“I’m at a point where I rarely second guess what I think about a game upon finishing it,” Gerstmann told me. He said he’s long gotten over the doubt that could set in “when you are facing the raging fury of the Internet.” He used to get death threats about some of his scores. “Now that stuff just rolls off. It’s the ranting of insane people, which you could say about a lot of internet stuff.”

I’ve always thought that some people take personal offense to reviews. They are just opinions. Everyone’s got one.

The Art of Not Second Guessing [Multiplayer]

Internal communication informing employees of the cut were forwarded to Kotaku last night, indicating that a “new management structure means that Josh Larson’s position as VP, Games is being eliminated and Josh will be leaving the company.” CNET announced last week that it would cut 10 percent of its work force, about 120 employees. We contacted GameSpot Editor in Chief Ricardo Torres to verify the news this morning.

Torres confirmed that Larson’s last day would be April 9, but declined to comment much further on the restructuring, citing the “internal” nature of the news.

It was clear that, at the time, Larson’s capabilities as editorial lead weren’t well regarded by some of the GameSpot staff. The anonymous “gamespot” commented at sister site Valleywag that Larson was “a suit [...] who had no editorial experience and was only involved on the business side of things.” The anonymous commenter lamented that the presence of the sales team had become much more visible under Larson’s watch, with other contributors going on and off record with less than favourable comments of CNET management.

In the months that followed Gerstmann’s dismissal, GameSpot lost a sizable portion of its editorial staff, with reviewers Alex Navarro, Frank Provo, Ryan Davis, Brad Shoemaker and Jason Ocampo leaving for other, sometimes unspecified opportunities. Torres told us that GameSpot continues to bring on new editorial talent and plans to continue its coverage “with the same breadth and depth we have in our previous 11 years.”

“GameSpot’s gone through quite a few bumps in the road over the years. I know Jeff’s fans are upset and I know people are upset over the perception and how it all played out. Really, the best thing that we can do is to just show them that we’re good at what we do. Ultimately content is going to prove to people that we’re untainted, uncorrupt and committed to serving our readers.”

I cannot imagine the pressure the poor guy must be under, what with company morale definitely at a low point and the awesome amount of scrutiny everything GameSpot does is currently under. On top of all of that, Torres still has to find time to write…which is arguably the first passion of any member of the gaming press. If you took away video games from me, I would still write about anything I could get my hands on – movies, my cats, milk…whatever. Take away writing and I’d just about go insane, possibly driving to Colorado to set up camp outside a certain bird-shirt wearing fellow’s house. Just saying.

I’m going to try to balance it out. I’m going to try and still do some writing. I’m in this business because I like games, and I’d be really sad if I wound up taking a position where I couldn’t play them. The chef wants to sit down every once in a while and try recent cooking, so this is my hope.

I truly wish him the best of luck with that. Hit up the link below for the full interview, which offers up some interesting insight into what it means to be in charge of a massive gaming site like GameSpot.

Media Coverage: Meet the Games Press: Ricardo Torres [GameDaily]

Torres, who spoke to us recently about the departure of longtime reviewer Alex Navarro, said of the new responsibilities via press release “I’m eager to continue the site’s tradition of excellence and I’m confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered.” Torres recently set editorial standards for wearing cornrows, pictures of which we desperately wish we had in our possession.

We wish Torres the best in his future endeavors at GameSpot. Full statement from CNet after the break.

GameSpot Names Ricardo Torres Editor-in-Chief

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 28, 2008–GameSpot (www.gamespot.com), a leading video game Web site and a property of CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), today announced it has named Ricardo Torres editor-in-chief. Torres, who has been a key member of GameSpot’s editorial team since 2001, brings a decade of editorial experience to the position and an in-depth knowledge of the gaming industry. As editor-in-chief, Torres will oversee GameSpot’s award-winning editorial staff in their coverage of the latest games and breaking news.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to help further GameSpot’s position at the forefront of the industry,” said Torres. “I’m eager to continue the site’s tradition of excellence and I’m confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered.”

Previously, Torres was editorial director of GameSpot. In this position, he secured exclusive previews of some of the most highly-anticipated games in the industry, wrote hundreds of reviews and previews for the site, and managed event coverage in the US and abroad. During his time at GameSpot, he has pioneered new content forms, including reviving the popular “Behind the Games” series as a platform to examine different aspects of the game development and the games industry. He was also instrumental in bringing the GameSpot audience groundbreaking live coverage of the PlayStation 3 and Wii launches on the East and West Coasts. In addition, Torres has helped shape the site’s exclusive coverage of the industry’s most significant events, including the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, and international events such as Tokyo Game Show in Japan, the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany, and Microsoft’s European events for the Xbox 360.

“Ricardo has been a key member of the editorial team for years,” said Greg Brannan, vice president of content, CNET Networks’ entertainment and lifestyle division. “I’m extremely confident in his ability to maintain GameSpot’s tradition of excellence in being the most reputable and outstanding game content site on the web.”

“Ricardo was one the hardest-working, most dedicated people I knew during my 10 years with GameSpot, and he always had a real vision for how the brand could keep growing to best serve game players around the world,” said Greg Kasavin, former editor-in-chief of GameSpot. “As a former colleague and a fan, I’m excited to see how GameSpot will evolve under his direction.”

Prior to his time at GameSpot, Torres oversaw the videogame coverage at CNET Networks’ proprietary game site GameCenter and worked in quality assurance at Rocket Science Games, a San Francisco-based developer.

About GameSpot

GameSpot’s (www.gamespot.com) expert editorial team provides more than a million daily visitors with comprehensive, engaging, and unbiased game information for console, PC, and portable platforms. The site’s award-winning coverage includes previews and reviews on the hottest titles, breaking news, live Web casts, online tournaments, game downloads, videos, guides, hints, and more. GameSpot also has one of the most active online gaming communities. The GameSpot family also includes GameFAQs, Game Rankings, SportsGamer, and GameSpot Trax, the industry’s premier real-time market intelligence tool.

About CNET Networks

CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNET – www.cnetnetworks.com) is an interactive media company that builds brands for people and the things they are passionate about, such as gaming, music, entertainment, technology, business, food, and parenting. The Company’s leading brands include CNET, GameSpot, TV.com, MP3.com, CHOW, UrbanBaby, ZDNet, BNET, and TechRepublic. Founded in 1992, CNET Networks has a strong presence in the US, Asia, and Europe.

We haven’t been in touch with Navarro yet to learn more about his decision to leave GameSpot or if the termination of Jeff Gerstmann played a role in his departure. Navarro has made appearances on Jeff Gerstmann’s personal blog and Points! webcast over the past month, so it’s possible the two may work together in some capacity in the future.

Following Gerstmann’s removal and the decision of reviews freelancer Frank Provo to end his relationship with Gamespot, the review stable at the site appears to be woefully understaffed. When I asked Torres about the holes in the reviewer line up, he told me “We’re going to be realistic about our output” and that the outlet would be looking to fill open positions as quickly as possible.

Asked about the general mood of the remaining editorial staffers at GameSpot, Torres said that “We know we lost fans, but we’re still getting e-mails of support from folks who say ‘We still love the site and won’t give up on it’.” He reiterated multiple times that GameSpot is trying to “move forward”, stressing “We owe it to the site and our readers who support it.”