The Quiet Gamer: January 2015

I awoke one day last week and went about my normal routine only to find that that a pivotal change had occurred in the games journalism industry. Posts from Colin Moriarty & Greg Miller announcing that they had resigned from their jobs at IGN & kicked their four man YouTube setup, ‘Kinda Funny’, into overdrive. As many of their long-term fans would have realized, this announcement has been coming for quite some time now with the team posting various pictures on twitter alluding to big changes in the future. Don’t jump the gun though, they’ll still be hosting & posting IGN’s Podcast Beyond as freelancers but their main focus is now directed to their existing & newfound YouTube channels ‘Kinda Funny’ & ‘Kinda Funny Games’.

At first, this change hit me a little harder than I would have anticipated but after further thought I believe that this would lead to better creative content. Colin & Greg now have a brand, a creative outlet that posts all sorts of content. But as I sit here writing this, listening to old episodes of Podcast Beyond, I’m beginning to realize the impact & influence that these key members of the IGN team, have had on me & my own creative endeavors. Needless to say, it will be a very sad day when Colin & Greg depart IGN completely but fortunately, today is not that day. Until then, Greg Miller, Colin Moriarty, Nick Scarpino & Tim Gettys will be laser focused on both ‘Kinda Funny’ & ‘Kinda Funny Games’.

Who do you think of when I say 'The Face of IGN'? Of course it's Greg Miller. We've seen Greg grow; we've seen him mature. We've seen him at his highest & we've seen him at his lowest. From the youngster on Podcast Beyond Episode 1 to the Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor then to the host of The Game Over Greggy Show. Greg Miler has always gone above & beyond (Beyond!) the things he's required to do. But seriously Greg, can't you just eat a meal?

It's no secret that Greg's a loud guy. People say he can talk the talk but ladies & gentlemen; this man can also walk the walk. Greg was on the receiving end of multiple chops from Hulk Hogan. Spreading himself over as many creative avenues as possible has aided in his journey to be one of the internets most recognisable personalitities, From Podcast Beyond, Oreo Oration & Up At Noon to The Game Over Greggy Show, Knockin' Boots & Kinda Funny. Greg is just about everywhere & he's loving every second of it.

Greg, ‘Ass to Ass’; ’A Bakers Dozen’; ‘As I Live & Breathe’; ‘BEYOND’, you’re the king of meet-&-greets, you’re a personality, you’ve got a big heart & an even bigger appetite. On behalf of the IGN community, Thanks Greggy, go Team Fat.

I think of myself as an amateur content creator. I’ve written (& am still writing) game reviews from time to time for my blog ‘The Quiet Gamer’. I’m currently trying to expand my skills by writing articles on anything in the entertainment space… you’re reading one right now. I feel that my goals are greatly inspired by the men & women at IGN, specifically Greg & Colin. I’ve been watching, reading & listening to IGN content for years now. But if I could, I would pinpoint the single most important piece of inspiration to two tweets from Colin Moriarty while he was at the Playstation 4 reveal event in 2013.

Let me take you back about two years. I had just started my first full time job. I was young & optimistic; things were looking and feeling good. Colin had been tweeting photos of his PS4 reveal event passes. Social networks were ablaze with rumors & excitement. It had been a long wait for the 8^th generation of gaming consoles. My eyes were glued to my twitter feed, eagerly awaiting Colin to live tweet the event. Then the above tweets were posted. At that exact point, I made the choice to harness Colin’s encouragement & words of inspiration and run with it. My goal, still to this day, is to improve my craft and strive to create content as well written & as informative as his. It’s not going to be easy but anything that’s worth it, very rarely is.

Colin, ‘The Pride of Long Island’; ‘Magnet Man’; ‘He Only Does Everything’; ‘Dos Colin’, you’ve produced some truly great work during your time at IGN and behalf of the IGN community, Thanks Punkhead.

Although they may receive a lot of criticism & hate, Greg & Colin continue to create & they continue to succeed. They are pillars of the Playstation Nation. They’ve helped build a community of passionate fans & become friends to those who go beyond (BEYOND!) the ideology of a gamer. They’ve pissed off some but inspired thousands more. They’ve written fantastic articles & features but now their time at IGN has come to a close. They move on to bigger & better things but their legacy with IGN will live on. It may be the end of an era at IGN but it’s also a beginning of a new one & the beginning of Greg & Colin’s next big adventure.

Greg & Colin, on behalf of the silent majority, thank you for your incredible work, coverage & most of all the memories. All the best in the future.