Ben Pack On Life After Giant Bomb - MinnMax Interview

[@minnmax]

Unlock the podcast version of this interview, The Deepest Dive, and compete in Trivia Tower by supporting MinnMax on Patreon - www.patreon.com/minnmax

[@rightkidney420]

so this isnt the show? there is more if you pay?

[@DangerSimmons]

And minnmax continues to be the “hr” or the gaming industry. Fantastic

[@SophieMarieLulz]

This is a great interview! I was a Giant Bomb fan before Ben joined and I loved Ben being featured in videos. He offered a light-hearted view on a lot of things and he really made Jeff light up and laugh a lot in a way he hasn't in a while. (no offense to Jeff) I think the best clip is of Jeff and Ben playing that Dream's game "Oi, You" fighting game. Ben always seemed able to make Jeff laugh. Ben really brings a lot of good humour to all the videos. I think he was a good spark of positivity and I am sad to see him go.

[@TwoToneSoldier]

I think Jeff needed Ben a lot, after Ryan died he lost something big. Ben gave him some of that back. Still love Jeff but it’s what it seemed like

[@LukeExists]

I really appreciate Ben talking about how this has been a time for self reflection. I've been feeling that and, shocker, it's easy to feel alone in our feelings lately.

[@LexTreefrog]

Same. You + me + Ben is a crowd!

[@MrDeathproof5]

3am boys forever! Much love Ben. Good luck with whats next. You will be missed from GB.

[@linkenski]

Granted it's also been a rough year, but shows and channels I've followed has been on a depressing trajectory of people I love leaving the public eye. But god speed to Ben. He gave a lot of unique energy to Giant Bomb. I felt like he was great at loosening it up a bit. I'm sure they'll be fine going forward but I will definitely remember Ben. It's also nice to hear these stories from people who are very public and "successful" because 2020 was hard for me, not only due to Covid but I also made some life-decisions where I abandoned my current livelihood to figure out what the hell I actually want to do. So it's a help to not feel as alone in that.

[@Katana622]

dont look at the giant bomb news bro just dont

[@QueensErik]

Ben is a national treasure and though I sorely miss him, I am glad to see that he's doing well.

[@Genyuro]

Ahh I Love Ben Pack , was not expecting this interview but I'm very happy you did, thanks

[@MaxMax-zo9vq]

Really gonna miss him in the bombcast, also Ranking of the Fighters, but I’m glad he’s doing well.

[@poposterous236]

Science will never be the same

[@Skinkemann]

Yet another terrific interview! :D A candid and warm conversation. It's a good sign when people feel comfortable enough to get a bit real and speak their mind. Really interesting to learn hear about Ben's experience. He seems like he's in a good place, and I wish him the best in his future endeavors!

[@johnthomas7016]

Big fan of Ben, brought a lot to Giant Bomb. Gonna miss what he brought to the podcast, bens lens and most importantly the 3am boys! Onward Ben!

[@mikemaciaszek3508]

This was great and just made me happy while listening. Ben and Ben have some genuinely good rapport! I've missed Ben a lot on GB stuff since he left, but happy to hear he's doing well and feeling good

[@krisnauffts5787]

I absolutely adore Ben. Gonna be missed big time.

[@ChrisLT]

I remember when Ben got hired, and being excited that "that intern guy" was coming on full time. He did a ton of cool stuff over his years there, and I hope he succeeds in whatever he decides to do next.

[@chakky533]

It is surreal to think how long ago that was... and how we've grown up the same amount too

[@bemaod]

Bens unite! Glad to hear from Ben again, I miss hearing him on the Bombcast. Good luck in whatever you do next, Ben!

[@AuspexAO]

Yo, Ben. Miss you on GB, but I'm happy to hear you're in a great place! Thanks for the goofs!

[@residentevilclone]

Hanson slowly assembling the content creator cinematic universe

[@moregan101]

One day he will form a team...

[@guip1408]

Ben had become my favorite member of the Bombcast for the past two years. His positivity and humanity will be deeply missed. I hope he finds whatever he's looking for, what an amazing person.

[@Ddarke11]

He usually had some of the deepest takes on the GB crew diving in to what made up the heart and soul of a game.

[@krisnauffts5787]

Well said Guip.

[@ARIXANDRE]

It just makes me appreciate some game journalists that made a move to streaming/podcasts. They pretty much forfeit their leisure in games to be on schedule and create content for others.

[@krisnauffts5787]

This convo was a deep dive and kind of theraputic

[@Jake-NerdyUpNorth]

I wish more long term game podcasts would get this introspective more often. Ben's right, most of us listen/watch and don't really think about all the work they're doing constantly. And I am totally guilty about writing comments criticizing their gaming decisions in the past. And I'm definitely sorry for being a part of any bad comments reading experience for anyone.

[@kylekersh]

It was nice to see this pop up in my suggested. Ben is a gem, I really miss hearing him on Tuesdays.

[@TeskoLove]

I've been a long, long time fan of Giant Bomb. I've seen lots of people come and go, but never have I missed anyone's presence the way I have missed those of Ben and Abby. I really appreciated the perspectives they brought.

[@raphduck3558]

I actually like ben more like this, than when he is trying to put on a bit with GB.

[@Leinad44]

Ben brought one of my fav N64 games to the table. It was awesome everyone got to see Mystical Ninja starring Goemon

[@LexTreefrog]

I always thought Ben was awesome and hilarious on the bombcast, and during covid he seemed to actually give a shit about trying to make it still work amidst all the challenges of doing it over zoom and he’s awesome for that too.

[@stimpack-3193]

I'm so glad to find this. I was just wondering what happened with Ben. I hope you're alright, duder!

[@jakedoesnotknow]

"Reddit is a drama playground" Perfectly put. I hope only great things for you Ben(s)!

[@JazGalaxy]

I am a Reddit user and I rarely see any drama. I imagine it’s due to what Reddits you subscribe to. I was a longtime member of the PSVR Reddit because I adore PSVR. Then just recently I bought an oculus quest 2 and joined the oculus Reddit. It’s SHOCKING how different the audiences can be for what amounts to being the same product. The PSVR Reddit was mature and cordial while the oculus Reddit feels like it’s stocked with literal children.

[@endlesswanderer1753]

@@JazGalaxy "I rarely experience this, so it must be something you're doing wrong." Didn't even have to say you were a Redditor, man. I know what you mean, though. I have several subs I frequent for memes, but c'mon man. Have you seen /r/giantbomb? Every time I wade into that cesspool the top thread is bitching about something. One day it would be about something Abby didn't know, the next would be about a game Gerstmann doesn't like, the next would be about how Brad flooded GOTY talks with Ori, and the list goes on. Then the podcast would mention how shitty redditors are and the sub would get all indignant saying Twitter is just as bad and the next week there would suddenly be "Ben Appreciation Thread!!". Before you even say it, yes, Twitter, ResetEra, 4chan, KZbin comments are all just as bad. That doesn't suddenly excuse Reddit or make it easier for people who are the subject of their vitriol. You must have missed the hundreds of threads belittling every little thing Abby said, huh? Or it just didn't affect you so you didn't notice.

[@tys5650]

Ben brought so much new to the table at GB and honestly it's not the same without him. Hope to see him back in some capacity talking about games in the future.

[@icen9ne812]

Bens perspective is fantastic and so on point.

[@Hamerparsa]

Great job as always. Thank you

[@Sgubby]

Man, I freaking love Ben Pack.

[@SuperHoldenC]

Ben! Miss you brah. Wish you all the best.

[@adamneumann248]

I didn't get a premium sub to Giant Bomb until 2016 so for someone like me, Ben is as part of the GB crew as Jeff, Vinny, etc. It'll be strange without him. Best of luck, Ben!

[@Katana622]

better not check the giantbomb news man

[@adamneumann248]

@@Katana622 Yeah I saw. Bittersweet. Hope the site and YT channel stays up so I can watch pre-2016 stuff I missed.

[@AlexFurry]

I love Ben, he's so cool, fun, I can hear him talk about whatever for a long time and not get bored, I wish I get a chance to say hi to him someday c:

[@PlaylistGeneral]

Man I went from being like "Yeah Ben's alright" on GB to seeing him as a dude I'd honestly really like being friends with. He's so likeable when he's not under pressure to entertain an audience, I hope he does ok for himself in the future.

[@SadalDay]

Bens a good kid i wish him the best seems like he got burnt out a bit which is hardly irregular in that industry i always respected Jeff G he looks after his friends

[@bickettryan]

Jan's streaming live from a Benihana is on the same tier as Vinny's slowly drowning an N64 in two-part epoxy

[@dtPlaythroughs]

Always good to move on for the sake of personal growth, but also I would be wary of growing any more, Ben! You were my favorited GB duder for some time now so it's been sad to see you go but hope you remain in the public in some capacity. Thanks for many years of joy and laughter!

[@groovestreet]

Ben is the man!

[@glucosaminecondroitan9135]

I like that Pack brought up how readers/viewers think games journalists/critics have to be experts in every game or play every game at an expert level. I don't expect that myself and it bugs me when I see comments where people expect that. It is weird.

[@JazGalaxy]

I don’t necessarily think that critics have to be an expert at every game. But if you’re not... shut up. I feel like Giant Bomb has actually been getting better at this, but they still say tons of irresponsible garbage all the time. They couch their opinions as just being their “thoughts” but the reality is that they are kingmakers. They can make or break games. And when they say irresponsible things about games they don’t understand, it can translate into literal dollars and success or failure. Brad, I feel, is the absolute worst at it. Ginny, of course, is the best. He won’t dismiss anything and always conceded that there are fans of things he doesn’t “get”.

[@hankhill69]

Brad is extremely bad at games.

[@tj964]

Ben and Ben are studs

[@IanTClark]

I always listen to podcasts while doing dishes.

[@Sockerludd]

Thanks for all you did at GB Ben. Best of luck to you!

[@arcticpandapopz]

MinnMax interviews are fantastic.

[@Cyrribrae]

Glad you're in a good place Ben, you handsome intelligent person, you :p Hope your time away from the spotlight is fulfilling and that whatever you may or may not come back for is awesome. And yes, emotional Vinny is the best dad, best character, best moment, game of the year, etc. of every year.

[@baconatorrodriguez4651]

Not a fan of Ben on GB, but appreciate the introspection and wish him peace and a clear mind. Glad he's getting a mental break.

[@matthewmadison8918]

3am boys, Ben have a great ass life. Hope to see you around

[@notjustsad]

Man... wasn’t the biggest fan of Ben tbh, not my kind of humor that’s all - when he said that he would leave it was a bummer nonetheless. And this video especially got me really emotional. Didn’t expect that. What a nice dude. The way he talks about mental health and what has been going on is very much appreciated. Thanks, that was a very good interview. Thanks Ben for being honest and taking about it in that way, seriously. All the best for your future!

[@Muppio]

I wish Ben nothing but the best.

[@kpeak1]

Appreciate you Ben and wish you the best on your next stuff.

[@escapee909909]

For those of us who started out cool on Ben and came around to actually think "hey this guy is really nailing it now." - his leaving seemed out of the blue. Like, what why? He speaks about a lot of negative from the audience but I felt like most, if not all, of that had dried up. I went from eyerolls to appreciation personally. Sucks dude! Hey internet people - don't read the comments! Do your thing and be done with it!

[@HArryvajonas]

He was not good at podcasting. He drops 5 likes and uhms in every sentence. He was literally not adept at communicating his points.

[@jameskond]

@@HArryvajonas Woah even here, in his exit interview.

[@poposterous236]

Ben was great at podcasting, what that guy said never happened. He was never bad at umms and ahhhs and always articulated his points clearly. He was also funny as hell.

[@HArryvajonas]

@@poposterous236 I just want to make sure we are sharing the same reality. I watched a little over 5 minutes of this video. You can have your own opinion but I could link literally any 30 seconds from the 5 minutes I watched, that demonstrate Ben stuttering and stammering and saying "uhm" and "like" numerous times in a sentence. You have every right to like him as a person but acknowledge reality.

[@TheLastStand001]

None of those bothered me in the slightest. You want him to carefully say every word perfectly?

[@Hamerparsa]

Would be great to have ben back on the minnmax show.

[@samur99]

There is no online personality that I miss more than Ben.

[@jjanime]

Gonna miss ya, Ben!

[@smoothslide]

I was washing dishes and my wife was yelling while listening to this.

[@eureeka8781]

Miss you Ben! hope everything is going good for you on the other side.

[@khronick3596]

This was great. Thanks

[@acertainshape]

I'm not convinced leaving GB was his decision. He and Abby both left at about the same time, just as Red Ventures took over. Then, 6 months later, Brad, Vinny, and Alex left (let go). Sounds like restructuring.

[@KaneRobot2]

Red Ventures was absolutely smart to say "why the fuck do we have two offices open?"...which obviously was never mentioned by Giant Bomb but come on, that should be obvious. The industry was already leaning towards not doing something like that when it happened, actually going through with it was insane. Really not much of value was lost. I'll miss some of Vinny's goofy stuff but that's it.

[@acertainshape]

@@KaneRobot2 Eh, I guess I agree with you for the most part. The main GB podcast has not been the same since Ryan died and now that Brad is gone I have no reason to listen. I like Jeff of course but it just seems like his heart hasn't been in it for a long time. It's time to let it die.

[@shanenewman1747]

Yay I love these! Also love Mr Pack

[@iTzPiShPoSh]

Excellent video Ben & Ben.

[@niclopez7201]

The conversation was great. The headline on the picture though seems really scummy. Idk if Ben was alright with it, maybe he was, but it feels like only a negative perception can come from that when Ben was really positive with his decision. I love MinnMax but I hated seeing that.

[@poposterous236]

really uncomfortable clickbait

[@TheLastStand001]

Who caaaares

[@Lincolnzz]

I clicked onto this and didn't look at the video, this dude's voice sounds super similar to Drew Scanlon lol

[@aaronsacks9262]

Love you Ben, GB chat is rife with your head

[@LonelyGamr]

i wouldn't worry about criticism within the gaming fanbase. the ones being cruel if you saw most of them in person you would just shrug cause they would have a lot of problems physically and mentally

[@bawol-official]

Miss you Big Ben

[@srodgers23]

I love Good Ben but I will never forgive other Ben for being so mean to Dan Tack that I had to stop listening to the GI podcast. But good to hear from Good Ben.

[@Jasruler]

Who was the prominent KZbinr Ben alluded to?

[@annikapavlona1304]

Must be Etika. Poor guy was struggling with mental health issues and being an internet celebrity only compacted it.

[@LolaliciousSmiley]

HOT CHEESE BIDET?

[@dsfgasdgqweq3456t534]

Ben was way more open than Abby on this. Great interview!

[@Rioraku]

Ben we miss you!

[@stephanier3343]

When Ben wears the Red beanie he looks like a cast member of The life aquatic movie.

[@AngelofNever]

It's weird that people complain about the politics when they unsubscribe. I'm politically pretty moderate, and don't love some of the comments Jeff makes, but I thought they were all really restrained and on point during the past four years, when objectively crazy shit was happening. I don't really need experts like Jeff and Ben to be aligned with me in every aspect of life to really enjoy their commentary and expertise...unless there's some kind of huge convergence of politics and gaming on purpose. That's why I can't listen to Waypoint for example, even though I like Austin and Patrick--the overlap of culture/politics/gaming is the entire point there.

[@jayjayson9613]

Why are so many people leaving places like IGN, Gamespot and Giant Bomb? Are those places terrible to work or not worth the time and effort?

[@chakky533]

did you listen to this interview?

[@TheLastStand001]

Lmaaao your question literally is answered if you just watch the video

[@storyoptics4964]

What's up with the annoying random beep sounds?

[@blackjack2150]

This whole series of interviews with ex GB people feels a bit too opportunistic; I don' know... rubs me the wrong way. But then again, there are some interesting insights that came out of it and there's nobody forcing them to agree to the interview. Most of the time it's free exposure for the future, which is why I was surprised Ben agreed to it since he clearly said he will not maintain a public presence after GB.

[@JulienisInterested]

Insanely funny gentleman.

[@Ddarke11]

Hey, it's Ben awhile...

[@CleafKnowsVLOGS_nl]

Beanie Ben is the best Ben!

[@basedbill1493]

i miss ben

[@yotaruvegeta]

So Ben's totally a robot, right?

[@sanguinepenguin9576]

looking at the comments if giantbomb fans where as nice as minmax fans hed probably have stayed 2 bad we arent bye bye Ben

[@poposterous236]

or we can teach the minmax community to be toxic gatekeepers

[@ctkachuk08]

Oh come on Ben. We all know you left because the tension between Rorie and you has been bubbling up for years. It got so bad that he challenged you to a duel and you lost and were forced to leave in shame.

[@broshmosh]

Yeah, we're all expecting him to turn up at East as New Ben :P

[@dhet]

i was drinking a Peach AHA while watching this

[@fusedtoast5367]

Now ben left?! Why does giant bomb have such high turn over?! Lol. Every person should leave now. Jeff should do an April fools day interview on this show.

[@poposterous236]

shame to hear about brad...

[@illmatic19]

When I was like 15 I thought working for giant bomb would be a dream job, now I would never consider it.

[@steveb9713]

3am boyz eternal

[@palepilgrim1174]

Yeah I mean it's tough. You're working in personalitydriven media so people naturally are going to make comments on it, good or bad. The alternative is basically they stop watching it without comment as whatever you're saying or doing is impacting their enjoyment of your content so much that they can't continue with it, which probably wouldn't be appreciated either. Yeah people can get weirdly personal and cross lines, but in my experience people do this in real life constantly as well. Sometimes I'm just absolutely flummoxed by the things people say to me in work or while out socializing. I guess most people are just aholes. And yeah it would be a beautiful world if most people were the opposite but what are you going to do. Only options are hiding away from the world or growing calloused skin as armor to this stuff. I'm not sure which is the better path to be honest, by this point. Hiding is becoming increasingly attractive.

[@KamasamaK]

Ben Pack is so handsome and smart and cool!

[@D_9000]

3AMBOYS4LIFE! 👍 Ben is good 👍 2SWEET!

[@Sevlyna]

Minnmax therapycast

[@DP-jt6xx]

I'm gay

[@russell7772]

Prove it

[@straightactormichaelpenis4362]

Hello David, I'm Straight Actor Michael Penis.

[@DP-jt6xx]

@@straightactormichaelpenis4362 wow I'm a big fan mr. Penis

[@bkvbjmkb]

Hell yeah, brother

[@JazGalaxy]

I always wondered who liked Ben on Gintbomb, but I guess it was a lot of people. I’m not one of those people. But o guess that’s the point of “personalities”. Different things for different people. Personally I was always baffled by how people didn’t like Dan. I always felt like Ben made Giant Bomb worse, though. But again, just my opinion.

[@alliecockwat]

Nobody liked him, look at the comments on every video he’s in

[@uoodSJW]

43:50 I don't want to be too negative but it seems smoking a whole lot of weed before an interview isn't conducive to coherent thoughts, Ben talks a lot here without saying anything.

[@SonOfSeth]

Finally! Ben was the main reason I stopped listening to Bombcast or watching quick look. Now, I might actually subscribe again.

[@TheLastStand001]

K

[@krisnauffts5787]

Giant bombcast=the pessimistic cast

[@residentevilclone]

I agree with Gerstman a lot of the time, but god damn... it can be exhausting how much he seems to hate video games. They need a lot of positivity from the others to balance out commentary from guys like Jeff and Alex. I listened on the regular for maybe 2 years before I had to reduce my giant bomb/beast intake by a lot.

[@KaneRobot]

Good to see Abby and Ben gone. Now they've got a small enough staff where they need to merge the two offices back together, especially with no longer being owned by CBS. Not going to happen, I know.

[@ericscasny9312]

Ben and Abby brought a lot of the negativity from the last 5 ish years of politics to Giant Bomb gaming podcasts...Not sad. I wish Ben luck but I'm excited to hopefully see GB go back to its roots...

[@hutchboy4765]

I know why he left because giantbomb is a shell of its former self nowadays

[@thebotfather9508]

people would kill to have Ben's job at GB & he quit during a pandemic when its hard asf to get jobs? lmao alrighty then.