Welcome to GamePlay, GameSpot's audio panel show in which editors and guests discuss the latest news and demonstrate their gaming knowledge and intuition.
GameSpot GamePlay Episode 1: Martha Stewart Shivving
So here we are at last: a new GameSpot podcast! Can you believe it? Taking a cue from our favorite British panel shows on TV and radio, we bring you GameSpot GamePlay. Each week, we recap recent news and test our panelists' wits and knowledge, probing their minds (just their minds--not anything untoward here) to find out just what makes them tick.
This week's highlights? Electronic Arts and Tom Mc Shea both declare the NPD's irrelevance, we discuss the merits of a Crime and Punishment game, and Shaun tells us what really happened to Martha Stewart in prison.
A quick note regarding iTunes and RSS feeds: It takes time for Apple to approve a new podcast. In the meanwhile, you can use this RSS feed to receive new episodes of GamePlay. We'll let you know when our iTunes feed is ready and working!
Kevin VanOrd is a lifelong RPG lover and violin player. When he isn't busy building PCs and composing symphonies, he watches American Dad reruns with his fat cat, Ollie.
You guys need to put the Game Play podcast under the culture tab up there. The Hot Spot has been gone for a while now. I like this website, but trying to find the newer video casts or a podcasts is nigh impossible. Looking at the url this podcast is supposed to be under "features"...what the hell guys?
Um, yeah, this. Seriously guys, I have to resort to Google to find your new podcasts, because there just isn't a good way to navigate to them. Why go through the work of putting them up and then make them so hard to find?
@Kevin VanOrd The show is slowly growing on me and the intro tune is pretty nice. Keep bringing in interesting guests. I do have one huge gripe concerning the technical side of the show, though. If you don't have any control over this, please pass it on to the person who does. Thanks. So here goes. Every other episode is encoded differently. This wouldn't be that big of a deal, if some of the episodes weren't encoded at 22kHz sampling rate. For a podcast, this is a bad idea. Reason: lack of vocal clarity. No one does this for a podcast, it's too low grade. Write this down: 64-80kbps @ 44kHz, MONO (using Stereo is redundant since all the channels are mixed to be in the middle). End of story.
One more thing. How does one find the page of the show without searching "gamespot gameplay"? It's supposed to be under Features. How do I get to Features from the front page of the site? To make matters worse, "Gameplay" is listed under the Video tab, which has little to do with the show (it's actual game play footage ;) ). It should be listed under CULTURE, where the Hotspot already so neatly sits, despite it being defunct. Oh the irony. All this applies to Quoted for the Truth. The Web team needs to get their sh*t together, seriously.
Glad we have a podcast back, and its good Kevin is doing his own thing with it too...But a lesser focus on trivia and a return of some hotspot segments like Reviews, News, Homework, ect. would not go amiss
I don't understand why any company would want to pay for NPD numbers. Once I learned that NPD did not track Walmart it was clear that those numbers had little merit.
It's just like Neilsen's tracking of TV viewers in the age of internet and Netflix. The numbers are too inaccurate.
Also, I am not liking the trivia. It slows down the podcast so much when I have to listen to people stumble over answers to trivia questions instead of just talking about gaming news (and whatever special segments the podcast adds). Don't forget that every other question will have someone make a joke answer for the sake of adding forced humor. That will get annoying very fast.
Great show, special thanks to Kevin for being an awesome host. I always liked it when he hosted the Hotspot, few they were. Could you bring back the review's part and where the editor was challenged about the good/bad points they made about their review?
That being said, I still enjoyed the show very much and looking forward to more.
Thanks Kevin, I really enjoyed the show. It encompass the news and quiz segments of the old Hotspot. Also, I don't miss the review chapter as, in the old show, it never evolved in a discussion of the game but rather a recap of the review article, which I always thought to be redundant.
If I could give you a suggestion, interviews and editorials would be great on a podcast. The later would work nicely if it actually pushed some discussion. Perhaps a segment in where we could listen to a debate leaded by two persons with different opinions and so on.
Gamespot is a great site but I can find news and reviews anywhere in the web. You have a team of talented editors. Let me listen their opinions. That would be make my commuting much more interesting.
@Ronaldo27 I think that the review recap was always valuable because it had them articulate thoughts about the game that often might be outside of the bounds of the written review. On top of that, typically the hosts would question them (or they would choose to elaborate themselves) on very specific and interesting points regarding the games in question.
It's always nice to hear what they have to say about it in a candid setting
@VGJunky You are right up to a certain point. There was some discussion but, in most cases, was lead by someone who played the game and some curious fellows. I would rather have a debate mode, in which it would lead into a discussion that would transcend the review.
This is so much like ESPN's "Around the Horn." I like the format though but it's even funnier on video. It was a fun podcast overall. I like what this brings as well as what "The Hotspot" brought.
Why not get some Giant Bomb faces on board with this! They are right next door and are really knowledgeable (as well as having written some of the reviews 10 years ago this week, hahaha), would be funny if they recognised their writing.
@404FredNotFound if there were more people that felt similarly, we would certainly consider it. One of the reasons we decided to start something new was that the audience for the Hotspot just wasn't very big any more.
@jwhdavison I'll chime in and say I was a huge fan and audience member of the HotSpot. Would love to see it's return. That being said this show is a fun approach to a podcast as well.
I could be in the minority, but a videogame trivia podcast isn't very interesting to me. I really prefer the old Hotspot format (discussing news and opinions about current events). How about having the trivia portion be just a small part of the podcast? It seems like most videogame media outlets are trying to go away from the news/opinion format, so in actuality that format actually seems different.
@Kevin-V Actually, I have you in great regard. At least, I can relate with any gamer that enjoys rpgs, lacks hair, and plays violin. It was a good show. I placed my opinion somewhere above this commentary.
Hardly rock-bottom, you have some redeeming qualities, but some fresh insights like Max would be welcome. You have to admit, just the name Maxwell Mcgee is pretty eye catching, and it rolls of the tongue well.
It's awesome to see a new podcast from you guys but to be honest I don't like the new 'quiz' format - it just doesn't do anything for me. I'd prefer you guys just talk casually about games like you used to on the HotSpot - first some news and your take on them, then the topics of the week, etc.
2 Like 
