A Note From Your Friendly Neighborhood Editor in Chief

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

The attitude is appreciated! I'm becoming an old fart and a general resister of change but as long as your heart is with the culture of gaming, nerding out and being a true "Escapist" with us; I can't see myself senselessly working against that out of petty spite.

 

[Mr. Clarinet]

Rip Extra Credits, Doraleous and Associates, Jim Sterling, and Greg Tito.

I'm going to miss Experienced Points, and I might check in for the occasional Critical Miss.

Not sure if I'm interested in continuing my readership of five years.

Enjoy spellchecking Alex Macris Editorials.

 

[AngronIsAngry]

Congratulations to your new Job.

 

[Malbourne]

I'll wish you luck in your new endeavors! I'll also keep my pessimism as a luxury; it keeps me from investing in cyborg servants made out of jelly beans. That said, I'm looking forward to the future, and I trust the website not to fill it with rebellious cyborgs. If that condition's met, then we'll get along fine.

 

[Nuxxy]

The articles I'm enjoying the most at the moment are Robert Rath's Critical Intel. He is constructive about just about everything and always insightful. Shamus Young can also be interesting but will always be catering to a niche technically-oriented audience.

 

[Frezzato]

I suppose now is as good at time as any to say thank you to the people working at this site who made things happen. I really mean that.

I'll eschew any speculation regarding the future of the site, but for anyone leaving, I wish you nothing but the best of luck. And regarding the folks who can't help but wonder what would happen if Yahtzee left, I started thinking back to why I really came to this site. On any other day I would have carelessly responded with Zero Punctuation, but in reality, it's all because of this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.166417-Old-Games-you-remember-playing-but-cant-remember-the-name-of].

I suspect that thread is also responsible for a large number of hit-and-run accounts with less than 10 postings, but I guess they don't constitute a large part of the costs involved with running The Escapist. It just makes me wonder if anyone's ever looked at the metrics behind what exactly drove people here in the first place, and what kept them here. I think the truth would surprise us.

 

[Superlative]

snip

Extra Credits is very much alive and well on Youtube.

I've been on the site off and on since 2007 and while I hate to see Tito go I'm not going to jump ship just yet. I mainly go on the site to read the occasional article or binge on Moviebob vids. The Podcast is awesome btw, please try to keep that going. We could use some more shows along the lines of Unforgotten realms too if it can be swung.

 

[Yonan]

Casual reader here, I look forward to fostering and embracing of geek culture and celebrating what it is to be gamers. Will be interesting seeing what comes of this!

 

[Daedrin]

I've been following this site in one form or another since it's inception. Losing Russ and Susan was hard enough. The podcast has suffered if nothing else. Just as I saw some light over the horizon, Greg is gone as well and without even an EIC goodbye note? Was he worth that little, Themis/Defy?

Josh is obviously the next/best pick in line. But with how everything else is going? It's a damned shame he's the last Captain on a sinking ship. Go find a job at Polygon ffs, Vanderwall. Get out of here. Escapado.

 

[Guffe]

FOR THE HOOOORRRDDDEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
[sub][sub]Sorry, just had ot put in a battlecry of some sort after that speech[/sub][/sub]

Good luck to you on your new position, I will at least stay here unless there are too dramatic changes happening!

 

[Alex Co]

As a former Newsie for The Escapist, and one who worked with Josh before, I know he's going to do wonders in his new position. I am sad for the layoffs, though.

Congrats, Josh! You deserve to be an EIC. Safe to say, you're possibly one of the few upper management people I've worked with that "get it." Even when I left late last year, you were still supportive and understanding on what I was going through. =)

Speaking of changes, I hope GameTrailers gets a new video player. That redesign seriously knocked off a ton of traffic for that site.

Here's to a better The Escapist, everyone!

 

[strumbore]

Wait...they're canning Croshaw AND Chipman, then? Why even come here, then?

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

As to the notion that Yahtzee's Zero Punctuation is counter to my enthusiast objectives, I have just one word: "comedy."

ZP is a comedy show, not an intellectual critique of the games he plays.

Your new editor-in-chief, everyone. Apparently it's not possible to be funny and intellectually probing at the same time.

God help this site, because its owners sure won't.

 

[Teoes]

As to the notion that Yahtzee's Zero Punctuation is counter to my enthusiast objectives, I have just one word: "comedy."

ZP is a comedy show, not an intellectual critique of the games he plays.

Your new editor-in-chief, everyone. Apparently it's not possible to be funny and intellectually probing at the same time.

God help this site, because its owners sure won't.

Way to be enthusiastic over curmudgeonly. I feel you're twisting the words somewhat. Whilst I don't agree with the point that ZP is not an intellectual critique (at least, ZP less of that and the intellectual bit comes through more in the EP column), he didn't say it wasn't possible. Take the point more in its context of rebutting the notion that ZP is too cynical and negative to be fitting with the desired enthusiastic outlook.

God give Josh a chance, because his readers sure won't.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

As to the notion that Yahtzee's Zero Punctuation is counter to my enthusiast objectives, I have just one word: "comedy."

ZP is a comedy show, not an intellectual critique of the games he plays.

Your new editor-in-chief, everyone. Apparently it's not possible to be funny and intellectually probing at the same time.

God help this site, because its owners sure won't.

Way to be enthusiastic over curmudgeonly. I feel you're twisting the words somewhat. Whilst I don't agree with the point that ZP is not an intellectual critique (at least, ZP less of that and the intellectual bit comes through more in the EP column), he didn't say it wasn't possible. Take the point more in its context of rebutting the notion that ZP is too cynical and negative to be fitting with the desired enthusiastic outlook.

God give Josh a chance, because his readers sure won't.

He said ZP isn't an 'intellectual critique of the game'. I disagree thoroughly, and if that's the kind of attitude that will guide his decisions as EiC, then I'll probably stop hanging around this site, I guess.

 

[Albino Boo]

He said ZP isn't an 'intellectual critique of the game'. I disagree thoroughly, and if that's the kind of attitude that will guide his decisions as EiC, then I'll probably stop hanging around this site, I guess.

Ah yes I remember well the day at high table during the debate on the early works of Emile Zola, when the regius professor of french literature rebutted the argument of the emeritus professor of european literature by calling him a pants on head retard. ZP is not formal academic critical review but a comedic review where things are exaggerated for laughs. Zp is primarily for the entertainment of its viewers and is not arbiter of right or wrong. Thats not a bad thing.

 

[BrotherRool]

Congrats on getting the job, I like your vision and I hope you'll be awesome.

Is spin. Using 'ramp' to make things sound like they're increasing is smart.

First and foremost, thank you, and to everybody else, for the positive thoughts and congratulations. I can't really explain how big this is for me, and I hope that even the naysayers will eventually come to appreciate the values I'm hoping our team be able to bring back to The Escapist, and to the whole media space. Down with bile. Long live fun.

Hoping to avoid getting nitpicky here, but given that [mtg_card=Birds of Paradise] is one of my favorite cards ever, "ramp" is just part of my daily lexicon. ("Mana Ramp", for the uninitiated, is when you use small creatures, artifacts, and spells to get more mana faster than your opponent.) Didn't intend it as spin in any capacity, I promise you, as our cross-site coordination will assuredly be increasing in the coming weeks and months.

Thanks for the classy reply in spite of my accusation

 

[Mezahmay]

Best of luck Mr. Vanderwall. I look forward to The Escapist's future going forward and will remember those who have been let go fondly.

 

[Encaen]

He said ZP isn't an 'intellectual critique of the game'. I disagree thoroughly, and if that's the kind of attitude that will guide his decisions as EiC, then I'll probably stop hanging around this site, I guess.

In hindsight, it may have been prudent to capitalize "Intellectual Critique" here, to avoid ambiguity. I wholeheartedly believe that comedy can (and almost always should be) intelligent. ZP as a show and personality is brilliant, and Yahtzee is personally an incredibly smart guy. You have to be a near-genius to even conceive of some of his analogies.

Perhaps we just think of "Intellectual Critique" differently, which is simply a matter of semantics.

Rest assured, I love ZP because I love to laugh, and he is in no way counter to the enthusiast mentality.

 

[The Wooster]

I for one thoroughly disapprove of our new no-curmudgeon direction.