A year may have passed, but we’ve aged a decade. Welcome to the birthday of Daily Reaction, the daily feature by Sebastian Moss and Dan Oravasaari.
Seb: Oh my dear, sweet, tasty god. One year ago today, Dan and I set out to do something unlike anything else ever seen before – an in-depth, feature-length article on the world of gaming every single weekday.
We didn’t think it would last that long, other journalists both in and outside of PSLS told us it was too much and wouldn’t last long, but we gave it a go. And for some reason, we never stopped.
Hundreds of articles, hundreds of thousands of words… it’s been a horrifyingly long and arduous ordeal, but I’m proud of what we’ve created. One of my favorite features has been our Dev Asks DR, where a developer or industry professional poses us a question (such as Mark Cerny or Ted Price), not only because it allows for some great topics, but because of the sheer joy and confusion we receive from devs when we ask them to ask us a question. The complete role reversal is just wonderful to see.
Other highlights have been when DRs have truly resonated with people, or when we’ve received emails telling us that our different take on things that have ended up changing their mind.
Oh, and our hottest men DR, that was sexy.
Dan: Looking back at this past year, I also never thought that we would be able to continue doing Daily Reaction this long. When we first reached our 100th DR, I was astounded that we had made it that far, then I had the same reaction at 200. Now, here we are at the one year mark and again I am in disbelief that Sebastian and I haven’t killed each other (well, not yet at least).
Although, the fact that we have been able to do a daily feature only seems to pale in comparison to what I feel we have turned it into. Unlike many sites that simply use contrarian beliefs to drive traffic, Daily Reaction has become a voice to stand up against an industry that seems to crumble under public pressure. It is easy to see that creating and executing on something this dynamic and unwavering will not make us many friends, but in reality we aren’t seeking to glorify the games industry – we are trying to make it a better place.
Besides all of the writing, the other aspect that has made DR possible really has to be the fans. Some of you have been with us forever (Vesra, Nathan Louiselle, Noah, Xixen, Untraditional, Uzair Syed, Kick in ur Face, Guntz, Greg Etopio and many many more), more have joined along the way, and being able to converse with some of you has been a true pleasure, others…not so much =P.
Now that we have reached that momentous one year mark, it doesn’t mean that we will be stopping Daily Reaction, but it does make us realize just how much ground we have covered and that, as a feature, it will have to come to a close at some point. So, while I cannot say when the doors will close and the lights will go off for our involvement with DR, I can say that it has been an amazing ride and that I look forward to every day we have left – even if I have to spend it with Seb.
One last thing, I have been getting a few emails about people asking about some of my art. I would share some of my other works that have gone into print, but I do not have the rights to them anymore. So instead I decided to just draw something randomly so I could have something to show. If you would like to see me add a drawing I do for fun to future DRs, let me know, as I might have a few more in the works. I hope you guys like it.
Head on over to page 2 for the original conversation between us that led to the creation of Daily Reaction, page 3 for a giveaway, and page 4 for what you’re really here for.
