Jeff Gerstmann
| Jeff Gerstmann | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jefferson Gerstmann August 1, 1975 |
| Occupation | Video game journalist |
| Title | Co-founder of Giant Bomb |
| Notable credit(s) | Gamespot editor (1996–2007) Giant Bomb co-founder (2008–) |
| Official website | |
Jeff Gerstmann (born August 1, 1975) is an American video game journalist and former editorial director of the gaming website GameSpot and the founder of the gaming website Giant Bomb. He began working at GameSpot in the fall of 1996, around the launch of VideoGameSpot when GameSpot separated PC and console games into separate areas. He shared his thoughts on a variety of other subjects every Monday on his GameSpot blog. He has also been quoted by The New York Times as a video game expert.[1] As a member of Spike Video Game Awards' advisory council, Gerstmann is 1 of 25 journalists responsible for voting the nominees and winners of the event.[2] Complex magazine named Gerstmann in their top 25 biggest celebrities in the video game industry.[3]
Gerstmann appeared on ABC's TV show, Good Morning America as a guest in September 1999 to discuss the launch of Sega's Dreamcast gaming console.
Contents |
[edit] Termination from GameSpot
Gerstmann was dismissed from his position at GameSpot as Editorial Director on November 28, 2007.[4] Immediately after his termination, rumors circulated proclaiming his dismissal was a result of external pressure from Eidos Interactive the publisher of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men which Gerstmann had previously given a Fair rating, which is relatively undesirable, along with critique.[5] This was at a time when Eidos had been putting heavy advertising money into GameSpot,[5] going as far as transforming the entire website to use a Kane & Lynch theme and background instead of the regular GameSpot layout, regardless of which game or page viewers were seeing. Both GameSpot and parent company CNET stated that his dismissal was unrelated to the negative review, but have never cited any reason why his termination was deserved.[6] In accordance with California State Law and CNET Networks, GameSpot could not give details as to why Gerstmann was terminated.[7] Following Gerstmann's termination, editors Alex Navarro, Ryan Davis, Brad Shoemaker, and Vinny Caravella left GameSpot, feeling that they could no longer work for a publication that was perceived as having caved in to advertiser pressure.[5]
[edit] After GameSpot
Shortly after leaving GameSpot, Gerstmann started an online blog saying: "I'm mainly starting this site up to give people a centralized place to hear directly from me, as all these bits and pieces that have gotten out to game news sites via interviews and the blog on my MySpace account aren't really the best way to communicate. So if you're interested in what I plan to do from here, this is the place. I'll also be sharing my thoughts on games and the business that surrounds them, perhaps with an occasional video or two."[8]
On the first episode of IGN's "GameSages" podcast, Gerstmann stated that he was talking with "old friends" (later revealed to be Shelby Bonnie, the former CEO and Co-founder of CNET, along with other former CNET people who left shortly before Jeff and founded Whiskey Media) in regards to his future plans.[5] On February 25, 2008, Jeff Gerstmann announced on his blog that he would be participating in an online podcast (Arrow Pointing Down) with his former co-worker Ryan Davis. Another former co-worker, Alex Navarro, also participated. On March 5, 2008, Jeff Gerstmann revealed that along with his previous co-worker Ryan Davis, he would be starting a brand new gaming site named Giant Bomb,[9] which launched on July 21, 2008.[10]
[edit] Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb, launched in March 2008, is a video gaming website which is the current home of Gerstmann and other game journalists, including Ryan Davis, Brad Shoemaker and Vinny Caravella (all former GameSpot staff). The staff produces multiple video series' including the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 and Deadly Premonition Endurance Runs, and the "This Ain't No Game" segment, along with a podcast, the "BombCast" and "Quick Looks" for the website. They also write video game reviews and cover video game news for the website. Jeff Gerstmann claims that he defends video games as works of art, not to be censored or reduced in ways that would negatively affect a certain game's quality. His music background has helped garner much appreciation for video game developers that refrain from censoring explicit lyrics in the music/rhythm genre.
Giant Bomb was voted by Time Magazine as one of the Top 50 websites of 2011.[11]
[edit] Personal life
The first game system Gerstmann owned was a Fairchild Channel F which his parents, who own an auto-repair and tire business, bought as there were some educational games available for it. After it was ruined in a flood, he then purchased an Atari home computer.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ Richtel, Matt (2007-01-31). "Nintendo's Wii, Radiating Fun, Is Eclipsing Sony Machine". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/31/technology/31game.html?ex=1327899600&en=85605481be61a9e8&ei=5090. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
- ^ "Meet the VGA 2011 Advisory Council". Spike TV. 2011-11-03. http://www.spike.com/articles/zbeldj/video-game-awards-meet-the-vga-2011-advisory-council. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ "Power Players: The 25 Biggest Celebrities in the Video Game Industry". Complex magazine. 2012-01-05. http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/01/the-25-biggest-celebrities-in-the-video-game-industry#15. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
- ^ "Spot On: GameSpot on Gerstmann". GameSpot. 2007-12-05. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6183666.html. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ a b c d Kennedy, Sam (2008-01-21). "GameSpot's Sad State of Affairs". 1UP. http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8587828&publicUserId=4561231. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
- ^ "CNET Denies 'External Pressure' Caused Gerstmann Termination". Shacknews. 2007-11-30. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50157. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ http://www.gamespot.com/news/6183666.html
- ^ "Proof of Life (or "I want my shirt, I want my spoon.")". Jeff Gerstmann. 2008-01-02. http://blog.jeffgerstmann.net/2007/12/10/proof-of-life-or-i-want-my-shirt-i-want-my-spoon/. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (2008-03-06). X-Play Gaming Update 03.06.08. G4TV. http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/683425/XPlay_Gaming_Update_030608.html. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (2008-07-20). "Giant Bomb - Welcome Back!". Giant Bomb. http://www.giantbomb.com/news/welcome-back/108/. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
- ^ "Giant Bomb - The Top 50 Websites of 2011 - TIME". Time (magazine). 2011-08-16. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2087815_2087939_2087927,00.html. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (2006-10-06). Getting to Know GameSpot. GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/users/AaronThomas/video_player.php?id=dnYykzL75bgMvTbX. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
[edit] External links
- Jeff Gerstmann's blog
- Jeff Gerstmann at Twitter
- Jeff Gerstmann at Formspring
- Jeff Gerstmann at MySpace
- Jeff Gerstmann at TV.com
