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Randy Sluganski: An Appreciation

Randy Sluganski: An Appreciation

Randy Sluganski: An Appreciation

A good friend pays tribute to a staunch supporter and great advocate of the adventure game genre/community and a wonderful human being

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I knew Randy Sluganski by reputation long before I knew him personally. I was a reviewer at another website in 1999. At this point Randy had already developed a vivid public profile as this wild man who was making lots of noise at a site called http://dev.justadventure.com.Of course I was familiar with the site, even then.

After a bit, Randy decided that I was really supposed to be writing for HIS website, and began bugging me about it. It took a year for me to say yes, but I never regretted it.

One of the qualities I admire most in other people is enthusiasm. I respond to people who REALLY like and REALLY dislike things. I’m the same way.

And as everyone who’s frequented JustAdventure for any length of time knows, Randy’s spectacular, unrelenting, ferocious enthusiasm for the Adventure Game Genre lit up the entire gaming world.

Randy tirelessly promoted the genre, reviewing games, crafting strategy guides, writing opinion articles and doing all manner of other activities to get the word out about games. He also cajoled, worked with, bullied, mentored, poked, bothered, persuaded, charmed, and any manner of other verbs to help connect publishers with gamers, to help foreign games get localized, to help game developers realize their dreams, and any number of other activities which boosted the genre. He connected people; he motivated people; he inspired people.

It is simply impossible to imagine where the adventure game genre would be without his presence.

I’ll miss prowling the vast halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center at E3 with Randy. I’ll miss discussing games, movies, and books with him. Hell, I’ll even miss fighting with him.

My favorite Randy anecdote involves an incident when he wasn’t even present. I was attempting to check into E3 and it turned out that my credential was completely borked, for some reason. I wasn’t going to get into the show. I mentioned Randy’s name. One of the registration supervisors overheard and walked over. “He’s here for Randy? Let him in,” he said flatly.

Randy’s professional legacy leaves an indelible mark upon the industry. He leaves behind a loving family. He also leaves a large, rowdy, Randy-shaped hole in my heart. Maybe in yours, too. He is not replaceable.

Ray Ivey

Ray Ivey

A gaming freakazoid, Ray enjoys games on all platforms. Also loves board games, mind games, and all puzzles. Co-wrote the Entertainment Tonight trivia game and designed puzzles for two Law & Order PC games. Also a movie freak, bookworm, and travel bug. Thinks games of all kinds are a highly underappreciated force for social good, not to mention mental and psychological health.   Ray's favorite adventures include the "Broken Sword" and "Journeyman Project" franchises, "The Dark Eye," "The Feeble Files," "Sanitarium," "Limbo," "Machinarium," "Riven," "The Neverhood," and "Azrael's Tear." His favorite non-adventures include the "Thief," "Uncharted," and "Ratchet & Clank" franchises, all of the Bioware RPGs, Skyrim, and Final Fantasy XII.   Ray writes about the movies for the Bryan/College Station Daily Eagle, which is the old-fashioned thing called a "newspaper." He's been on eight game shows. He's taught in seven countries and has visited twenty-one. His favorite classic movie star is Barbara Stanwyck and his favorite novel is "The Hotel New Hampshire" by John Irving.

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