Hello and Welcome

For my first blog post, I couldn't think of a better way to start than by quoting Jeff Green and just saying "Hello, and Welcome" to Frigid Gamer. I know the name of the blog is pretty generic, but it fits well as a) I live in Fargo, ND and b) I plan to write about games. This post isn't going to blow any minds, it's just here to get something down, but I have one brief thought to put down.

Something that has struck me is that, for me, podcasts have quickly become my most used and most relied upon source of gaming information, especially when it comes to reviews. Listening to the guys on 1up Yours and the dearly departed GFW Radio gave a much clearer insight into who the editors are as gamers, and so a much clearer angle for the listener as to whether or not you're going to buy into their opinion. On top of that, you also get a much more frank opinion as well as feeling their excitement. A specific example of when podcasts affected what I play is when Soul Calibur 4 came out, it got a lot of jaw time on my favorite podcasts which lead me to pick it up (and I was very glad I did.)

Much more could be said on the subject (and probably will be later), but since this is just a quick post from the office, I'll end with one last thought on the subject. It seems to me that podcasts could become a much stronger segment of the gaming press, and the site to really nail the marketing and presentation of podcasts could find a very strong niche, and right now it seems like 1up is in the best position to make something of this, but something that will need to be considered as part of future hiring practices in the industry is not only interest in games and writing capability, but also whether the individuals have personalities that people will be interested in listening to/viewing and their capability to express their opinions audibly. Right now there are a lot of podcasts out there, but very few that really nail the presentation and personality, and once someone both gets it right and gets it out there they could have something big.