Monday, August 10, 2009

Top Five: Podcasts

  • A Life Well Wasted - Robert Ashley's labor of love is unique in the gaming podcast community. Deliberately drawing inspiration from shows like This American Life, Ashley eschews the standard game news chatter for an in-depth view of gaming culture. Only three episodes have been released so far, but each one has been worth the wait.

  • Downloadable Content - While I would only suggest this podcast for fans of Penny Arcade, it is a fascinating glimpse into the creative process behind the webcomic. Their schedule is erratic, somewhere near "whenever we feel like it." But I love hearing how they sift through the news to find their comic for the day.

  • Gamers With Jobs Conference Call - There are a lot of podcasts that follow the group-of-guys-chatting-about-what-they-are-playing format. A lot. Standing head and shoulders over them all is the Gamers With Jobs Conference Call. It is the one gaming podcast that doesn't aim for the lowest common denominator. They discuss their topics intelligently, argue with passion without insulting one another, and entertain at the same time. I don't want to scare anyone off, because the GWJCC is genuinely funny. But you'll be laughing because they are having a good time, not because they said a naughty word.

  • Shut Up. We're Talking. - Of all the podcasts on this list, SUWT is podcast the most matches my interests. The best and most interesting discussions in gaming are taking place about MMORPGs now. That's why I spend so much time reading and blogging about it. And that's why I listen to Darren and Karen and their various guests. If you are at all interested in MMOs and MMO blogging, SUWT is the best podcast for you.

    It doesn't hurt that they invited me on for an episode. Squee!

  • The Instance - If a World of Warcraft fan asked me about a podcast to listen to, I would point them to The Instance. Scott Johnson and his co-host Randy Jordan are well practiced at this point. With over 150 episodes in the can, this is the cast I think any WoW player would be interested in.


© 2009 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.

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