B-Side: Why Game?

Thanks Robert!

One Life Well Wasted is equal to a year’s worth of any other podcast…

i think i like the B-side of this podcast even better than the original cast. Both are good though…keep up the great work!

Really Awesome show! I love the song, too bad we don’t know who posted that.

I actually forgot something that I should have mentioned in my audio blurb:
I love playing games, because I’m a control freak and the simple operation of pressing a button to make something happen has always been extremely appealing to me. When I was really little, I always switched the light off and on when I was bored, just because I loved the fact that I was flipping a switch and then something happened.

I remember several occasions where I was standing in front of an SNES or N64 demo kiosk as a young boy and even though there was only a demo video playing, I always tried it out and actually several times made myself believe that I was controlling the events on the screen. I still remember the feeling when my Kart in Mario Kart didn’t actually go the way I intended it to go and I realized that it was just a video playing. It was like trying to run through a wall.

Concerning Paris: Unfortunately, I could never find out who made them, but there are really cool mosaics on a few street corners:
http://img.skitch.com/20090528-w2ke3ddde1b1a9x98knckp4m6.jpg
and
http://img.skitch.com/20090528-wj5eh8urdkr9anbxp7e78e8aw.jpg

I don’t think this is a good starting point for a new episode, but you might want to look for them.

I can’t seem to get this via itunes, is it up there yet?

The song made me think of Damien Rice just a little. I felt just a little sad when he said so he wouldn’t have to “look a girl in the eye” though.

I am married with a child and have been for 5 years but I can still relate on some level. We as human beings fear loss, which drives us to avoid contact to remove the possibility of rejection. Games can mitigate that loss because we can control things to an extent and all that is lost is time. Even the time lost is our choice so it isn’t even perceived as lost unless we attempt to place a metric on all the other things that we could have done (thus trying to place a value judgment on theoretical actions).

This concept is even illustrated in the book “Predictably Irrational” in terms of economics. Games to me are puzzles. All of them are solutions with tool sets that I utilize to solve. I feel like I have accomplished something. Maybe I do game more than I would want to, but I am not sad because life should be enjoyed overall. You only have one and it shouldn’t be spent regretting the time you used if you can help it.

At least that is my take in a few pretentious paragraphs.

Awesome episode, I loved hearing the experiences of others.
I thought about this subject a little more and something quite funny popped into my head. If I had to describe one of the reasons I play games using a game as my example i think it would be Psychonaughts, I would be Raz in the hub world surrounded by doors representing an entrance into the mind of the designer and developer, I love exploring whatever they cook up in their crazy heads.

Robert, at the end of the “Gotta catch ‘em all” you mentioned that you interviewed Shawn Elliott but were not able to use it for the episode. I was wondering if that interview, no matter how short or insignificant it may be, could see the light of day in a B-side?

Anyway, love the podcast. It is by far my favorite of the dozen or so that I try to follow.

BTW, can you get some cover art for the podcasts? I admit, I am OCD, but it would be really nice to see the awesome cover that is on the subscribe on all the podcasts (at least the main ALWW).

Your work is a fucking inspiration. Also all the people who sent the inspirational stories are pretty great too.

Damn, but that guy singing sounds like Tyler Barber from (amongst other things) Rebel FM.

Really snappy episode, Robert. I can dig.

I prefer this life affirming tone to the depressing death rattle of that english guy on the A-side.

Once again, brilliantly put together.. I really like that piano track that ended the show, are you guys planning on releasing an LP at any point?

From that spiel at the end it sounds like the future’s bright, bravo!

I have a coworker (and friend) that doesn’t play video games. But I showed him A Life Well Wasted. He loves it. It required me to give your podcasts another listen because he wants to discuss the topics so emphatically.

Too bad I’m going to get fired. He and I were just starting to bond.

Oh wow, very cool B-side! Looking forward to whatever you have planned for the next episode and the site.

Wow that was some heavy shit. I’m talking about the end with the guy and his mom with cancer. Brought a tear to my eyes but only because I went through a similar thing just a couple months later in 2005. My mom passed away in August that year and my scenario was basically the same – aka at one point she became unresponsive and we were all waiting with her. So that segment was touching for me.

But anyway great podcast. Have fun at E3. Thanks for making me cry at work like a little bitch.

Thanks, Justin. That story did bring me down, but every time I hear something like what you went through at such a young age, I am reminded to absolutely cherish every moment I have with my family and friends, and try my best to never waste time or energy with negative emotions, but just try to cultivate happiness and just enjoy life.

And that goes for everyone else reading this, too. Just enjoy life. Enjoy friends and family, okay?

woah great cast!

sucks the guy playing the gaming song was pretty good

Haha, here’s one female listener. Good luck finding more for Ladies’ Night…

Anyway, good episode! I do hope that you find that musician again.

Ah, this B-side brought back memories – all the listener answers were great. More of this type of podcast would be appreciated. Thanks Robert!

I heard you are looking for game cosplayers~ How should I contact you?

Cream of the podcast crop, Please keep em coming. By far some of the most thought provoking gaming podcasts ever.

Is this dead? So Sad.

Awesome stuff man.

I bought your album too. There’s great stuff on there, you talented bastard.

MAKE MORE!

I listened to all the episodes and both b-sides again before I listened to Episode 4.

This is the second time Justin McElroy has made me cry. I’m a big Joystiq podcast fan, and it’s weird seeing another, less comedic side of him like that, but seriously. I bawl every time I listen to that.

And then, when he’s over, silence. “That was A Life Well Wasted.” Fucking chills. I love this podcast.

Major props for this podcast. Really good. Now just get the rest of the artwork prints up and available!!!

Sweeet. I was having one of those “am I wasting my life playing Shadow Complex” moments and then your podcast helped me remember that I’m not. Keep it up.

Robert – keep up the good work. I can’t get enough of your podcasts.

This is a riveting podcast. It’s like the NPR of videogames, only it’s not dull like the majority of NPR shows. The editing is top notch, and the interviews are insightful. Keep ‘em coming!

I’m far too lazy to read through the other comments, but if it hasn’t been mentioned, I’d like to add that Justin McElroy’s segment was awesome. My two favorite podcasts are this and Joystiq’s, and having them both combined made my head explode, for a brief moment. Really neat to hear him IRL (well, sorta) and not making a hilarious joke about Ludwig’s country.

Hey Robert, I’m halfway through this podcast right now. I thought I’d share a fairly unremarkable but relevant little story about where gaming once led me.

I was about 13 years old, hammering through my usual after school gaming session and my dad came into the room and asked me if I wanted to start up some martial arts, presenting me with a Taekwondo leaflet he had collected while he was out. I laughed and asked him why I would want to do that?

It just so happened that my game of choice at the time was Tekken 2. My favourite character was Baek Doo San, whose martial art was, you guessed it, Taekwondo. This gave me second thoughts about attending a class. Sure enough, 5 or 6 years later, I was a 1st Dan black belt of Taekwondo. I even used his combos in sparring (the ones without the glowing power feet of course).

Not a mind-blowing story I know, but felt it was relevant at least