by MyLittlePlushie [Mark Bradley]

Penny Arcade Panel: Podcasting: The New Media
Focusing on the recent emergence of podcasting as a new method of communication, the panel takes place on Sunday, August 31st from 10:00am through 11:00am PDT in Satellite Room 400.

Moderated by Chris Paladino, Xbox Community Manager and member of the Gamerscore Blog team, the panel consists of five hosts from the podcasts that form the Gamercast Network. The session is being offered as a true-to-life discussion about the realities of podcasting, learning how to connect with an audience in a fun and unique way, and to provide insight into the inner workings of successful podcasts.

Panel members include Jeromy “Doc” Adams from Sarcastic Gamer, Chad Hantak from the Video Game Show, Danny “Godfree” Pena from Gamertag Radio, Natalie Sousa from Achievement Junkie, and Jay Van Beveren from UncleGamer Radio and Remember When.

As hosts of popular shows, the Gamercast Network members will answer questions about podcasting; their individual shows; what it takes to turn a few people in front of a microphone into a fun, successful commodity that can connect with a group of fellow enthusiasts; along with the significance and possibilities of podcasting as a communications tool.

In light of the upcoming panel discussion, we at TBS thought we’d give you a little preview of what you’ll learn or, for those of you unfortunate enough to not be able to attend P.A.X., what you’ll miss.

When and why did the Gamercast Network (GCN) form?

Chad: Everything started around the middle of 2006. We wanted to create a network of independent podcasts where listeners can find honest opinions about the state of the videogame industry. The shows themselves were to be of a particular quality, meaning these weren’t fly-by-night shows.

Listeners could be assured the shows would consistently and regularly put out excellent content.

Moreover, the shows on the network retain their independence. However, a commune was created where opportunities and resources could be shared between the shows.

Furthermore, to help guide the listening audience to other quality content, the shows on the network cross-promote one another. On a weekly basis, promotional clips are created by the fantastic production studio that Doc, from Sarcastic Gamer, has put together. Those clips are put into the Gamercast Network shows to inform the masses about what other shows on the network are discussing.

What do you enjoy most about the other podcasts in the network?

Chad: Personally, I love the diversity. We have shows which touch on all areas of the gaming industry. We have round table style shows that discuss the week’s news, each with their own unique perspectives. We have shows that can get interviews with developers, giving listeners insight into the process of making games. We have shows that get in touch with the gaming public, allowing gamers a venue for having their thoughts heard.

Doc: I enjoy the attitude of the Video Game Show, the activism of Gamertag Radio, the serious approach on Uncle Gamer, Achievement Junkie’s professional style and P.G.R.’s open door policy.

Godfree: One of the things I love about the Gamercast Network is that all of us have different shows and never have been the same. Sarcastic Gamer with the humor, Gamertag Radio with non-stop interviews, Uncle Gamer with debates–that’s what makes us unique. That’s what I enjoy about GCN.

Natalie: The network is cool, in that each and every show represented has its own distinct characteristics and specialties. The collection of shows included in the G.C.N. span all types of audiences, ranging from the casual gamer tothe super hardcore, focusing on different topics including gaming industry news, debates, casual games and developer interviews.

Do you find members of the network often hopping between podcasts or are the hosts fairly regular?

Chad: As I said earlier, one of the byproducts of the network was a commune where the shows could share resources and those resources include hosts.

I often see hosts hopping between the podcasts. First, it provides listeners of one show with the thoughts and views of a host from another show, again providing the audience with different perspectives. Also, those appearances may garner the shows some new listeners. If you listen to Gamertag Radio and on one episode Lono from Sarcastic Gamer shows up, you may hear his thoughts and decide you’d like to listen to Sarcastic Gamer as a subscriber. Conversely, if you’re a fan of Lono you might listen to his appearance on Gamertag Radio. And you like what you hear from the Gamertag crew so much you decide to listen to them.

I know in the past few days Godfree put together a round table which included Vicious from Uncle Gamer Radio and talkingaboutgames that discussed gaming companies and their relationships with podcasts.

I’m hoping at this year’s PAX, in addition to the panel, the GCN show hosts who are present can get together and generate some other content for the listeners.

Do you have any thoughts or comments on the status of the Network and it’s growth since inception?

Chad: Of course I would love to see the GamerCast Network grow to have more shows with more diversity; the goal is to provide the best content for the listeners.

That being said, growth requires work, effort, and time. This is a group of independent shows whose hosts have jobs and responsibilities. We are trying to do the best we can in growing the network while at the same time providing exciting content for the listeners through our own shows.

What part of the gaming audience do each of you attempt to reach with your podcast?

Jay: Our podcast actually reaches a wide variety of people. I can’t really say “Well, our show only reaches this certain cross-section or this certain demographic,” because we hear from all sorts of people from the four corners of the Earth. We have teenagers who can’t drive yet, that listen to our show. We have 20-somethings that listen to us religiously. We have people in their thirties, forties, and even their fifties that listen to us. There are listeners from the United States, from the U.K., from Korea, from Australia, and lots of other locations. It’s very exciting to hear from so many different people from around the world.

Doc: We’re after the creative gamer–independent thinkers. Our audience has changed our mind on more than one occasion because they are not mindless zombies. We feel like we work for them.

Godfree: Gamertag Radio (G.T.R.) is for anyone who loves gaming and are into Hip Hop culture. If you like G.T.R.,then head over to our site: http://www.gamertagradio.com and also support my family, the Gamercast Network, at http://www.gamercastnetwork.com.

Natalie: Our audience is totally mixed! It ranges from the hardcore gamer,
who enjoys learning about what happens as an employee of one of the major manufacturers of a console, to the casual gamer who enjoys listening to the show with his girlfriend to learn about games they can enjoy playing together.

The best part of having a podcast is getting to relate, explore and learn with - and from - our audience!

What is unique about your show?

Jay: What’s unique about our show is the chemistry that exists between Parris and I. He and I are the best of friends in real life, talking to each other at least an hour each day, plus about a dozen emails back and forth. Because we get along so well in real life, we get along really well on the show. And we know how to “read” each other, so that inevitably leads to some hilarious moments. Gaming news can be sterile, but when it’s just two guys talking about it like they would in real life, it leads to an enjoyable show.

Natalie: Achievement Junkie has gone through many transformations, including a
name change, going from weekly to daily episodes, then back to weekly episodes again, and toeven producing a few vid-casts in between. It was important for us to create a gaming podcast where we were engaging with our audience and not talking down to them or assuming they knew all of the insider-gaming terms. Since Nelson is now part of the Gamerscoreblog team, the show has almost become a casual take on what happens behind the scenes in the videogame industry.

Have you kept your show’s unique flavor even after joining the Gamercast Network?

Jay: As far as maintaining our uniqueness after joining the Gamercast Network, that’s a definite yes! In fact, I’d say that we’ve only grown more and more unique as time has gone on. UncleGamer Radio was only 10 episodes young when we were invited into the Gamercast Network. Now, almost two years later, we’re almost at our 100th episode and our listenership is growing with each show. We don’t feel the need to fit into a cookie cutter mold of any kind.

Doc: If anything the GamerCast Network highlights originality. Nobody wants to encroach on another show’s style or sound. It’s an unwritten kinda thing. This keeps everyone pushing out into the gameosphere in different directions, bringing a diverse collection of audience into the mothership where they find the other shows.

Godfree: Yeah, I still have our “urban / gaming” podcast. Gamertag Radio was one of the first podcasts to join the Gamercast Network. Nothing has changed and we’ve always kept it real for our listeners.

Do you discuss topics with other shows to avoid overlap and repetition each week?

Jay: We don’t discuss topics with other shows in the Gamercast Network. We’ve actually never really had a need to. That’s one of the great things about the many shows in the Gamercast Network; all of us have a unique flavor. Sarcastic Gamer, obviously, takes the humorous angle at things. Gamertag Radio keeps it real. Achievement Junkie is blessed with two hosts that have a wonderful banter. Video Game Show has a bunch of people hanging around and having fun. And our show focuses on the debate aspect of things and offering up some very real opinions on gaming news. So even though the slate of gaming news is the same each week, each show does something different with that news, and you get a different experience with each show.

Do you find yourself sharing insider information with the other podcasts or do you keep them as exclusives?

Godfree: Depends. I might help podcasters with advice on how to promote their show but you have to show the community that this work was all you. You have a podcast, so you better make sure not to depend on no one; that’s the biggest problem people face.

Now when it comes with exclusives, that’s just another way for us to promote the show. Gamertag Radio isn’t battling it out with other sites, but you need to show others that indy sites can get the same coverage or “exclusives” as IGN, 1up, and others.

How does your show benefit from membership in the G.C.N.?

Doc: Each show knows that if they ever need anything from the other shows or websites, they can count on their network peers. So far Godfree got us into the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Uncle Gamer helped design our logo, Achievement Junkie got us our first sponsorship, and Chad from the V.G.S. helped with our site. The list goes on. It’s more than sharing audience or traffic; it’s knowing that others depend on you and you can depend on them… even when you don’t see eye to eye.

Godfree: The network is really well known and all of us at G.C.N. promote the shows each week by putting up a 30 second promo so listeners of P.G.R. might go check out V.G.S. just because of us promoting each other. Networking is the key to get your name out there; all of us united can make a huge difference in this community.

How different is it running a podcast as an individual compared to running it as part of the Network?

Godfree: I don’t really run the network but I try my best to help G.C.N. For example, I contacted Eidos to create their first “community day” for Kane & Lynch: Dead Men a few months ago. They hit up all Gamercast Network shows for us to see the game before it came out. We gave our opinions, good and bad, but the point with this is that we were invited as a group.
Now for Gamertag Radio that’s all my staff and I. Each of us has a different talent, such as graphics, writing, recording a show, etc. It’s like Voltron! I can’t do it without my crew.

Why did you join with Uncle Gamer to form Talkingaboutgames.com and how is this different from the Gamercast Network?

Natalie: Achievement Junkie, Uncle Gamer, and JVB (formerly of Podtacular, now a host on the Post Game Report podcast) decided to join forces in January 2008.

Previously each show had its individual website and each of us spent lots of time and energy to maintain and manage our sites, forum communities, and produce audio on a regular basis.

We combined efforts and created Talking About Games, knowing that it takes different skills and talent to create and build an online community, and a place that we hope people can visit to have fun and simply talk about things they enjoy: games.

Taking About Games is a site that supports three different podcasts included in the Gamercast Network, but it’s not its own individual network; it’s simply a landing site to explore, hear, and discuss the shows and what’s going on in the wide-world of gaming.

Do you believe the G.C.N. was the reason you were chosen for the podcasting panel at the Penny Arcade Expo?

Chad: I’d like to think so, but I also know Godfree from Gamertag Radio did a lot of work in getting this panel put together. For that I, and the GamerCast Network, will be in his debt.