A large part of my job, and one that I take very seriously, is to clear a path and get rid of obstacles for my employees so they can run down whatever path they want. Never has that ability been more tested than with Dan Ryckert. Whether it’s through budget, time, or dismemberment, Dan was never afraid to come up with ideas that pushed outside of our comfort zone, or the practical realities of the site. This is one of my favorite qualities about Dan. And it will be one of the things I miss most about him now that his time with Giant Bomb is coming to an end. If you haven't heard already, Dan Ryckert is moving onto a new job and at the time of this posting this is his final, glorious day here.
Dan began at Giant Bomb in 2014 during a time that a lot of the staff and community were still reeling from Ryan Davis’ passing. About this same time, not coincidentally, I had moved to NY and Alex and I were hard at work trying to get Giant Bomb East off the ground. Dan’s impact was immediate and profound. He showed that while nobody would ever replace Ryan, Giant Bomb would continue to be a place that could change, evolve, and allow new personalities to flourish. In 2017 I got to experience that “flourish” firsthand when Dan picked up and moved over to NY.
When Dan joined us on the East Coast team he brought an energy and chaos that was exciting to work with and it has been a lot of fun to attempt to focus that into an intense productivity. One of the hardest parts of this job can be follow through on an idea. Everybody has ideas, they are probably the cheapest currency in production, but having the will and energy to see something through is where the real value is. Whether it was features like Steal My Sunshine, Crime Crew, or even the Playdate for Red Alert 2, Dan actively kept working the staff and iterating on ideas until the show was ready to go. Or at least, ready enough.
There’s a lot to list about Dan, but if you’ve been on this site long enough you know most of it. What you might not know is that he always came in on time and despite acting like a goofball he took the job seriously. We didn’t always agree on everything but I always knew two things: he loved video games and did not take his job for granted. The industry and job has changed so much even since Dan has joined, but those two things never seemed to waiver and it was something I came to rely on in good times and bad.
Dan is a volatile power core. If you put him in the engine and keep an eye on the gauges you will be capable of exceptional things. Look away for a second and the whole thing just might explode. Having Dan around was always exciting as a manager and as a fan of his work. In a lot of ways I’ll be sad not to have that relationship with him anymore but I can’t wait to see what he gets up to next as a fan and a dear friend.
Also! Alex wanted me to include this note and this video:
"We’ll all miss him, and Dan will always have a place here at Giant Bomb" - Alex Navarro
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