Jump to content

Recommended Posts

It just seemed to me that he's not comfortable talking about personal stuff at all (which is fine!). Maybe not the best guest to have for a life advice podcast...

 

So, Metal Gear Scanlon, eh? Drew still insists on running around, getting spotted and killing everyone (including the people who were supposed to be on his side). Somehow, I still find it enjoyable.

 

That's fine! I understand and respect that. I might feel similarly in his position. Still, it was a frustrating few minutes of conversation as he chimed in that he had experienced that exact situation and then failed to offer any advice whatsoever, while Dan addressed something that wasn't the question at all. I thought their conversation about broaching the conversation of attraction to someone who had been a friend for a while was similar, although Dan's answer of how to bring it up in conversation seemed reasonable.

 

Brad saying "don't do it verbally" made me laugh and cringe so hard.

There was a point in the latest Beastcast where they talked about gaming mice and Alex was at his absolute worst. Like, I totally get the apprehension about any marketing with "gaming" or "gamer" attached to it, but he was so negative and unwilling to listen to the other guys that it really killed the entire discussion. Boo.

 

I thought his stubborn and irascible counterpoint to Game Mouse Nerdery felt like he was purposefully putting on extra airs and was hilarious.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There was a point in the latest Beastcast where they talked about gaming mice and Alex was at his absolute worst. Like, I totally get the apprehension about any marketing with "gaming" or "gamer" attached to it, but he was so negative and unwilling to listen to the other guys that it really killed the entire discussion. Boo.

I found it amusing, rather than annoying. I also don't think it killed the discussion at all. Everyone else got their point across fairly well. I know people like that. I didn't seem like he actually looked down on people for using gaming mice or anything, he just doesn't see any need to dive into it himself. I guess he could've just remained silent during the whole discussion, but eh. That's what conversation is about.

 

SHRUG!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I definitely have a problem with people who try to level a conversation down to their absolute view, or a populist view, instead of elaborating their point or at least feigning intrigue into the other side. Alex and gaming mice, Dan and Taco Bell are examples of this behaviour. Totally frustrating. 

 

Yes! It was a total Dan moment. And I see what you other guys are saying, but I just found his comments frustrating.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I wonder if Alex wasn't expecting any response or general indifference once he threw out his distaste for gaming mice.  He did sort of seem to get into conversational quicksand once he took his stance but as someone who has never purchased a gaming mouse I liked hearing the other three talk about why they are beneficial.

 

The Dan stuff is increasingly baffling to me.  I was somewhat surprised he was as financially literate as he was.  His habit of purchasing individual stocks and pretty much basing those choices on various hunches is a bit alarming but for the most part it was not knowledge I expected him to have.  The whole hard line stance on never sharing finances and people should just pick themselves up by the bootstraps was rough though.  He even mentions that when he found himself wanting to sleep with someone else he would break off a relationship though.  I'm sure there is some considerable analysis to be done regarding his apparent revulsion to commitment but I guess we'll see how this current relationship goes.

 

And as not the world's biggest Brad fan I was hoping he would open up a bit more and offer some additional insight even if he didn't share his life story.  That didn't happen but at least he summed it up well at the end when he punted on answering the personal question.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes! It was a total Dan moment. And I see what you other guys are saying, but I just found his comments frustrating.

 

I felt that way about Alex too.  I don't necessarily think he was actively trying to insult anyone who uses gaming peripherals, but he had a very exasperated tone in his voice.  At one point he said something like "if I ever end up with a 'gaming' anything, I'll kill myself".  In a way he kind of sounded like one of those people who leaves a negative review of a movie or game without ever having tried it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My only real gripe about gaming mice is they tend to be ugly/garish in ways I usually don't like.

I'm kind of picky about mice (and input devices in general, but that is a separate rabbit hole where I could spend way too much time discussing arcade buttons, different micro switches, console controllers, etc). I generally buy "gaming" mice because they have decent sensors that don't skip too easily and are decently precise.

I always have bought the same mouse shape since the early 2000's. Its basically the logitech pilot or MX300 shape (I'm currently using a Logitech G100S which replaces the G1 1000dpi I imported from South Korea to replace my aging MX300 back when Logitech pretty much dropped the shape in the US).

Its probably the lowest tier least fancy gaming mouse gaming mouse you can get...and I'm terrible at adapting to change so I'll use variations on the shape until I try something I like better. I've thought about trying the G303 Daedalus something something mouse.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Dan stuff is increasingly baffling to me.  I was somewhat surprised he was as financially literate as he was.  His habit of purchasing individual stocks and pretty much basing those choices on various hunches is a bit alarming but for the most part it was not knowledge I expected him to have.  The whole hard line stance on never sharing finances and people should just pick themselves up by the bootstraps was rough though.  He even mentions that when he found himself wanting to sleep with someone else he would break off a relationship though.  I'm sure there is some considerable analysis to be done regarding his apparent revulsion to commitment but I guess we'll see how this current relationship goes.

 

Yeah I was surprised about his insight on investing as well. I suppose I shouldn't be considering he has simple tastes and never wants to spend any money, so socking as much of it away in a 401K as he can is a very Dan thing.

 

I admit I have experienced feelings similar to Dan's while in a relationship. Not "hmm I need to be fucking other people", but rather in the sense that if I'm thinking about dating other people there's probably some issue with my current relationship and I need to reevaluate. In general it means it's time to move on, for me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm really surprised about all of this response to Alex. I mean, I'm not, because people have trouble liking Alex, but I didn't think he was that negative about the mice thing. He had his position and he admitted that it's "not you, it's me". He didn't willingly state his position more than once, but Vinny and Austin kept reacting to his facial expressions, thus forcing him to restate his opinion. I never felt that he was stomping on their fun talking about the mice. He just reacted to the conversation the way most people would to watching two people discuss Monster Hunter or EVE.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'll just say that you guys should watch the 75-min Quick Look of Contradiction. I won't even tell you that you should watch the supplemental footage because I know you will.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They really should just do an endurance run of that game.  It could probably get knocked out in 3 or 4 more videos and is probably the perfect way to experience that game.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I read some of the thoughts about Alex and gaming mice on here before hearing that episode and I was surprised. It seemed pretty reasonable and he didn't seem totally dismissive of the idea, just that he thought they were pretty much unnecessary and I kinda agree with him.

 

Alex used to annoy me a lot a few years ago and while he's still often a bit too cynical for my tastes I don't find him annoying anymore. Maybe he matured, maybe I did, maybe both.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, I can't listen to Danswers for that reason.  Taking life advice from a single 29 year old guy who writes about video games for a living is probably not the best thing ever.  Though, I spew tons of advice on my own podcast, so I am the pot calling the kettle black.

 

When Danny O'Dwyer was trying to rationalize leaving his fiancee of like 7 years for an hour on the podcast, I couldn't take it.  It really sounded like he was trying very hard to defend a decision that he still didn't make up his mind over.  It takes courage to walk away from something like that, but his demeanor and language sounded like he was trying to convince himself it was the right decision

 

Also, Dan R. is the last person I would ever take advice from.  He is a nice guy, but he has some really odd worldviews and closed-off ness that I don't think of what I would want from someone giving me advice.  Personally, I am really open to trying new things, kind of like the way Drew seems.  Like "Fuck it, I will try it at least once!" kind of attitude to new things.  Dan is very guarded about some things, and very open about others.

 

It would also make sense that Dan would have the views on relationships and money he has due to his childhood upbringing.  I have plenty of friends who had divorced parents, and they very much seem to act the way Dan does.  Very closed off and afraid of committing to someone.  It only makes sense, as you have a very real example of relationships/marriage not working out.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I actually quit listening to Danswers a good month or two back myself, but:

 

When Danny O'Dwyer was trying to rationalize leaving his fiancee of like 7 years for an hour on the podcast, I couldn't take it.  It really sounded like he was trying very hard to defend a decision that he still didn't make up his mind over.  It takes courage to walk away from something like that, but his demeanor and language sounded like he was trying to convince himself it was the right decision

 

This is kinda backwards.  The story Danny told was that she was the one who broke it off just prior to the wedding, and that he ultimately realized she was right to do that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I still like Danswers but I obviously take everything with a huge grain of salt, especially coming from Ryckert. Sometimes, their advice is real weird, but I feel like it's less of a show where they're trying to tell people what to do and more of a platform for them to just say how they feel about a whole bunch of topics, which is both good and bad. I find the different perspectives of the guests is often more interesting than the actual advice. My favourites have been the ones with Danielle, Tamoor Hussain, and Vinny. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Contradiction is pretty incredible. It's like a British FMV adaptation of Deadly Premonition. I don't plan on playing it since I'm really enjoying watching the GB videos, but I bought it on Steam anyway because I figure the developers deserve support for their weird amazing thing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's like a British FMV adaptation of Deadly Premonition.

 

Damn, that's a beautiful description.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sometimes, their advice is real weird, but I feel like it's less of a show where they're trying to tell people what to do and more of a platform for them to just say how they feel about a whole bunch of topics, which is both good and bad.

Isn't that the way with so many podcasts? There's a theoretical theme or topic, but really it's just a kernel for a bunch of pretty loose and unstructured chatting. Which I'm fine with.

 

The most obvious comparison point is MBMBaM. I'd sooner trust the McElroys, but I really don't know who actually goes to either podcast expecting a roadmap for their lives. It's just an excuse for some people to blather on hopefully entertainingly for a while.

 

Contradiction is pretty incredible. It's like a British FMV adaptation of Deadly Premonition. I don't plan on playing it since I'm really enjoying watching the GB videos, but I bought it on Steam anyway because I figure the developers deserve support for their weird amazing thing.

I did the same. I also suggested it to my mum, who is not at all into video games of any description, but who does enjoy all sorts of murder mystery. Who knows whether she'll actually get anything from it, but it's only £4 on iPad, so it's no great loss either way.

 

A few people mentioned Contradiction as an obvious potential inspiration for this year's GOTY videos. Perhaps they don't want to return to the FMV well after doing it a few years ago, but it does seem like it'd be pretty perfect. My totally unrealistic dream is that they somehow manage to get the actor who plays Jenks to interview them all.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't like most of the criticism of the specific members of giant bomb in this thread (mostly because I've been listening for so long that to talk badly about them feels like talking about a friend behind their back) but the community definitely has some major losers. This thread where a bunch of people defend Troy Baker's stupid joke retweet about Caitlyn Jenner is particularly disheartening. I have to wonder why so many of people in that community are like this. The actual giant bomb members themselves certainly aren't the kinds of people to complain about "PC culture" and "SJW's," but I guess they just attract the kind of people who do.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think it's largely because the Giant Bomb staff rarely broach these kinds of subjects in their usual output. It happens, as in Austin's or Patrick's articles or the odd answer in a Q&A. Mostly it's just them playing video games and saying what they think about them or just goofing around. This attracts all the people who "just want the gaming press to focus on games", unlike sites like Polygon who drive these people away with a very clear message against this sort of stuff.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

To be fair to that community, there are also a lot of people in that thread who are not defending the stance. The conversations are also largely civil, which I think is a good start.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yep I want to like, favourite and retweet this:

 

conmulligan:

I haven't dug through his timeline so I don't know what exactly people were saying to him, but the article doesn't say he was harassed off Twitter, just that he quit. It's certainly possible — likely, even, given the platform — that he was getting abuse, but neither he nor the article suggests that.
 
Anyway, that joke was kind of shitty, so I can understand why people might have been upset. Obviously that's not license to abuse someone, but people have a right to their feelings. On that note, can we please stop saying people "choose" to be offended? You can't choose to be offended, any more than you can choose to be irritated or upset. Besides, half the time what people perceive to be outrage isn't even that. Like, I get annoyed every time I hear a lousy Irish accent on American television, but that doesn't mean I'm offended by it. There's a whole spectrum of emotions and reactions that one can have to shitty behaviour, and we should learn to better parse that before, ironically, frothing at the mouth in outrage over "outrage culture".

 

I agree that the staff could take a slightly tougher stance on the subject but I think it's part of the culture of the site, to be a place where it's just some people having fun, not worrying about the more 'serious' parts of games press like reviews and stuff, just goofing around. Which it's hard to fault them for and to be fair when it's come up they have always said how totally unacceptable the harassment and all that stuff of recent years is.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've been trying to find the actual joke for the last couple days. Without any judgement towards the person who posts it, could someone please post it?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

From the article linked in the GB forum thread:

 

“Brett Michaels looks like Mickey Rourke tried to become Caitlyn Jenner.”

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×