Podcasts

What do you think of when you hear the word, ‘Podcast’? I used to think of boring discussions around boring topics which quite frankly, bored me. I was unaware of comedic / casual types of podcasts, where you’re literally listening in on a humorous conversation. But the podcasts I listen to are just that, and I love ’em.

They’re mostly based around Youtubers, to be honest. My first ever podcast was the Rooster Teeth Podcast, one which is always a joy to listen to weekly on binge catch-up on. This podcast has been running for many years now, so it’s interesting sometimes to go back in time and listen to what is, at this point, a discussion from a culturally different point of view, before the complete domination of smartphones and touch technology. Don’t expect much in the way of intellectual discussion here (or really in any of the podcasts I listen to). Just good old fashioned natterings about the world in general. The typical cast is Gus, Gavin, Barbara and Burnie, but they’ll rotate people out with other staff on a regular basis.

Eventually, Rooster Teeth branched out with their podcasts, and have since formed most notably The Patch (focused specifically on gaming) and Off Topic (an even more dysfunctional podcast than the RT Podcast, made by a section of their company called Achievement Hunter.) I listen to both at a less regular pace than their main podcast, typically favouring The Patch over Off Topic, which has been known to stray into territories such as spending half an hour poking the guy who doesn’t watch movies with, “SO YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THIS MOVIE?!” (As somebody who does not watch many movies themselves, this actually irritated me away from the podcast for a while.) One last thing I’ll mention is that if you listen to any of Rooster Teeth’s podcasts… prepare to get advertised at a fair bit.

Getting away from Rooster Teeth though, another Youtuber-created podcast that I listen to is called Triforce, made by three members of the Yogscast: Lewis, Sips, and Pyrion. This podcast has been often jokingly referred to as “two and a half dads”, and as you might expect mirrors the humour typically found in their videos, so stay away if this doesn’t appeal to you. It’s another comedic podcast that rambles about whatever’s going on in the world or the participants’ own personal lives, and I happen to quite enjoy it. It’s also quite new as far as podcasts go, so I’ve no idea how much longer it’s going to run.

Finally, one podcast that I’ve only just discovered is a much smaller and less frequently released one, made by World of Warcraft community manager Josh Allen (@Devolore) and someone I don’t know all that much about yet (but find amusing) named Mike B. It’s called Don’t Get Your Hopes Up, and from the two episodes I’ve listened to (57 and 56) it’s fairly gaming oriented, whilst mostly being the casual conversation of two friends. Can you see a theme here? I discovered Josh Allen through some recent WoW Developer Q&A streams and after following him on Twitter, determined that I like the guy more than enough to listen to his podcast, so there’s that origin story.

I also occasionally listen to the Co-Optional Podcast, hosted by Youtubers TotalBiscuit, Jesse Cox and Dodger (+guest), which is also focused on gaming, but more often than not I forget to tune in, despite its enjoyability. Which isn’t a word. But is now.

If you have any recommendations for me based on the recommendations I’ve made here, please let me know. I’m always on the lookout for more laughter to my ears.

I typically listen to podcasts when playing games which don’t require too much brainpower, like WoW or Minecraft (which is far too isolated in singleplayer without a friend or a podcast).I find that more often than not, they enhance my gaming experience, allowing me to multitask and break down the monotony of, say, chaining dungeons on yet another alternate WoW character. On the flipside, I also can’t simply sit and listen to or watch a podcast for an hour or more. My brain isn’t that focused. I’ve also gone through much of the Rooster Teeth Podcast’s backlog whilst gardening, of all things.

I’ve always been somewhat interested in producing a podcast myself, but as somebody who is a bad listener and often is far too excited with what they want to say before they forget it, I’m not sure I’m the best personality for the genre. I could perhaps attempt a 1-on-1 podcast such as in DGYHU, but I’d have to find the right person to make it with, the right topics to talk about and the right people to actually listen to it. And besides, I don’t own a microphone.