I’ve been a longtime listener of this podcast. And I feel it’s remained…pretty consistent? FYI the pod covers games and gaming news with a snarkier and more cynical perspective than you get from a lot of mainstream gaming outlets. If you like Steph’s review style, you’ll likely enjoy the sense of humour and the games they cover and respond to. The obscenities. The railing against cliches of the industry. The obscure references to British public access tv programs. It’s all there.
The podcast suffered from a recast around the end of 2019. With Gav from Miracle of Sound being replaced by Conrad (a friend of Steph and Laura’s from other projects like The Spin-off Doctors).
And I think that’s been an issue with the podcast’s balance. The original mix was basically that Steph was the perpetual cynic, Laura was the more reasonable one, and Gav was the more mellow one. But with Conrad instead of Gav, I feel it amplifies the pod’s cynical attitude. If there is an issue with a game, it will be railed on no matter how minor, and optimistic comments about the future will be coated in irony and bitter sarcasm. Gav explicitly explained that this cynicism was really eating into his enjoyment of games, and it’s why he’s detoxed himself from it. Not that I think that cynicism isn’t warranted, but it’s really oppressive. It feels like Laura especially is affected by this, when Steph and Conrad are these very aggressive personalities. When listening, I’m often begging for Laura to stand up for herself when she says something that leans more optimistic or positive, and Conrad and Steph bring her back down through some snarky comment and she goes “I guess so. Yeah. Well I can see that. Never mind.”
Moments when the gang open up about things they unironically enjoy without being coated in irony are really refreshing, and thankfully it happens frequently enough for the pod to not wear you down (before the news section starts and it’s all depressing).
I should probably explain who Conrad is. He’s an incredibly smarmy communist LARPer guy who would appear extremely poisonous to anyone who doesn’t share his exact worldview (thankfully I do share a lot of his politics so I don’t find him completely off-putting but I know plenty who can’t stand Conrad). The whole pod does lean left-wing in its coverage of union busting and monopolisation in the industry, which I do appreciate. Even though it often feels like leftist terminology is thrown into conversation like we’re playing madlibs, while also acting as an enabler for that cynicism I mentioned earlier. Not everything needs to circle back around to Capitalism Bad, guys. I’m listening to this pod. I already agree with that sentiment.
I still listen to this pod regularly. So it must be doing something right, even though I feel I have to take breaks. I still find the gang’s humour charming, especially from Steph. I still find their takes about games refreshing, even if their negativity isn’t always that insightful. And I appreciate covering the industry from a left-wing perspective in their news section. But this pod really eats away at you after a while. Don’t have this be your one podcast about video games or pop culture. It will gradually make you think you hate enjoying things. Don’t become that doomer-pilled and irony-poisoned.
PS. If the gang is reading this, CONRAD. FIX YOUR AUDIO. YOUR AUDIO PEAKS LIKE CRAZY AND IT’S UNIRONICALLY RUINED MY CAR STEREO’S SUB-BASS. lol
