5 gaming podcasts I couldn't do without — plus a call for suggestions...
5 gaming podcasts I couldn't do without — plus a call for suggestions...
Note: There is no regular GG post this week because I’m moving house. I’ll be back to normal next week. A reminder to join our Discord by clicking this link — and if you enjoy these newsletters, please forward them to a friend! If you’ve been forwarded this email, sign up here.
Sadly, I have much less time to read (and write) about the industry than I used to, and podcasts have now become the main way I discover new games.
I probably have about 25 or so gaming podcasts in my feed — here are the five that I couldn’t do without for news, discussion, and reviews. To find them, just search on whatever podcast app you use.
I’m always looking to add more to my list, so feel free to comment below with your own top five!
If, like me, you’re a fan of long podcasts that last for hours and touch on a bit of everything, Waypoint Radio is for you. The team, all super smart and based at VICE’s gaming channel Waypoint, usually release more than one a week, discussing the news and games that have mattered the most in recent days. They spend the bulk of the episode talking about one game before branching out to other games, trends, or themes they care about. It’s probably the gaming podcast I listen to most consistently.
TripleClick is a pod run by a former trio of Kotaku journalists who have now fanned out across the industry. Rather than trying to cover everything that happened that week, each episode focuses on one game or broader idea, going in-depth. Last week they had one dedicated to Hades, for example (which is a Good Game everyone should play), and the week before they discussed their experiences building gaming PCs.
I like that they don’t worry about staying too current, and they’ll regularly cover games from months ago, or an evergreen topic, so you can listen to old episodes without feeling lost. The crew are all opinionated, and know their stuff.
I’d start with their August 20 “Triple Click Picks” episode, where they draw up a list of the 10 games that everyone should play right away.
My go-to PC gaming podcast, and it’s worth a listen even if you only play games on consoles. A bunch of games journalists from Bath get together to talk — briefly — about industry news before discussing what they’ve been playing that week, and they’re particularly good at highlighting new indie games you might have missed. The team are a mixture of journalists and designers, each coming at a game from a different angle, which makes for reliably lively discussion.
The Watch out for Fireballs! duo plays a different, older game every week in its entirety, then dissects it in detail. It’s a good mix of properly retro stuff and newer games: Recent episodes range from 2000’s Dino Crisis 2 to a two-parter on the fantastic Disco Elysium, which came out last year (and which I’ll be writing a GG post about very soon).
It’s a refreshing break from the news cycle, and it’s one of the few podcasts that talks about a single game for hours on end. Just make sure you’ve played the game in question first, to avoid spoilers.
GameSpot After Dark
A new discovery for me, and a good all-rounder for recent news, reviews, and industry updates. It avoids the stiffness and over-exuberance you sometimes get from podcasts from large outlets, and the hosts’ personalities all come across. It probably packs more into an hour than any other podcast on this list.