Level Up with the Vidjagame Apocalypse Podcast

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The geekdom of today has a following for each subgenre that falls underneath its umbrella, and that includes video games. Gaming has become a national pastime; it isn’t stigmatized like it once was, and the industry is bigger than ever. It’s not surprising that they have been invading the podcast realm for some time. But after digging through video-game podcasts for years, I have found only one that I can stand to listen to.

Vidjagame Apocalypse (VGA) consists of three hosts—Mikel Reparaz, Chris Antista, and, more recently, Matt Allen—discussing their love for the craft. The show has several segments, but the most interesting is the very first one: the weekly top five. For a show that has been going for several years, its topics have stayed surprisingly fresh. One recent episode highlighted Games of the Decade, with each host picking five games they feel were the best of the 2010s. The biggest difference between VGA and other video-game podcasts is that the hosts don’t just focus on game news or new releases (though those are segments in the show as well) but also discuss an array of video games. Even if it’s a genre you don’t like, it’s still interesting to listen to.

If you aren’t into long podcasts, VGA may not be for you. The “top five” segment lasts at least an hour, and the show as a whole is over two hours long. Most of the time, I skip the last segment completely because it’s about the community answering a question that the hosts pose every week at the end of the show. The worst part is playing audio clips that people have sent in because it can drone on for a while. It’s okay to have a community segment—it shows that you care about engaging fans of the show. It’s just so lackluster compared to the rest of the show.

The host themselves seem excited to talk about the topics at hand, but it’s a double-edged sword. This can lead to very long conversations that have less and less to do with the topic at hand. For example, one episode’s top five is about different representations of the devil in video games, and this led to a long rant about religion. Some of them, I’ll admit, are pretty entertaining, but they can also be exhausting.

Let me be clear, though: Vidjagame Apocalypse is still one of the most entertaining, offbeat, hilarious podcasts that I have ever listened to. The hosts have had extensive experience in the video-game industry, and their passion for their craft goes into every episode. The interactions are some of the most fantastic examples of what good podcasting is. There isn’t the sense of superiority that often plagues other podcasts, and as a female gamer, I don’t feel like my opinion is invalid. Also, unlike IGN’s Podcast Beyond or Giant Bomb, it doesn’t feel overproduced.

Vidjagame Apocalypse will probably appeal more to older gamers due to a lot of references to past games and pop culture in general. However, I feel like there is something for everyone here.