GiantBomb is a relatively new gaming news site. Born out of the wake of Gerstmann-Gate, it’s run by a group of friends with a lot of respect from the games industry. This facet of what made GiantBomb exist is a large part of what makes GiantBomb such an entertaining site.
With such a small staff, any regular visitor will quickly get an idea of each person’s critical voice and his tastes. Their podcast, the GiantBombcast, allows listeners to feel as though they’re part of the group of friends. It creates the sensation of sitting at a table in a school lunchroom of people who have been friends for over half their lives. They’re nice and let you sit there, and their discussions are so entertaining that you don’t really mind the sensation of not-quite fitting in. When they make you laugh, it’s always legitimate and it’s not a fake laugh to try to be accepted. Their inclusion of listener mail also creates a feeling of community between you and the podcasters as well as you and the other listeners.
As someone just seeking information, they’ve really made themselves useful with their Quick Looks. A Quick Look is a video where staff will play a game, and record their comments. Usually it’s for games that aren’t very good, creating an essence of Mystery Science Theater 3000. In terms of designs, this is the one that is most clearly a creation of person’s mind. It’s the video equivalent of a preview, but with extra personality thrown in. It’s essentially the Daily Show of gaming news, as opposed to a “CNN” style of news found at a 1UP or Gamespy.
No comments:
Post a Comment