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Listening to GOTY podcasts and shows is...ugh....(mini rant)

nogoodnamesleft

nogoodnamesleft

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,660
Honestly, 90% of goty conversation is all "what about the this part in the story" and "omg i cried at this part of the story" and "ohhhh man that part in the story!!, thats why its my goty"

I feel like im listening to tv show podcasts these days just story story story. Yeah i like a good story but jesus for a guy who plays games mainly for gameplay, its just....yeah. And it sucks because i really like listening and watching to these personalities (i have my favs and their opinions not matching mine doesnt matter as to who they are as people they are still very entertaining for me)

Its getting a bit hard to find games that dont gush over stories these days and for someone like me its not ideal. Nothing but a mini rant i guess. But i guess if you wanna throw some games at me that DO NOT FOCUS ON STORY and just have a story complimenting a great GAME, fire them at me! im ready!
 
An Army of Bees

An Army of Bees

Member
Sep 19, 2020
210
Different people get different things out of the games they enjoy. If you aren't enjoying a discussion, nothing is saying you have to keep listening. Move along.
 
Iyagovos

Iyagovos

Verified
Jan 18, 2018
198
You're listening to critics that don't represent what you value most in video games. Try and find some that focus on what's important to you, and listen to them.
 
JakeNoseIt

JakeNoseIt

Catch My Drift
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
4,535
Yeah it's easy to just not listen but also

"Listen I don't normally like roguelites but HADES"
 

Min

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,073
My main issue is that a lot of the video game podcasts don't talk about the story because you know the community will just rage and cry about spoilers, so instead you have them skirting around topics and not really saying anything of worth. That or you have a person who played the game and the rest have played maybe a few hours if that, so it's less of a discussion and more of a monologue. The latter is somewhat unavoidable because games are now 100 hour affairs, so I understand not being able to play 20-30 of the large launches, but idk it still diminishes the actual content and quality of a show.
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,438
I think it's fair to say something has gone wrong when a movie director; Christopher Nolan, announces the most mainstream GOTY award.
 
OP
OP
nogoodnamesleft

nogoodnamesleft

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,660
Brazil said:
What podcasts do you listen to?
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giant bombcast
beastcast
8-4 play
podcast unlocked
whats good games
game informer podcast
easy allies
DLC

Am open to suggestions for more! theres a few others ive tried but these are the main ones lately

Cosmic Voyager said:
stop listening to them if they bother you.

Not sure what else there is to say here
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looking for suggestions of different content on a forum-shocking i know
 
Iyagovos

Iyagovos

Verified
Jan 18, 2018
198
nogoodnamesleft said:
giant bombcast
beastcast
8-4 play
podcast unlocked
whats good games
game informer podcast
easy allies
DLC

Am open to suggestions for more! theres a few others ive tried but these are the main ones lately



looking for suggestions of different content on a forum-shocking i know
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

You listen to a lot of what I listen to too, this is a great list! I'd suggest maybe something like Triple Click as another commenter suggested, or maybe Crate and Crowbar (ex-PC Gamer Journalists)
 
1.21Gigawatts

1.21Gigawatts

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,278
Munich
Well, stories have naturally a bigger impact on people than gameplay, because they can trigger emotional reactions.

I don't think games without a strong story focus can expect to be GotY contenders anymore. Story is just an integral part of the medium.
There are some exceptions, but it is rare.
 

drewchebag

Member
Mar 11, 2018
37
You might try Waypoint Radio. Might not be exactly what you're looking for but you will almost certainly not encounter a lot of gushing about story beats on that show. They talk a lot about gameplay systems too. Hope you are able to find some good things!
 
OP
OP
nogoodnamesleft

nogoodnamesleft

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,660
drewchebag said:
You might try Waypoint Radio. Might not be exactly what you're looking for but you will almost certainly not encounter a lot of gushing about story beats on that show. They talk a lot about gameplay systems too. Hope you are able to find some good things!
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i tried waypoint radio a long time ago and i just find austin too dominant of a host he was the same on GB i felt he always overtook conversations and didnt really allow others to chime in without always making sure his opinion is the most dominant. Its probably a personal thing. I did like the other people they had on the show though and ive always been a huge fan of patrick
 
TheClaw7667

TheClaw7667

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,704
1.21Gigawatts said:
Well, stories have naturally a bigger impact on people than gameplay, because they can trigger emotional reactions.

I don't think games without a strong story focus can expect to be GotY contenders anymore. Story is just an integral part of the medium.
There are some exceptions, but it is rare.
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And stories are just easier to talk about because of that emotional reaction. Breaking down what makes gameplay great is just harder to do, especially for the majority of the enthusiast press.

More_Badass said:
Triggering emotional reactions isn't exclusive to story though; gameplay cultivates certain emotions and moods better than narrative
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I think the best games weave the two together but unfortunately, there are still very few games attempting and succeeding in this.
 
Tezza

Tezza

Member
Nov 15, 2017
148
I agree with the OP, it's becoming very hard for journalists/games people (whatever they are called) to talk about a game without basically talking about story.

I think it's a lazy way to talk about a game.
 
Hella

Hella

Member
Oct 27, 2017
23,405
nogoodnamesleft said:
giant bombcast
beastcast
8-4 play
podcast unlocked
whats good games
game informer podcast
easy allies
DLC

Am open to suggestions for more! theres a few others ive tried but these are the main ones lately
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I know you mentioned that you listened to them before, but I'll second Waypoint Radio. They do a great job digging into what they think of a game, plus whether they liked it or not. They'll appreciate a good story and all that, but also actually interrogate why they like a particular element of a game so, personally at least, there's a lot more to get out of those conversations.

Waypoint's Rob Zacny is also involved in a great strategy gaming podcast, Three Moves Ahead. Focused on a single game or category per episode. But they release eps like once a month so you'll burn through 'em pretty quick.
 
Ojli

Ojli

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,652
Sweden
I would suggest Insert Credit Show. They usually focus more on gameplay when it comes to talking about specific games as most of them read books if they want a good story. Sometime next year (?) their game of the year episode will air. I've also found myself listening less to podcast that talk about game news. Now I mostly stick to Insert Credit, Triple Click and Jimquisition, sometimes Watch Play Listen and added Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games from a tip from my brother today
 
More_Badass

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,623
Tezza said:
I agree with the OP, it's becoming very hard for journalists/games people (whatever they are called) to talk about a game without basically talking about story.

I think it's a lazy way to talk about a game.
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Storytelling is gameplay and gameplay is storytelling. It's not lazy; it's holistic
 
JakeNoseIt

JakeNoseIt

Catch My Drift
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
4,535
ZeoVGM said:
There's nothing wrong with that opinion at all.

If a game can become an entry point into a genre, that's a good thing.
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More_Badass said:
Some games are just perfect gateways into genres. Celebrating and dissecting those kinds of games is important
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Not saying there is anything wrong with it. Just joking that--in my experience--the opinion starts and ends there. It's interesting to listen to so many enthusiasts share that opinion without offering a critical perspective on how it's achieved. Plus, rarely does the person acknowledge what is lost for fans OF the genre in this specific case. You saying it's a good entry point into the genre is a more critical thought than I think what OP is talking about. Especially since idk if it IS a good entry point into roguelites tbh
 

Deleted member 71

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,857
Ojli said:
I would suggest Insert Credit Show. They usually focus more on gameplay when it comes to talking about specific games as most of them read books if they want a good story. Sometime next year (?) their game of the year episode will air. I've also found myself listening less to podcast that talk about game news. Now I mostly stick to Insert Credit, Triple Click and Jimquisition, sometimes Watch Play Listen and added Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games from a tip from my brother today
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Beaten to the punch, Insert Credit is a really solid recommendation.
 
Chip Chanceworth

Chip Chanceworth

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,347
Im with you, but i think its part of a much larger discussion on wether story in games actually matters. Im embarrassed to be seen playing almost all story focused games in front of people as i find them to be awkward imitations of movies. Games are so much more special than that and to be constantly chasing Hollywood isn't whats best for the medium. But unfortunately some people, press included, loose their shit over dumb story moments in games and forget the game part.

I remember when the press and gaming forums were loosing their minds over the part in CoD4 where your main character dies in a helicopter crash as if it was the most emotionally shocking thing they had ever seen. As if the 20+ times you died leading up to that moment didn't happen. It was apparently only emotional because the game now told them it was. So id say i started rolling my eyes at game stories around 2007ish.
 
HaremKing

HaremKing

Banned
Dec 20, 2018
2,416
I gotta imagine most Nintendo-focused podcasts will have less emphasis on story and more on gameplay, so you might want to try those out OP.
 
More_Badass

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,623
Kyra said:
I feel like there was a time where it was an important part of some video games as opposed to almost every game that exists.
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The medium has gotten better at contextualizing gameplay and mechanics as developer toolsets have evolved and expanded

Just like how film evolved from "look, a train rolling into the station" to "train robbery" to "Chaplin on a train"
 
TheClaw7667

TheClaw7667

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,704
Khanimus said:
I mean there's only so many ways to passionately describe how "the guns feel good."
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Yeah, that's what I am talking about. Most can't go beyond that which I think is a damn shame because there are ways to discuss the play aspect of games the same way most of the enthusiast press do the story in games. The medium is still incredibly young so it's not surprising the most unique aspect of it gets very little focus beyond the surface level "shooting guys in the head in this game feels great" and while we do get a few attempting more like Austin Walker and some youtube channels its very rare to see. It's one of the reasons why GFW Radio and Idle Thumbs are my favourite podcasts discussing games and it isn't surprising that most of the people on those casts were already on the development side or ended up in some way developing games.
 
More_Badass

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,623
Chip Chanceworth said:
Im with you, but i think its part of a much larger discussion on wether story in games actually matters. Im embarrassed to be seen playing almost all story focused games in front of people as i find them to be awkward imitations of movies. Games are so much more special than that and to be constantly chasing Hollywood isn't whats best for the medium. But unfortunately some people, press included, loose their shit over dumb story moments in games and forget the game part.

I remember when the press and gaming forums were loosing their minds over the part in CoD4 where your main character dies in a helicopter crash as if it was the most emotionally shocking thing they had ever seen. As if the 20+ times you died leading up to that moment didn't happen. It was apparently only emotional because the game now told them it was. So id say i started rolling my eyes at game stories around 2007ish.
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Click to shrink...
Game stories =/= cinematic cutscenes and scripted moments though. Sunless Skies, Heaven's Vault, Paradise Killer, Bury Me My Love, Wide Ocean Big Jacket, My Father's Long Long Legs, Soma are game stories too
 
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EggmaniMN

EggmaniMN

Banned
May 17, 2020
3,465
Most gaming podcasts lack the ability to accurately describe why gameplay works, what makes playing it feel good, system mechanics or anything other than surface level nitpicks. But they can always go in on really good animation in a cutscene or acting out a dramatic scene.
 
DanteAlighieri

DanteAlighieri

Member
Oct 7, 2020
1,003
Italy
Story is what I play games for and with it I don't just mean cutscenes, even gameplay can contribute to create a good story in a game. We have to begin to understand that there is no indipendent sections of a game, all of them make the game and contribute to each other.

So, when those people talk about the story of x game, they probably also mean its gameplay even if they do it unconsciously. Take TLOU2 for example. That game's story is imho enhanced greatly by the amazing gameplay it has, you really feel like you are trying to survive in this harsh world and fighting with every last resource you have. The AI is also great it will make you feel guilty for all the death and violence you cause along the game which is a big theme of the main story.
 
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