Initial Discovery
In the world of podcasts, there are a number of different topics that they can broach upon. From sports to music, local news to cultural exploration, the list goes on. For me, I had very specific interests in mind when I chose the podcast that I did. I wanted to enter the world of gaming in a way I hadn’t before, by taking a closer look at the interests and views of those who had lived with video games since their earliest days. I wanted to hear the perspective of people who had played games from the beginning, learning about what is iconic to them, what experiences mattered, and what memories stood out. In my search, I discovered a YouTube podcast on the channel Axle1324Gaming. The podcast’s name is, quite simply, Iconic Video Games Podcast, the playlist for which can be found here.
IVGP Summary – What Makes It Good?
The initial pilot episode of Iconic Video Games Podcast was a stream aired on October 1st, 2021. From what I was able to gather, this is simply a group of friends who decided to form a panel for a podcast discussing video games, and they primarily do it for fun. I was surprised to discover that this channel and podcast has a relatively small following. They have a lot going for them here. The personalities behind it are the ever enthusiastic Axle1324, a woman operating under the name ‘Princess Zelda,’ often dressed up to fit the name, and the margarita loving DoggyDog420, who is often seen sitting in an arcade during streams. Each individual brings a different set of quirks to the mix, and they each have varying interests in the world of gaming. They’re happy to share their experiences and dig in to what viewers and listeners have to share in turn. Every episode is different, but they all are centered around a series of sometimes silly questions regarding video games. They ask questions ranging from what their first games were to what games they believe to be the most iconic. In their very second episode, they explored what games they would want to have if they were stranded on a deserted island with the means to play them.
“I believe that video games are the greatest art form that we as a species have created so far.”
-Axle1324
Takeaways
The result of the above is a podcast in which you hear from some very comedic, personable individuals who are eager to ask and answer questions about games in varying contexts, and share the answers of guests and audience members. It’s an engaging, funny experience that will often have you grinning at quirky humor, hilariously bad jokes, and, if you know the older games they speak of, nostalgia. The enthusiasm is very palpable with these people. The questions they ask get you thinking about how you perceive games, and about your own experiences with them. If you haven’t taken the time to give your own personal history with video gaming a deeper look, this series is a great launch pad to do so. After just the first couple episodes, I couldn’t really put the podcast down, often listening to it in the background while, you guessed it, playing nostalgic video games.
What’s more, it’s not hard to find shared interests with this panel. Their gaming experiences are far ranging, from retro titles like Metroid and Megaman, to modern icons like Halo and Forza Horizon. You’re going to hear titles you’ve never heard before too. Before long, I was looking up the titles of games from the early 2000’s and late 90’s that, until I found this podcast, never even knew existed. That right there made this entire podcast a learning experience for me, on top of it being an entertaining ride of nostalgia and comedy.
My biggest takeaway centers around their enthusiasm however. Axle1324 echoes the sentiments of many gamers everywhere by referring to video games as the greatest art form achieved by humanity so far. Knowing there are others out there who believe that, and hearing what they have to share about their experiences, vindicated many of my firmly held beliefs about video games. Listening to this series helped remind me of why I love games, and encourages me to share my own experiences with others.
Reviewing the Episodes
Speaking of sharing experiences, I can think of no better way to give you readers a closer look at this Podcast than reviews of the first three episodes, each of which do a great job of setting the tone for the rest of the series. We’ll meet the panel, take a look at some of the questions they like to ask in their episodes, and I’ll even share some of my own answers to those questions! Whenever you’re ready…..
Let the Games Begin…
(Screenshot taken in Starcraft II, credit to Blizzard Entertainment, 2010.)
Click any link below to get started.
| Episode 0: Panel Introductions | Episode 1: Deserted Island Games | Episode 2: Game Worlds |
