I think I’m addicted to podcasts. Every evening, as I cook dinner, I have my Sansa MP3 player piping voices into my head. Podcasts are so ingrained into my routine that I am reluctant to even boil water if my RSS feeds come up empty. Gaming podcasts in particular are just as important to my daily industry coverage as Kotaku or Destructoid. To top it off, the hosts’ lively banter offer an entertaining way to get news and game impressions. Here are some of my favorites cherry-picked from my RSS feeds.
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Listen UP
The typical podcast will offer “Now Playing”, “News”, and “Email Question”, but Listen Up does it the best. Garnett and crew offer intelligent, insightful discussions about industry news and games. Their industry clout manages to attract journalists like Adam Sessler and the Giant Bomb crew.
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This Week in Tech
Us gamers can be an insular bunch. As much as I have looked into the industry, I sometimes forget there’s a whole world looking at video games from a completely different perspective. This Week in Tech will occasionally talk about video games from a mass market perspective. More important, however, are their conversations about the power of ubiquitous social networks and devices. TWiT convinced me the XBox LIVE’s and PSP’s pale in comparison to what’s possible with social networking sites and the various smart-phones. Did you know Iranians were using Twitter to spread news of violence at post election rallies? We may have scoffed at Felecia Day’s Twitter and Facebook presentation but this announcement could prove to be very important.
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Co-op
The future of 1up.com’s podcast division looked bleak when Ziff Davis Media was absorbed by UGO a few months back. The guys behind The 1up Show were among the mass layoffs needed to keep 1up.com afloat. Who would’ve known that just a few weeks later the exiled staff would regroup and form Area 5 Media. The 1up Show combined HD game footage with free flowing conversations to create the most informative reviews and previews on the web. Area 5′s Co-op continues that legacy. A recent episode features a handful of iPhone games. Ryan, Matt, and Jay’s impressions along with video of each game provide insight that’s hard to achieve in print.
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Bombcast
Every Tuesday I keep an eye on the Giant Bomb feed. I just can’t quit Bombcast’s unique brand of sarcasm and drink taste testing. Where else can I learn that you shouldn’t consume an anti-energy drink to start a podcast and that Infamous‘ primary selling point are Electric Missiles?
Giant Bomb’s final E3 2009 podcast in particular provided a probing look into show floor happenings. The tired Bombcast crew welcomed EA’s booth MC. Like breakfast with friends after a long night of partying, he delved candidly into long anecdotes about Tim Schafer’s handler, train wreck contests, Activision sabotage, and more. If you listen to one E3 podcast, listen to this one.
