Gaming podcasts
I go through phases with auditioning new podcasts, sometimes subscribing to a bunch of tech shows, or music shows, or comedy shows. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts about video games. Here are five of my current favorites:
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Branching Narratives is a new interview show hosted by Jeff Green. I’ve really enjoyed the first three episodes, in particular the ones with Austin Walker and Samantha Kallman. They’re currently only planning seven episodes, but I’m hoping they’ll do more if the reception is positive.
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Each episode of getObject discusses how some specific thing—keys, maps, spaceships, swords—is used in games. It’s a great conceit that allows hosts Rosie and Paul to find their way to surprisingly wide-ranging topics while still having something with which to ground the discussion.
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Game Studies Study Buddies is about the field of game studies, hosted by Cameron Kunzelman and Michael Lutz. Each episode is a deep dive on some important text—often very deep. The episodes can be long and the jargon can be dense, but the content is absolutely worth it.
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Triple Click is a reimagining of the podcast Kotaku Splitscreen by its former hosts Kirk Hamilton, Maddy Myers and Jason Schreier. While it still tends towards freewheeling discussions, it has a new briskness and clarity of purpose that keeps it short and snappy—almost like an anti-Giant Bombcast.
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Waypoint Radio, hosted by the site staff plus Vice guests like Gita Jackson from Motherboard, remains my gold standard for video game podcasts. In addition to the insightful discussions about games themselves, there’s no one better at covering sociopolitical issues in the games industry.