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A Year at Game Informer

I was tinkering with the sea of scattered equipment in Game Informer's make-shift video storage room when Matt Miller told me that I'd be going on the next cover trip: "They're making an Elder Scrolls V, it's called Skyrim."

I was plucked out of a world where the"big get" was sitting down to interview the mayor of a small town in Minnesota and placed in a job where I had to debate with Bethesda's Todd Howard whether or not the video tour of his studio should be shot handheld or with a tripod. That first trip was eye-opening. Working in an office filled with talented, intelligent, and hilarious writers was shocking, but seeing an hour-long demo of an incredible game that the outside world didn't even know existed was when the bizarre nature of my new job sank in.

November 3rd was my one-year anniversary as a video producer at Game Informer. Time has flown by and I haven't written as many blogs as I had hoped, but I thought it would be nice to give an update with my thoughts on the last year.

Second only to the fantastic interaction with Game Informer's community, the highlight of the job thus far has been traveling the country/world and visiting some of the most talented developers in the industry. You know in The Price Is Right during the showcase showdown when they reveal the vacation? That's what it is like every month when I hear about our next cover story. I'm the kind of dork that loved to study for tests in school, and I get that same cheap thrill when reading about the studio's location and history and playing their past games in preparation for the big trip. I keep a notebook and scribble down ideas for possible video content to pick up when I'm there. I'm not trying to imply that every trip involves drinking something with an umbrella sticking out of it on a beach, but the monthly trips are a dream come true for a workaholic and gaming nerd like myself.

Overall, I'm proud of the amount of video content that I've produced. Some are most certainly better than others, and I'm working on raising the quality level as time goes on. A large factor in that area is that we've hired a new video guy named Jason. Some people were confused or thought that he was my replacement, he has been and will continue to be a huge asset to the fledgling video department at Game Informer. His specialty is in live-streaming and video tech, which nicely counter-points my love for shooting and post-production. His addition has freed up some of my time and has stopped me from drowning in a sea of deadlines and half-finished videos.

So what does the future hold for Game Informer videos? Jason and I have heads full of ideas and there are plenty of big things in motion. On the smaller scale, I hope to provide you all with more video previews and other fun videos shot in and around the office. I love seeing comments like "It's so great to finally put a face to so-and-so's voice!" All I want to do is connect visitors to our site with the genuine opinions and personalities of the editors in the office. Both so that they feel part of a porous online community and that they better understand where the editors are coming from when reading previews and reviews of a game. This is why I'm especially proud of shooting and editing the Smash Bros. marathon documentary, it is an honest glimpse into the atmosphere and personalities in the office and it takes a couple of bricks out of the wall between editor and visitor. I hope to continue this trend in the future, and I'm always open to ideas from the community about what kind of video content you'd like to see. Please send me an e-mail at hanson@gameinformer.com or send me a tweet @yozetty with request or complaints, I hope that our newly revamped YouTube channel has curbed some of the complaints about our quirky video player.

I really hope that you've enjoyed the video content that I've produced in the last year. There will be a lot more content and surprises in the future, including a nice reboot of Replay. My first year at Game Informer has been a delightful learning experience. Friends and co-workers have moved on and new ones have joined, but the positive atmosphere at the office remains. It can be stressful but I'm beginning to feel at home in this new, crazy world. I hope to be here for a while.

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Comments
  • The Smash Bros. marathon documentary was great. Keep up the good work, sir!
  • Keep up the good work! Also are you currently working on or planning to work on a documentary about the second marathon or at least a highlights reel?
  • congratulations mr.Ben Hanson, your work has been enjoyed by at least one person, but I think i speak for everyone when I say you are important to the gameinformer community
  • Your contributions to the site have been amazing. From the guiness record documentary to the youtube channel, the community appreciates it immensely. Congratulations on your success and I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

  • Who's awesome?

    You're awesome!

    The new super replay was great too!

  • The advent of Ben Hanson to the website and GI community has been the greatest change since the website redesign. All the Previews, Replays, Super Replays, Interviews, and Office Tours have made me and thousands of others life long fans of Game Informer and this website. I think I speak for everyone here when I say "Thank you, Ben Hanson." Your work is greatly appreciated. I wish you well on all your future endeavors, video related or otherwise.
    Sincerely,
    the GI Community
  • Keep up the good work! I really enjoy the video content on this site.

  • I hope you're here for awhile also.

  • It's been a year already? Wow! Great to have in the community, all these months!

  • I just want to thank all you guys at GI because there is such a personality to the site. That is the reason why I prefer you oveer sites like IGN or Joystiq, which are otherwise fine gaming sites. This is the only site where I read the editor blogs. I love how when I see a new news story come in, I think in my head "I bet ______ loved doing this article." Also,like the comments above me, it's awesome to be able to put a face to the voices, even if they don't match (I'm lookinbg at you, Joe Juba). Even when I'm not even interested in a game or cover story, I still watch the videos just to laugh. I also feel like there is so much less of a bias at GI. I nderstand having a preference, like Reiner might like his Xbox more than his PS3, but that doesn't mean you have to be obnoxious about it. Hating a game, like I've seen other sites do, because it's not on their preferred system is stupid. Just all and all, you guys rock, and thank Ben for providing us with all this awesome video content. To tell you the truth, the first time I ever went to the site itself was the first month of the redesign way back when, and i probably wouldn't have stayed if it weren't for Dan's stupidity on the replays.
  • thanks for all the videos! i love all the replays and the smashed documentry was outstanding! have you guys thought about making dvd sets of replay and similer stuff? i would buy them in a heartbeat. also your one of my favorite stafff members, not just because we have the same name
  • Congrats on the year and a month with GI! You really do a great job with your filming/editing, and the Smashed documentary was nothing short of spectacular.

  • Glad you're loving it at GI! The quality of the videos has increased dramatically ever since you got on. Also, despite complaints about the video player (which you didn't design), it's not broken or anything; I still prefer watching the videos over here on the GI site. Keep up the good work! If I remember correctly, on the Overcast Podcast, Reiner mentioned some stuff about a "Replay Season 2" that sounded promising, hopefully that's what you're referring to by a "Replay reboot." Can't wait for it! Also can't wait for you to put up Overblood 2. Only 28 more days! :D

  • Congratulations on your thirteenth month at Gameinformer, Ben. You have contributed a lot to the site, and I cannot wait to see what more you have to offer.

  • congrats on your first year.  all the video content on the site has been phenomenal.  keep up the good work!

  • What do you mean a replay reboot...

  • I think I can speak for the whole Overblood group when I saw, we all love ya, ya big lug! Thanks for all the amazing content, and I look forward to your future at GI and I know that the everyone is as excited as I am to see what new and interesting projects you are going to do in the future.

  • We <3 you Mr. Handsome. Your year in office has been the best for GI yet. Mr. A-Striker will surely make the next streaming event even more awesome.

    Replay has done nothing but grow since your arrival. With the higher quality in editing, post-production effects (from bleeps to stamps to waka-waka, doodly-doos), and who can forget the quiet laugh that comes from the back of the room whenever an off-color joke is made. Those laughs always reassure me that I am not the only one who lets out a laugh every time someone makes a suicide joke.

    But what is amazing is that you are just as capable in a main role! In your recent podcast appearance and super-replay hosting status, you are just as hilarious as any of the regulars. The only difference being that, rather then being made fun of for sucking at games, you are made fun of for having a weird gaming background.

    In any case, keep up the good work, and keep pumping out that content. I devour every second of produced video content by GI and it is all amazing.

  • All the content has been fantastic. ALL OF IT I SAY

  • MacBook Pro? YES! Great job with everything so far Ben!

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