A couple years ago I found myself in a long, arduous situation. I had to drive and extremely long, dull route to make my way to work everyday. Worse yet, if I needed to go to the big city, I had to drive even farther. Much farther.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":676676,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"gbunfiltered,","session":"D"}']The drive was long, yes, but more than anything, it was lonely. Several hours a day in a car by myself, going home to a place where I may or may not see people in my off hours became daunting. Luckily, the growing popularity and marketing of podcasts- particularily gaming and technology themed podcasts- made the trek a little less overbearing.
So I had my daily fix of the news, reviews and whatever feature topic might be discussed that afternoon, let it be religion in gaming, or even racial diversity in gaming. I was always satiated and mentally stimulated.
Did you catch that back there? I said “I may or may not see people in my off hours.” Admittedly, finding friends has always been a struggle for me, and honestly, I don't blame my hobby for it. I guess that I just don't magnetize people. Oddly enough, I have no problem finding girlfriends, but let's face it, gaming is still a niche subject even though it has a yearly gross higher than that of any other media. Take that, cinema.
Games are still viewed as a “boys only” club. If we play our cards right, gentlemen, in 10 years, it might be a different landscape, but right now, gaming girls are a high trading commodity.
What about that kid at Best Buy? Well, no. Chances are he can't find his way out of a box. He's more likely to admit that the last title he picked up was Bloody Roar 2 on the original Playstation, but you'll have to figure that out on your own, using a keen knowledge of releases and applying your blossoming detective skills, because he surely couldn't be bothered to remember the name of the game. It, uh, was the “Kicking and punching thing with animals and blood.” Finally, all those years of playing puzzle games are paying off.
The idea is, is that anyone who reads enthusiast anythings, be it magazines or websites, is going to know oodles more than the casual or mainstream user. Walk into a Wal*Mart and you're going to hear a 32 year old wearing soiled coveralls talking about how the original Mercenaries release was “So rad,” and how the sequel must be “Even better! Look, there's a guy on the cover!”
So there we have it; my two greatest problems. Firstly, it's hard to find myself confidants. Secondly, it's hard to find someone who shares my enthusiasm for the game industry. This is where, I suppose, podcasts come to life.
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Unintentionally, I believe that podcasts have taken on a life of their own, though detached from their main objective, which is, of course, to inform the listener about the daily and weekly industry happenings and shake-ups. How are they doing this? Personalities.
Both TV and radio have been doing this for years, but I feel the medium of presenting the news has finally evolved into a devolution. Television is notorious for straight, to the point deliveries with zero-to-little personality because TV news grew up in a time where, well, manners might have been more important. Like the print industry, it feels like a dinosaur. They mastered their craft and by and large, refused to evolve beyond.
Modern radio, on the other hand, came into it's own during the rock revolution. It grew up in an era it helped define, but then refused to deviate from, and much like television, is limited by advertising and rules and regulations established by government run enforcers. If you cut out music and ad space, you might be lucky to hear 5 full minutes of radio banter. That's 5 minutes to bond with your host. This persons shift will only be, at max, 5 hours long, so you have less than a half an hour to establish a connection with your DJ.
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Podcasts are different. While many of the bigger, more popular shows indeed have advertising to pay the bills, they are not regulated by a standard time format. If you have to play a 3 minute ad for Squarespace.com, you can do it without sacrificing showtime.
I spoke quickly of “devolution,” and what I mean by that is the laid back, mostly ungoverned state of the format. Distributed by the internet, unless something appalling happens and the laws have to take action against, there are no regulations about cursing or other lewd comments. Ridiculous shenanigans and obtuse humour will not see you loosing your job and have your employer fined to the point of bankruptcy.
So, like any good game, you established your rule set. Your boundaries are infinite. What now? You run with it. Sure, you get your job done, first and foremost, but it's done on your terms. Podcasting is the open-world sandbox of multi-media and news presentation. It is Grand Theft Auto.
The presentation is what makes it so charming. You're going to get your news in all due time, but you can't be surprised if you receive a rant about what makes Blake Lively so damned hot, or take a trip down memory lane to relive classic 80's TV shows.
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It's the theory that podcast can talk to you- exactly like you- that makes them so appealing. You don't have anyone to talk about games with, but because of the relaxed and casual nature of the experience, you can act and you can feel like you've been teleported into the room with the people you're listening to. As if you're sitting down at a table where the AV equipment isn't even there, and pretend that these are indeed your brethren.
Other mediums might die out and the distribution methods might change, but as it stands here in 2010, podcasts are here to stay… Especially for those lonely, lonely souls who haven't took the time to realize what and why the tune in each and every week.