Over the years, podcasts come and go. You find your niche and stick with it. Though every so often you get jolted back from your comfortable existence when you are informed of a special podcast that captivates and entertains you. Alas, why had you not know about this before!?!?!
Below is a collection of podcasts that have interested me and a brief reason why I enjoy it. Hopefully this will be helpful to you, and who knows, perhaps you can be surprised by one you didn’t know existed.
Buzz Out Loud – I have listened to this CNet podcast almost daily for a couple years. I find this to be a great all around type tech news feed for me so I can catch up with my news while I drive kids around or sit at my desk. Great opinions and angles on many stories are presented here.
The 404 – This podcast originally started by hijacking the BOL feed above for a day. It’s three guys that do all they can to make humor of almost every situation. Though it’s rooted in tech news, it also touches a lot on culture and current memes. I’ve listened to this every weekday since day one.
Gamers With Jobs – With the fall of EGM as a publishing giant, the various podcasts that used to come from there (EGM, GFW, etc) either died off or diluted down to a state where I wasn’t enjoying them anymore. Gamers With Jobs (GWJ) takes over from where the priors left off. Every week they put in-depth focus into a specific topic and also handle the weekly news and what they’ve been playing. This podcast is a great listen every time and there is a lot of thought put into the primary subject of the week.
The Nerdist – This podcast I only happened upon by chance, after reading a Twitter post from Wil Wheaton saying anyone would be stupid if they weren’t listening to it. So being the geek sheep (gkeep?) that I am, I subscribed. It has been a very entertaining time so far with the 10 or so episodes that I have listened to. Every week is a new guest to interview and I have learned a great amount about certain aspects of the entertainment industry. I have also laughed a lot. Warning, this podcast is very naughty in the mouth, you have been warned.
Joystiq podcast – This crew is really hit and miss for me. I do enjoy listening to them talk about games, but I feel like a lot of the time the “Um’s” and inside jokes tend to wear on me. The humor can also come off as very dryThey don’t feel terribly organized, but do provide insight into the bowels of the gaming industry, and that I like. It is released on a weekly basis.
Radio Free Burrito – Wil Wheaton’s podcast of random release delivery. He goes about interviewing people and also talking about his life of growing up in geekdom. I would only recommend it for the hardest geekery. It entertains me, but is only released whenever Wil has time, which varies based on how much pay work he has.
Major Nelson’s Xbox Live podcast – This is my big sellout podcast. Yes, I do enjoy my Xbox immensely, but I take all the fanboyism with a grain of salt with this podcast. One thing they do have going for them is the ability to hook in fairly high caliber guests for interviews, thus educating me about many behind the scenes activities of game companies and Xbox. Release is once a week, which feels about right.
NPR: Car Talk – This is a straight feed from the prior weekend’s NPR broadcast of the loveable Click and Clack brothers. Beyond being a computer/game geek, I am also a car geek and I love trying to figure out what the issue with the car is before it is stated on air. It is also kid friendly, unlike many of my podcasts.
preGame – This video podcast is a new spinoff from the 404 by Cnet where Jeff and the gang take a pre-look into upcoming games that are about to be released. I often don’t get around to watching it in a timely manner and it fills up my poor little Nano, but it is fun to see full play action of games played in studio before they are going to be released.
A Life Well Wasted – After leaving the crumbling EGM, Robery Ashley started up this internet radio show. I wouldn’t call it a podcast, it really is a show. With high production values, blending in of his own music and really interesting subject matter this show is a real treat in a world of cheaply slapped up podcasts. The only downside is it takes him months to get all the material together, but they are well worth waiting for.
So there you have it. This is my little universe of podcast listening and I’m fairly rooted in it. In the past, I have listened to: 1UP Yours, GFW, Coffee Break Spanish, Kotaku, Engadget, 4 guys 1UP, and a few others I can’t recall right now. Let me know if you have a favorite podcast you think I might like!
–ben
P.S. – I have toyed around with the idea of working on a podcast for years. You might say it has been a bit of a fantasy of mine. Anyone have a lead? Given the nature of the beast, of course it isn’t for money, it is for the experience.
Picked up your site via live search the other day and absolutely enjoy it. Carry on this fantastic work.