Gaming Podcasts: A Thread about Listening to Others

[Jonnas]

It seems he's thinking on pursuing a different career path entirely. And also that he doesn't quite know what that is yet, which is... risky.

I think the fact that he's leaving LA entirely is the most noteworthy bit. Maybe he really does have something in mind for himself (even if that something is just "move in with the parents for the time being"), but it shows his leaving EZA is a pondered, heavy decision. I do hope he finds the Main Thing he's looking for.

It's a shame. He is, alongside Ben, one of my favourite Allies. His particular brand of pickiness, nonsense, and humour will be sorely missed.

1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Its a bit weird if he is going to continue doing gaming stuff though. If that is the case then I wonder if things behind closed doors weren't going smoothly with the other Allies? At times I did get the feeling that his games and bits didn't hit the right notes with a few of the other guys.

Not liking one's jokes is a far cry from genuine workplace heat. The mere fact that other Allies are willing to directly pick up his shows (including betting specials) shows that they're in good terms.

[nekunando]

Kyle can be irritating on occasions but it just won't be the same without him and I kinda worry about EZA as a whole following his departure.

[Happenstance]

Maybe him and Peter Brown from Gamespot are creating their own site

[Julius]

Well damn, that sucks. I love Kyle and his stupid sense of humour, as well as his great reactions. 

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Its a bit weird if he is going to continue doing gaming stuff though. If that is the case then I wonder if things behind closed doors weren't going smoothly with the other Allies? At times I did get the feeling that his games and bits didn't hit the right notes with a few of the other guys.

Yeah, I don't get the feeling that it's that.

He was away from the main podcast and EZA for a couple of weeks due to family reasons, and only just returned from that leave. Wouldn't surprise me if he's moving a bit closer to home.

As @Jonnas mentioned, moving from LA entirely is that part which surprises me, but honestly? If he is staying in gaming, which I doubt because I don't see him wanting to step on EZA's toes, it's worth noting that LA just isn't the heart of the gaming industry as it once was - E3 is cancelled this year, and as we all know had been dying a slow and painful death anyways, and that's definitely the main draw, I'd say, for any gaming journalists - and the other things their proximity would be great for in the industry (i.e. exclusive interviews, studio tours, etc.) just isn't something that EZA focuses on. And he's been in LA for over a decade now, maybe it's just time for the next thing, and that's okay. 

Box Peek took a lot out of him, taking way longer, and much more effort, than I think Kyle could have imagined in a worst case scenario, but his creative chops and sense of humour were on show and it was very well received. There's no doubt that he's got talent, and as someone who's working a job at the moment almost entirely for the monetary gain and the satisfaction of helping others above the potential career aspect on offer with my role, I still have a very clear Main Thing that I want to get to in a few years, and I have nothing but respect for Kyle for taking the risk of putting himself out there in some other way. 

Best case scenario, we get a fully realised Kyle Bosman. He's been holding back and independent projects for a long while now. Worst case? He figures out in a year or two that his Main Thing was EZA all along, and I'm sure the guys would welcome him back with open arms. 

That all being said, I'm deeply concerned for their Patreon. I'm subscribed, and love the guys, but the main podcast without Kyle the last couple of weeks have just felt off with Jones at the helm, but maybe that's to be expected after having a different frontrunner for so long. I'm sure Jones will settle in to that particular role, but it'll be interesting to see how Kyle's move impacts some of the other dynamics in the group.

Will other Allies leave? Will how EZA is run - the production of shows, the quality v. quantity argument, etc. - get an overhaul with Kyle leaving? 

[Hero-of-Time]

10 hours ago, Jonnas said:

Not liking one's jokes is a far cry from genuine workplace heat. The mere fact that other Allies are willing to directly pick up his shows (including betting specials) shows that they're in good terms.

The point I was trying to make wasn't so much about arguments/heat but more that there could be creative differences between Kyle and the others. If he wasn't able to truly express himself then I can see why he's stepped away from it all in order to find a new outlet for his ideas and processes.

It's a strange time for EZA. A couple of them have recently tied the knot and Jones now has a kid. Both of these can really hamper how much time and energy you have for gaming or even just life in general. Jones has even admitted that since Milo has come along that he just doesn't have the time to play as much as he used to, which is totally understandable. However, when the product you are selling is gaming news, reviews etc. and you aren't able to keep up with it all, then I imagine that the product in question will suffer.

Interesting times indeed. Still, as someone who got a little tired of Kyle's bits and games, I may now start listening to their weekly podcast again.

[Julius]

Man, it's just a gut punch. Answers a lot of questions about his leaving in the Q&A, well worth a watch.

Edited March 15, 2020 by Julius

[Hero-of-Time]

I listened to a little bit of this weeks Sacred Symbols episode this morning. I don't agree at all with Colin's stance in regards to crunch working and the whole Naughty Dog fiasco. Him saying that people should just leave if they aren't happy is a very ignorant thing to say. People need to work to earn a living and most people don't have the luxury of being able to just walk away from their job if things get tough. He talks about the bonuses people get if the game sells well but money isn't everything. I imagine a lot of workers who are being forced to crunch would give up their bonuses in order to have a proper working week and having the opportunity to spend more time with their family, rather than being stuck in the office.

It's disappointing to hear people try and justify this way of working. Jones over on EZA try to do the same thing when the Rockstar crunch stories were published, purely because he loves the developer so much. 

[Londragon]

I didn't mean to big up our Podcast, but NVC has helped me.  We are a 3 person podcast, doing it for the love of gaming, across 2 continents and numerous time zones, in our spare time, and the sound quality is quite literally fantastic.

NVC over the last 2 weeks have had to record from home (COVID-19), have teams of sound engineers on their paylist, and they sound atrocious.  Get your shit together.

[Julius]

Generally steer clear of IGN as a whole, but Unlocked's latest episode uploaded yesterday was an with Phil Spencer, and was great. 

Great to hear him be open and honest about how rough the Xbox One launch was, and for him to answer plenty of questions which he couldn't offer anywhere near concrete answers for.

Well worth a watch. 

[Julius]

Kyle's last regular Easy Allies podcast this week before the handoff episode with Jones next week. Watched it last night, and it hurts to know he'll be going soon. 

[Julius]

Kyle's last group stream...

...and of course he makes good on all of his remaining bets. Some hilarious stuff in here, tearing up by the end though (thanks for that Don). 

End of an era 

Watched this again this morning ahead of watching the stream:

Definitely going to miss Kyle. Given me a lot of laughs in a hard few years. 

Edited April 22, 2020 by Julius

[Julius]

Just finished watching Kyle's last EZA podcast. No news, all talk about the future of the main podcast. 

Feel pretty hollow right now. 

Confident about Jones taking over with Blood as permanent co-host, about some of the changes they have in mind for the podcast/general workflow, and the future of EZA on the whole. For those who have mentioned not being the biggest fans of Kyle's comedic bits, while there will still likely be bits around just based on how close these guys are, Jones is planning a somewhat more serious podcast, but of course it's subject to change as he gets to grips with it all. 

Also looking forward to seeing Kyle elsewhere (like on his MinnMax podcast appearance this week with Ben Hanson - probably two of the best gaming podcast hosts around) and the potential for him to crank some stuff out on his YT channel like he did early on in/just before EZA. Said he'll be streaming a bunch on Twitch too. 

Nervously excited for next week's podcast. Going to be really weird, but exciting times. Probably won't sink in until we get the next big press conference from someone, like the PS5 blowout or something like that. 

What a wild ride. Kyle and the Allies helped me get to sleep years ago when I just couldn't, they were the voices that were there for me when others weren't. This whole thing has really put into perspective for me that I need to step back more and appreciate the good things - smell the roses - because you just never know when a good thing is going to end. Never take a good thing for granted. 

Love & Respect N-E 

[Jonnas]

On 25/04/2020 at 2:17 AM, Julius said:

Just finished watching Kyle's last EZA podcast. No news, all talk about the future of the main podcast. 

Feel pretty hollow right now.

Finished listening to it myself, and I feel a smidge different. Yes, I will miss Kyle Bosman, but ultimately, I'm happy he's leaving on good terms with the rest of the group, happy that they prepared a transition, happy that he's doing it to better himself. Perhaps my age is showing, but I feel like amicable break-ups are such a rare thing, that I'm relieved when one happens.

In a way, I'm more worried that, due to the Corona Virus, Bosman won't be able to enjoy this new chapter of his life the way he wants to. I've also been listening to this interview, and he mentions wanting to attend university, and if that fails, he wanted to travel the world, and yet, those options seem closed to him right now. He can't even leave LA, which was one of the few things he was certain he wanted to do. I'll leave the interview here:

So yeah, as much as I'm going to miss him, I'm just hoping both him and the rest of the allies are happy with their choices.

One final thing: I wonder if this will mean Brandon Jones will consider new hires more strongly. I get that he was reticent to make changes to the original 9, as EZA is a grassroots project, and there're good reasons to keep it between the people who started it... but Kyle leaving was the first change to the line-up, so that idea is done. With EZA expanding into its own studio not too long ago, I wonder if new members will become a necessity, even.

[Julius]

7 hours ago, Jonnas said:

Finished listening to it myself, and I feel a smidge different. Yes, I will miss Kyle Bosman, but ultimately, I'm happy he's leaving on good terms with the rest of the group, happy that they prepared a transition, happy that he's doing it to better himself. Perhaps my age is showing, but I feel like amicable break-ups are such a rare thing, that I'm relieved when one happens.

In a way, I'm more worried that, due to the Corona Virus, Bosman won't be able to enjoy this new chapter of his life the way he wants to. I've also been listening to this interview, and he mentions wanting to attend university, and if that fails, he wanted to travel the world, and yet, those options seem closed to him right now. He can't even leave LA, which was one of the few things he was certain he wanted to do. I'll leave the interview here:

So yeah, as much as I'm going to miss him, I'm just hoping both him and the rest of the allies are happy with their choices.

One final thing: I wonder if this will mean Brandon Jones will consider new hires more strongly. I get that he was reticent to make changes to the original 9, as EZA is a grassroots project, and there're good reasons to keep it between the people who started it... but Kyle leaving was the first change to the line-up, so that idea is done. With EZA expanding into its own studio not too long ago, I wonder if new members will become a necessity, even.

Yeah, looking back at it my "hollow" comment I suppose was more a selfish one in a way - it just feels weird to me, and of course I'd selfishly love for him to stay. But yeah, I absolutely agree with you in that I'm happy that they're leaving in amicable terms, and I get that the feeling that if Kyle ever did change his mind and wanted to return, the Allies would be happy to look for a way to do that. I'm glad that they gave us a heads-up well ahead of time (5 or 6 weeks) that he was leaving, and that Kyle first talked to the guys about it back in January during the annual meeting. I guess I'm happy too that this isn't a case of people being phased/faded out, and that they've been really open with some of the decisions they're making, including taking this is an opportunity to restructure EZA's content to an extent. 

I checked out his appearance on MinnMax too (if people don't already, it's worth checking out, as it's from a bunch of former Game Informer guys, a lovely bunch, though Hanson is easily my favourite of them - same when back at GI, actually, besides his chemistry with Leo - and they seem to be making a habit of interviewing people leaving the gaming industry/moving elsewhere! Also have some great game discussions in their Deepest Dive show) and totally agree that I'm a little concerned for his plans. Even before COVID-19 played out as it has, being on a waiting list for uni and your plans being in limbo as a result sounds like it would raise a lot of doubts over what's next, so I'm glad that he mentioned he'll be looking to apply elsewhere too, and having rough travel plans as a backup seems a bit odd, but I suppose if Kyle wants to improve himself, it's definitely one way to do that. 

And about new hires: I'm honestly not too sure. On the 100th episode of Frame Trap, Ben and Damiani (and Kyle) spoke at length about what they would want to change about Easy Allies, and as much as I love their content, Damiani brought up a great point that sometimes it feels like they're not as focused as they could be, and seem to be split between giving their all to two very different sides of EZA. Personally, I think it shows in some of the content outside of Frame Trap and the main podcast. I think this is a great opportunity for the Allies to take some time and see what things are like without Kyle - it's weird, because I would say that he was the only member without a specified "role"/career path, which I think might have made added to the difficulty in the long run for him to stay driven. 

A new addition could really split the community I feel - there's just no chance that they'll feel like a worthy "replacement" to Kyle, whether that comparison is justified or not, and it will take them a whole to adjust their on-screen persona and chemistry with the guys - but from what Jones was saying, it seems like he would like to have someone come in more to help with the review side of things than anything else. I get what he was saying about being unable to offer that person a fixed salary, though, so it's a weird one, and would kind of be akin to the example Ian often gives about his time at a startup and the startup mentality; not suggesting that the guys would treat someone like that, but there's no doubt that it would be weird to join an eight person company with everyone else being a founder of said company. 

I'm excited to see where Kyle goes in the end, and to see how the Allies adjust moving forwards with all of this. 

[Julius]

Blood doing a Don't Skip and giving his thoughts on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini: 

Really great to see the Allies start to churn out more Don't Skip videos since the "rebrand" with a new logo and intro music back in August of last year. Them narrating their own scripts makes it all the sweeter, because as much as I love Jones's voice in the review videos, this makes it so much more personable. 

Would love if they could commit to perhaps one per month, and took it in turns. It never has to be anything big, just their thoughts on a game fresh to them as it has been up to this point. 

[Julius]

Just finished the first EZA podcast of the Jones era. Solid start, Jones did a great job! 

[Hero-of-Time]

8 hours ago, Julius said:

Just finished the first EZA podcast of the Jones era. Solid start, Jones did a great job! 

Now that Kyle is out of the picture i'll give the podcast another chance. If it's a more focused discussion then i'll stick around but if it's still full of bits and games then I won't bother.

[nekunando]

On 02/05/2020 at 8:03 PM, Hero-of-Time said:

Now that Kyle is out of the picture i'll give the podcast another chance. If it's a more focused discussion then i'll stick around but if it's still full of bits and games then I won't bother.

I thought of you as soon as I started listening to the podcast this week and Jones went straight into a game

I've had it on during my lunch break but not really paid enough attention to notice if it's good or not!

[Hero-of-Time]

42 minutes ago, nekunando said:

I thought of you as soon as I started listening to the podcast this week and Jones went straight into a game

I've had it on during my lunch break but not really paid enough attention to notice if it's good or not!

Guess I won't bother with it then. 

[S.C.G]

3 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Guess I won't bother with it then. 

The total amount of 'game time' in the podcast, is about nine minutes total of the nearly two hour podcast, there's a small game at the opening which I thought was fine and then Or Wars at the end, which I think works pretty well as the rest of the show was all game talk, with recently announced games being talked about and some reasonably good Love & Respect questions.

I would say that it's worth a listen, though... games aside, whether it's Kyle, Jones or anyone else hosting it, if there's a bit which I don't like in the podcast such as a game I have little interest in hearing about because I don't like it or if I think there's going to be a potential spoiler from a game I haven't played or finished yet (this happens often) then I just skip that part of the podcast and just enjoy what I can from it.

I think Jones did a good job on the Podcast though, plus it was always going to be a bit different, at least for a bit due to it going to being a live call now but it still works pretty well and is worth a listen, even if it's just in the background while you're playing a Switch game or trying to get stuff done.

I've been doing that a fair bit recently, putting a podcast on while either posting News articles or features or while playing Animal Crossing sometimes, I've ended up with a bit of a backlog of videos though, as there's plenty to do at the moment just generally but it's nice to have an episode of Frame Trap to watch/listen to and of course... the N-E Café Podcast every week, which I've ended up listening to later and later in the day now as it's just a better time to listen for me, but I'll always make time for it. 

[Jonnas]

I thought Jones did a pretty good job. Love how he can get stoic and nonchalant simultaneously, for both humour and serious topics.

He does speak a tad too quickly for my tastes, especially in the "Also this week" segment, where I had to rewind several times to catch the name of a game/company he rushed through. Might be due to this being his first time hosting, he may just settle into a more relaxed rhythm later on.

[killthenet]

I think he did a pretty good job too but he definitely let the Assassin's Creed conversation go on for too long - could have done with reigning it in earlier. I expected it to feel more distinct to Kyle's podcast but it was surprisingly similar, hoping Brandon can bring his own personality to it as it goes forward.

[Julius]

Reggie has a new podcast out as part of his work with the New York Videogames Critic Circle for the great cause of raising money for homeless students. 

Second episode included Phil Spencer as a guest. Great to hear Reggie so laid back and to hear some more about his time in games. 

Nice for Phil to be honest in the midst casual of settings about Series X still being on track with everything going on, having the manufacturing pipeline ready, etc. 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Julius

[Ganepark32]

Not a podcast but the latest NoClip documentary went up on YouTube last night about Arkane Studios and its definitely worth a watch if you're a fan of that studio and/or even just curious about the history of game studios and unreleased/cancelled games.

Danny and the team did a great job with this, especially as if I remember correctly they were cut short with filming because of the covid-19 outbreak so to see it come together is great for them.

I'm a big fan of the Dishonored games. They depth to them and the ability to process how you want has always been a captivating part of those games and so while it was a little sad not to hear more about them here (and about Prey), getting to hear the history of the studio and about some of the projects they worked on prior to those games was really eye opening.

I knew about all 3 of their cancelled games. The Crossing I only knew in name and that it was a FPS. I remember the talk about Ravenholm from my group at school (we were all massive fans of Half Life 1 and 2, and of Blue Shift for the few of us in the group that managed to get a hold of that, along with the complete unreleased version of Half Life on the Dreamcast, play that) and knew that it was loosely about Father Gregory and where it was all set but seeing it in motion, that a more or less complete alpha build is there makes me so envious of those that get to try it at Arkane because some of the ideas in the footage Danny captured on sight looks so fun. That was really part of what I loved about Half Life 2, messing around with the different elements and seeing what you could do and it looked like Ravenholm would've taken that a step further.

The one I remember most was LMNO as I'd heard all about how it looked and played. I remember the visual benchmark trailer from back in the day but seeing the rough outline of the game in motion, I do feel sad that it was cancelled because I could see myself loving that mix of Mirror's Edge style parkour, Dishonored hand to hand combat and the narrative style road trip that would come from Spielberg. Its such a shame it didn't work out as it could've been something really unique at the time during the 360/PS3 era. Hell, it would still be somewhat unique now and would probably be more feasible but it'll never happen sadly.

A shame to see those 3 games fall by the wayside but really interesting to see them in the flesh for the first time here. Kudos to those involved for letting that happen otherwise they'd have probably been lost to memory.

But yeah, another great documentary by the team there for a developer who's become a favourite of mine with the likes of Dishonored and Prey and I look forward to seeing what Deathloop brings. Well worth a watch for anyone interested.

[Julius]

The PS5 event betting special from EZA was a blast 

Some of those odds on longshots need fixing though. Reveals of Dragon's Dogma II at 10/1 and Final Fantasy XVI at 55/1?! 

Also, absolutely cannot wait for this. 

Feels like maybe it should've been put out a little earlier all things considered, but hey, I'm just happy we've got more Kyle on camera. Been rewatching Bosman at Home lately, a great time.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Julius