Gamer Podcasts

PaladinTom wrote:

I haven't listed for a bit. Is it something they do every episode?

I've started three and they have done it after every one. (The three most recent). That makes me think that it may be in inside joke I'm missing, and I am projecting an unfortunate overtone that is not meant or not there.

Wait... Gary Witta does stuff?

UpToIsomorphism wrote:
PaladinTom wrote:

I haven't listed for a bit. Is it something they do every episode?

I've started three and they have done it after every one. (The three most recent). That makes me think that it may be in inside joke I'm missing, and I am projecting an unfortunate overtone that is not meant or not there.

Wait... Gary Witta does stuff?

Yup. He does Kinda Funny Daily on Tuesdays. He used to do Wednesday so they still call his show on Tuesday “Whitta Wednesday.”

Edit: I forgot, he also does the Kinda Funny Xcast which is a once a week longer show.

The Pocket Gamer Podcast: two Brits talking mostly mobile games although there are some crossover news topics on occasion. Episodes are short and breezy and professionally done.

Left Behind Game Club: somehow much more listenable than Cane and Rinse, perhaps because they keep it to 2 or 3 hosts and episodes don’t drag for an eternity.

SNTR Presents: a one man “call in” news variety show. The host Lono holds it down pretty well. Found out he is a former esports shoutcaster and Destiny fanatic.

Deconstructor of Fun: if you’re more interested in the pure business side of the hobby, particularly when it comes to live service and mobile.

Because Video Games: two best pals talk about their favourite things. They do the Gameranx YouTube channel and those “Before You Buy...” videos.

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

I've started three and they have done it after every one. (The three most recent). That makes me think that it may be in inside joke I'm missing, and I am projecting an unfortunate overtone that is not meant or not there.

If you go back a bit further you'll pick up that whoever andrea calls on first does a 'silly' greeting and the other has to try and mimic them. Definitely agree that their most recent ones could be seen as a poor and racist impression but I'm fairly certain that's not the intent.

Lately I’ve been listening to How did this get played?. It’s a spin off of the great movie podcast, how did this get made. Most episodes center around one weird or bad game.

I like RebelFM, 8-4 Play and Player 2 Pixelcast (Australian).

I tried Triple Click earlier this year and didn't like it. I'm also listening to really old Waypoint episodes.

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

To those who listen to What’s Good Games, what’s up with the hellos at the beginning?

It sounds like you’re making fun of an Asian stereotype, but they can’t be that, can they?

I really want to like this show, because I want to support three women talking about video games. But I just can’t get past that introduction, unless someone can tell me that it’s really not what it sounds like.

As far as I know (been listening for at least a year) they started doing silly voice hellos and they are a bit stuck on this one. I don't think it's supposed to be making fun of anyone.

charlemagne wrote:
UpToIsomorphism wrote:

To those who listen to What’s Good Games, what’s up with the hellos at the beginning?

It sounds like you’re making fun of an Asian stereotype, but they can’t be that, can they?

I really want to like this show, because I want to support three women talking about video games. But I just can’t get past that introduction, unless someone can tell me that it’s really not what it sounds like.

As far as I know (been listening for at least a year) they started doing silly voice hellos and they are a bit stuck on this one. I don't think it's supposed to be making fun of anyone.

I recently listened to an episode for the first time and had the exact same reaction.

I listened to another one and this time it seemed like they were doing a bad Russian accent.

I do find it a bit offputting. But it does seem unclear if they're doing specific accents. Although IMO being unintentionally racist isn't a free pass, I'm just undecided on if that's what's happening here. They'd do well to drop it entirely, I think.

I must have skipped to some old page on this thread or hallucinated it because I can't find it now, but I thought someone asked for a game development podcast.

There is one here called Dev Diary. A lot of Aus guests and a lot of big name ones too.

https://www.player2.net.au/tag/dev-d...

Still listening to GWJ, 3MA, RebelFM and 5/5 DLC. Going to try out some of the others you all posted.

IUMogg wrote:

Lately I’ve been listening to How did this get played?. It’s a spin off of the great movie podcast, how did this get made. Most episodes center around one weird or bad game.

I like that one a lot. The forced laughter at not-funny things can get a bit much. But overall I like it. But I also have listened to Nick on his other podcast Doughboys for years, so I was primed to like it.

For tabletop RPG stuff, my favorite podcasts about the hobby are +1 Forward and Hacked in the Dark. Both are interview shows that talk to writers/designers of indie rpgs using the Apocalypse World and Blades in the Dark engines, respectively. They usually feature topics in the main segment that are applicable to any TTRPG, then a discussion of a specific game or two with that game's creator.
+1 Forward always has a few minutes of actual play in whatever game they are talking about.

The only actual play podcast I regularly listen to is Spout Lore, a hilarious and fun Dungeon World game.

Surprising absolutely no one, I've been listening to the Mass Effect lorecast.
It's enjoyable! The hosts made a good effort research-wise and it flows pretty well.

Garth wrote:
IUMogg wrote:

Lately I’ve been listening to How did this get played?. It’s a spin off of the great movie podcast, how did this get made. Most episodes center around one weird or bad game.

I like that one a lot. The forced laughter at not-funny things can get a bit much. But overall I like it. But I also have listened to Nick on his other podcast Doughboys for years, so I was primed to like it.

The podcast can have the vibe of a morning radio drive time show. But I think in general it’s usually really funny

IUMogg wrote:

The podcast can have the vibe of a morning radio drive time show. But I think in general it’s usually really funny

"Those clowns at EA have done it again. What a bunch of clowns."

IUMogg wrote:
Garth wrote:
IUMogg wrote:

Lately I’ve been listening to How did this get played?. It’s a spin off of the great movie podcast, how did this get made. Most episodes center around one weird or bad game.

I like that one a lot. The forced laughter at not-funny things can get a bit much. But overall I like it. But I also have listened to Nick on his other podcast Doughboys for years, so I was primed to like it.

The podcast can have the vibe of a morning radio drive time show. But I think in general it’s usually really funny

I think it is very funny. It just strikes me that when a guest says something not funny in the least, they laugh harder. But them's the rules. You can't just sit in silence when a guest says a clunker.

Regardless, I totally dig it. I actually like listening to the stuff like they more than the stuff they don't. When they slam stuff, that can get a bit old. Hearing them excited and talking about stuff they really enjoy is infectious. I've really loved the focus on music as well. They will play tracks (most recently from Mario games) and it is just a delight.

I’ve been trialling a few different podcasts recently but nothing is meeting my nitpicky needs. Can anyone hit me with a recommendations that fit into this annoyingly specific list?

  • Weekly or fortnightly (twice a week or more is too frequent for me to keep up with, once a month not frequent enough)
  • Not crazy long - seems like 2-3 hour long podcasts are pretty common now? Eesh. 60-90 min tops please.
  • A mix of console, PC and handheld games but with a console bias, as that’s where I do most of my gaming.
  • Discussion of new games but with occasional deep dives or retrospectives.
  • A mix of genres and publishers - not all mainstream, not all indie. Probably a mild mainstream bias.
  • Not too much industry/games journalism inside baseball. A little is fine.
  • Not too much totally impenetrable inside jokes and/or bro humour - I don’t really want to have to listen to 200+ episodes to be able to decipher a 20 minute digression.

My sampling method so far is just to listen to the first X minutes of the latest episode of any podcast I find on some internet list, where X is how long it takes for me to get bored or antsy. Most I’ve tried so far fail on some or all of the above.

Anyone else got the same sort of generalist gaming podcast yearnings as me?

Happy Dave wrote:

I’ve been trialling a few different podcasts recently but nothing is meeting my nitpicky needs. Can anyone hit me with a recommendations that fit into this annoyingly specific list?

  • Weekly or fortnightly (twice a week or more is too frequent for me to keep up with, once a month not frequent enough)
  • Not crazy long - seems like 2-3 hour long podcasts are pretty common now? Eesh. 60-90 min tops please.
  • A mix of console, PC and handheld games but with a console bias, as that’s where I do most of my gaming.
  • Discussion of new games but with occasional deep dives or retrospectives.
  • A mix of genres and publishers - not all mainstream, not all indie. Probably a mild mainstream bias.
  • Not too much industry/games journalism inside baseball. A little is fine.
  • Not too much totally impenetrable inside jokes and/or bro humour - I don’t really want to have to listen to 200+ episodes to be able to decipher a 20 minute digression.

My sampling method so far is just to listen to the first X minutes of the latest episode of any podcast I find on some internet list, where X is how long it takes for me to get bored or antsy. Most I’ve tried so far fail on some or all of the above.

Anyone else got the same sort of generalist gaming podcast yearnings as me?

That sounds like great criteria for your own podcast.

Happy Dave wrote:

I’ve been trialling a few different podcasts recently but nothing is meeting my nitpicky needs. Can anyone hit me with a recommendations that fit into this annoyingly specific list?

  • Weekly or fortnightly (twice a week or more is too frequent for me to keep up with, once a month not frequent enough)
  • Not crazy long - seems like 2-3 hour long podcasts are pretty common now? Eesh. 60-90 min tops please.
  • A mix of console, PC and handheld games but with a console bias, as that’s where I do most of my gaming.
  • Discussion of new games but with occasional deep dives or retrospectives.
  • A mix of genres and publishers - not all mainstream, not all indie. Probably a mild mainstream bias.
  • Not too much industry/games journalism inside baseball. A little is fine.
  • Not too much totally impenetrable inside jokes and/or bro humour - I don’t really want to have to listen to 200+ episodes to be able to decipher a 20 minute digression.

My sampling method so far is just to listen to the first X minutes of the latest episode of any podcast I find on some internet list, where X is how long it takes for me to get bored or antsy. Most I’ve tried so far fail on some or all of the above.

Anyone else got the same sort of generalist gaming podcast yearnings as me?

I feel like The Game Informer Show fits the above criteria. They try to keep things pretty mainstream and professional, but still have little jokes and doo dads. Never any long tangents. 60-90 minutes. Both indies and AAA, PC and console. Mostly emphasis on news and reviews but occasionally has interviews and deep dives. I feel like its the perfect level of investment for someone who doesn't want to invest too much.

Another possible venue would be MinnMax since it is headed up by Ben Hanson who used to do the above podcast. I have less familiarity with it though.

Veloxi wrote:

That sounds like great criteria for your own podcast. ;)

Good Lord no, I already have a paid job (designing things) and an unpaid one (writing novels). I know enough people who have tried podcasting and given it up to know it’s a thankless grind until you’re in triple figure episodes.

jamos5 wrote:

I feel like The Game Informer Show fits the above criteria. They try to keep things pretty mainstream and professional, but still have little jokes and doo dads. Never any long tangents. 60-90 minutes. Both indies and AAA, PC and console. Mostly emphasis on news and reviews but occasionally has interviews and deep dives. I feel like its the perfect level of investment for someone who doesn't want to invest too much.

Another possible venue would be MinnMax since it is headed up by Ben Hanson who used to do the above podcast. I have less familiarity with it though.

Nice, I will try both of those.

Happy Dave wrote:

Good Lord no, I already have a paid job (designing things) and an unpaid one (writing novels). I know enough people who have tried podcasting and given it up to know it’s a thankless grind until you’re in triple figure episodes.

I'm in the 120ish range in my (non-gaming) podcast. When does it stop being a thankless grind?

Yikes, I’m subbed to 180! I haven’t listened to a bunch in ages though. I should prune my feeds.

Happy Dave wrote:

I’ve been trialling a few different podcasts recently but nothing is meeting my nitpicky needs. Can anyone hit me with a recommendations that fit into this annoyingly specific list?

  • Weekly or fortnightly (twice a week or more is too frequent for me to keep up with, once a month not frequent enough)
  • Not crazy long - seems like 2-3 hour long podcasts are pretty common now? Eesh. 60-90 min tops please.
  • A mix of console, PC and handheld games but with a console bias, as that’s where I do most of my gaming.
  • Discussion of new games but with occasional deep dives or retrospectives.
  • A mix of genres and publishers - not all mainstream, not all indie. Probably a mild mainstream bias.
  • Not too much industry/games journalism inside baseball. A little is fine.
  • Not too much totally impenetrable inside jokes and/or bro humour - I don’t really want to have to listen to 200+ episodes to be able to decipher a 20 minute digression.

My sampling method so far is just to listen to the first X minutes of the latest episode of any podcast I find on some internet list, where X is how long it takes for me to get bored or antsy. Most I’ve tried so far fail on some or all of the above.

Anyone else got the same sort of generalist gaming podcast yearnings as me?

What about DLC with Jeff Cannata and Christian Spicer? Other than the retrospectives, I think it meets all your requirements. Also, it's an awesome podcast.

I second the DLC recommendation, I think it largely fits those criteria. They get a really nice variety of guests that bring in all sorts of new perspectives as well, so sometimes you'll get a nice deep dive into a game or genre the main hosts would normally not cover.

jamos5 wrote:
Happy Dave wrote:

I’ve been trialling a few different podcasts recently but nothing is meeting my nitpicky needs. Can anyone hit me with a recommendations that fit into this annoyingly specific list?

  • Weekly or fortnightly (twice a week or more is too frequent for me to keep up with, once a month not frequent enough)
  • Not crazy long - seems like 2-3 hour long podcasts are pretty common now? Eesh. 60-90 min tops please.
  • A mix of console, PC and handheld games but with a console bias, as that’s where I do most of my gaming.
  • Discussion of new games but with occasional deep dives or retrospectives.
  • A mix of genres and publishers - not all mainstream, not all indie. Probably a mild mainstream bias.
  • Not too much industry/games journalism inside baseball. A little is fine.
  • Not too much totally impenetrable inside jokes and/or bro humour - I don’t really want to have to listen to 200+ episodes to be able to decipher a 20 minute digression.

My sampling method so far is just to listen to the first X minutes of the latest episode of any podcast I find on some internet list, where X is how long it takes for me to get bored or antsy. Most I’ve tried so far fail on some or all of the above.

Anyone else got the same sort of generalist gaming podcast yearnings as me?

I feel like The Game Informer Show fits the above criteria. They try to keep things pretty mainstream and professional, but still have little jokes and doo dads. Never any long tangents. 60-90 minutes. Both indies and AAA, PC and console. Mostly emphasis on news and reviews but occasionally has interviews and deep dives. I feel like its the perfect level of investment for someone who doesn't want to invest too much.

Another possible venue would be MinnMax since it is headed up by Ben Hanson who used to do the above podcast. I have less familiarity with it though.

I'll second Minnmax, Ben Hanson imo is the best gaming podcast host in the business. Positive, energetic, very knowledgeable & gets great discussions going. He's also ridiculously good at interviewing people in the gaming industry.

The Minnmax show is probably a bit longer than 90 mins though, it's pushing 2 hours each week but well worth it.

Happy Dave wrote:

I’ve been trialling a few different podcasts recently but nothing is meeting my nitpicky needs. Can anyone hit me with a recommendations that fit into this annoyingly specific list?

  • Weekly or fortnightly (twice a week or more is too frequent for me to keep up with, once a month not frequent enough)
  • Not crazy long - seems like 2-3 hour long podcasts are pretty common now? Eesh. 60-90 min tops please.
  • A mix of console, PC and handheld games but with a console bias, as that’s where I do most of my gaming.
  • Discussion of new games but with occasional deep dives or retrospectives.
  • A mix of genres and publishers - not all mainstream, not all indie. Probably a mild mainstream bias.
  • Not too much industry/games journalism inside baseball. A little is fine.
  • Not too much totally impenetrable inside jokes and/or bro humour - I don’t really want to have to listen to 200+ episodes to be able to decipher a 20 minute digression.

My sampling method so far is just to listen to the first X minutes of the latest episode of any podcast I find on some internet list, where X is how long it takes for me to get bored or antsy. Most I’ve tried so far fail on some or all of the above.

Anyone else got the same sort of generalist gaming podcast yearnings as me?

Definitey co-sign on many of your criteria. Beyond about an hour, a show really starts to lose me. And I definitely can't keep up with a show that runs more than weekly.

I'd strongly recommend Triple Click. It meets most of the criteria on your list. Weekly? Check. Roughly 60 minutes per episode? Check. Mostly console gaming? Check. Often talking about new / mainstream games, but with some older games and indies? Check. Absence of bro humor? Check.

I'd say the only area where this might fall down is industry / games journalism commentary, depending on your tolerance for that stuff. The hosts are Jason Schreier, Maddy Myers, and Kirk Hamilton. They're all formerly of Kotaku, though Hamilton's no longer in the industry apart from this podcast. Schreier currently works for Bloomberg and just published his second book; Myers is Senior Games Editor at Polygon. But I think they keep the industry stuff to a respectable level. Schreier's journalism focuses on the working conditions of labor in game creation, so things like crunch and abuse of employees is going to get discussed. But games are the main focus.

The general structure of the podcast is to focus on one main topic area and then "one more thing," where each host talks about one thing that's on their mind this week. The main topic area can be a game (Mass Effect Legendary!) an event (E3!), a retrospective on a series (What's the deal with: the Legend of Zelda?), etc. "One more thing" might be about something in the news, but it might also be about the sweet new show they're watching on Netflix or a book they're obsessed with. I generally find them all to be approachable and engaging hosts, and they've got that level of friendship that makes clear they enjoy getting together and talking games.

Can second/third the MinnMax recommendations.

charlemagne wrote:

Can second/third the MinnMax recommendations.

Same. Always enjoyable.

Thanks for the recommendations everyone, I will give all of these a shot. Sort of hoping there’s a clear winner, because I probably don’t need four or five new gaming podcasts, just one or two!

Late to this, but I will second the recommendation for Triple Click, which I have already mentioned further up-thread. I'm fussy about my podcasts, and I've rejected many gaming podcasts for various reasons (episodes are too long... too much focus on what's in the headlines... one or more of the hosts is a hot-take jackass who keeps interrupting everyone else, etc...). GWJ and Triple Click are the only two I've been able to stick with.

I will also be trying out some of the titles others have been recommending here, though.