from what I read so far. Dan is actually a real human being!

 

[War Peaceman]

This thread is really mean spirited.

A guy shares his struggles with mental illness and gets insulted. I think it is very brave and sensible to discuss such issues openly and honestly.

As to his public persona, he's clearly playing up his idiosyncrasies. People project onto him a huge amount and he takes good advantage of it for comedic purposes.

 

[crayman]

I've finished the book, and ended up buying a copy for my Mum who also suffers from anxiety. It's a great read, and his struggle with anxiety is quite similar to my own. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. Explaining anxiety and panic attacks to people who have not experienced them is very difficult, to the closed-minded it will make you seem like a weak weirdo who worries too much and needs to just chill out. In reality a random panic attack as caused by generalised anxiety disorder is terrifying and very painful - and not something you can control or even explain afterwards.

As a sufferer it's useful to read books like this so that you know you are not alone. I don't think all of his methods for coping with anxiety will work for everyone, but it's interesting to know what worked for him.

So yes, a recommendation from me.

 

[JBourne]

Dan is amazing. Easily my favorite member of the GB crew now, and his MGS series is the first thing that's made me want to pay for a subscription.

 

[jett]

This, maybe?
http://danryckertjustsaid.tumblr.com/

Good lord.

 

[oti]

Dan is amazing. Easily my favorite member of the GB crew now, and his MGS series is the first thing that's made me want to pay for a subscription.

It's weird. He brings some well needed joy and happiness to the table (yes Brad, we know you hate yourself for loving Dota and Destiny) but at the same time almost everything that comes out of his mouth is like hard evidence that the US education system has some serious issues. I love him. And I hate him. But I love him.