Wikipedia

Ryan Davis (video game journalist)

Ryan Davis (June 4, 1979 – July 3, 2013) was an American video game journalist and podcaster. Davis began working as a technical supporter before being recruited for the gaming website GameSpot by Jeff Gerstmann in 2000. After Gerstmann was fired, the two founded the gaming website Giant Bomb in 2008, with Davis serving as its senior editor and hosting the Giant Bombcast podcast.

Ryan Davis
Davis at PAX Prime 2010
Born(1979-06-04)June 4, 1979
Los Alamitos, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 3, 2013(2013-07-03) (aged 34)
U.S.
OccupationsVideo game journalist and podcaster
Notable credit(s)GameSpot journalist (2000–2008)
Giant Bomb co-founder, editor, podcaster (2008–2013)
Spouse
Anna Davis
​
(m. 2013)​

Davis died on July 3, 2013, of natural causes. Multiple gaming websites and personalities wrote tributes to Davis, with the illustrator Olly Moss and musician C418 creating art in his memory.

Early life

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Ryan Davis was born on June 4, 1979, in Los Alamitos, California, and moved to Petaluma as a child. According to his father, Richard Davis, his son showed admiration for computers and video games from an early age. After graduating from the Nonesuch School in Sebastopol, Ryan Davis worked in San Francisco as a technical supporter.[1]

Career

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In 2000, Davis was recruited by Jeff Gerstmann of the gaming website GameSpot and soon began writing news articles and reviews.[1][2] He also co-hosted video shows, including Time Trotters and On the Spot.[2] Davis and Gerstmann were also part of the alternative rap group Suburban All-Stars.[3]

Giant Bomb editorial team (from left to right): Ryan Davis, Vinny Caravella, Brad Shoemaker and Jeff Gerstmann in 2010

In 2007, Gerstmann was fired from GameSpot, leading to numerous writers leaving the website in protest. Davis announced his departure from GameSpot in February 2008, citing Gerstmann's firing as one of his reasons for leaving.[3][4] Davis said, "Jeff's firing just destroyed me, and I think it shed a light on the other stuff that I had been kind of rolling along with".[5] Following this, Davis joined Gerstmann in founding the gaming website Giant Bomb in 2008.[2][6] Along with being a Senior Editor,[7] Davis was the host of their live shows[8] and the Giant Bombcast podcast, for which he became particularly known.[9] He also led Giant Bomb's panels at PAX Prime and PAX East.[2][8] Due to his fame, Davis would occasionally be recognized on the streets.[1]

Death

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Davis died on July 3, 2013, less than a week after marrying his longtime girlfriend Anna Davis. According to his father, Davis's death was "sudden but peaceful" and from natural causes.[1] His death was revealed five days later on the Giant Bomb website, in a tribute article by Matthew Rorie.[10]

Fans of Davis paid their condolences in the Giant Bomb forums,[11] with the post announcing his death gathering over 6,800 comments by July 13.[9] Tribute articles were written by Justin McElroy of Polygon,[12] Stephen Totilo of Kotaku,[7] Ryan Aston of Slant Magazine,[8] Greg Miller of IGN,[13] and Justin Ouellette of The Mary Sue,[14] with condolences paid by James Brightman of GamesIndustry.biz,[15] Kris Ligman of Game Developer,[16] Hanuman Welch of Complex,[17] and Patrick Garratt of VG247.[18] Dave Snider, a colleague and friend of Davis, created the website thanksryan.com as a memorial,[7][11] and the illustrator Olly Moss created art of Davis.[7][11] Personalities such as Gary Whitta, Sean Vanaman, and Tim Schafer,[13][19] along with the companies Amazon Video Games and Ubisoft, paid their condolences on Twitter,[20] and his death became the third-most trending topic on that platform.[9] The Giant Bombcast hosted a memorial episode,[21][22] while for GameTrailers, Geoff Keighley hosted a memorial episode along with guests Michael Pachter, Jessica Chobot, and Kyle Bosman.[23] GameSpot published a video on their YouTube channel remembering Davis.[24] C418 created the track "Taswell" as part of the Minecraft soundtrack as a tribute honoring Davis.[25][a]

Notes

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  1. ↑ The title references Davis's username on Twitter, @taswell.[13]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Scully, Sean (July 11, 2013). "Ryan Davis of video game website Giant Bomb dies at 34". The Press Democrat. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sarkar, Samit (July 8, 2013). "Giant Bomb co-founder Ryan Davis dies at 34". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Orland, Kyle (February 4, 2008). "GameSpot exodus continues: Ryan Davis to leave". Joystiq. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  4. ↑ Webster, Andrew (February 5, 2008). "Another editor down: Ryan Davis leaves GameSpot". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  5. ↑ Orland, Kyle (February 5, 2008). "Ryan Davis talks Gerstmann, GameSpot departure". Joystiq. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ Grant, Christopher (June 6, 2008). "Former GameSpot eds reunite at Gerstmann's Giant Bomb". Joystiq. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Totilo, Stephen (July 8, 2013). "Ryan Davis, RIP". Kotaku. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Aston, Ryan (July 10, 2013). "Remembering Ryan Davis". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Kelly, Tadhg (July 14, 2013). "What Games Are: The Culture Gap in Mobile Games". TechCrunch. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  10. ↑ Rorie, Matthew (July 8, 2013). "Ryan Davis, 1979 – 2013". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 Vincent, James (July 9, 2013). "Giant Bomb co-founder and games journalist Ryan Davis dies aged 34". The Independent. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  12. ↑ McElroy, Justin (July 8, 2013). "Remembering Ryan Davis". Polygon. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Miller, Greg (July 8, 2013). "Fare Thee Well: Giant Bomb's Ryan Davis". IGN. Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  14. ↑ Ouellette, Justin (July 9, 2013). "Ryan Davis of Giant Bomb Obit". The Mary Sue. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  15. ↑ Brightman, James (July 8, 2013). "Games journalist Ryan Davis passes away". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  16. ↑ Ligman, Kris (July 7, 2013). "Obituary: Giant Bomb co-founder Ryan Davis". Game Developer. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ Welch, Hanuman (July 8, 2013). "Giant Bomb Co-Founder, Ryan Davis, Dead at 34". Complex. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  18. ↑ Garratt, Patrick (July 8, 2013). "Giant Bomb's Ryan Davis passes away". VG247. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  19. ↑ Reynolds, Matthew (July 8, 2013). "Giant Bomb's Ryan Davis dies, aged 34". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  20. ↑ Nayak, Malathi (July 8, 2013). "Video game personality Ryan Davis dead at 34". Reuters. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  21. ↑ Cook, Dave (July 10, 2013). "Giant Bomb podcast pays tribute to Ryan Davis". VG247. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  22. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (July 10, 2013). "Friends and colleagues of Giant Bomb's Ryan Davis remember the man [...]". Kotaku. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Remembering Ryan Davis". GameTrailers. July 10, 2013. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2014.. The video can be watched on YouTube in an official 2016 reupload.
  24. ↑ GameSpot (July 12, 2013). Tribute to Ryan Davis (1979 – 2013). Retrieved March 29, 2026 – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ Pippin, Cameron (September 18, 2023). "Best Minecraft Music". Game Rant. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
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