For Your Listening Pleasure

I'm a bit between games at the moment, so I thought that this week I would focus on something peripherally gaming related--what I like to listen to while I play.  Now, I don't play anything competitive, multiplayer, or probably even remotely "cool," so my personal preferences tend to veer into the decidedly casual realm.  I've posted before about my favorite video game soundtracks, but my favorite thing to listen to are podcasts.  Mostly I do this if I'm re-playing something--and really, it's only for casual, more management oriented games.  PowerWash Simulator does not have any in-game music, so it's one of my favorites for just chilling with a podcast.  Here are my top 5 recommendations for podcasts to listen to while you kick back and relax!

#5:  Love, Janessa

This is a fascinating story about the world of online romance scams--something that I had heard of, but knew very little about.  The reporting is great and it focuses on many aspects related to these scams--the people who fall for the scams, the scammers themselves, how the scams work, and most interestingly, one woman whose images have become synonymous with this particular scam.  The only downside is that it's a one season affair.  (Link: Love, Janessa)

#4:  The Dropout

Maybe I just like scam stories, but this is another great one.  It focuses on the story of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of an early 2000's Silicon Valley startup that claimed it was going to revolutionize the world of blood testing.  Holmes claimed that her company had created a device that could do full blood testing with only a single drop of blood.  Some very big name investors basically started throwing money at her company and she quickly became the face of "girl bossing."  Let's just say that claiming to have created a device and actually having a working device turned out to be a huge problem that eventually led to the downfall of Ms. Holmes.  The upside--Hulu made a series based on this story (with the same name), that's actually pretty good.  (Link:  The Dropout) 

#3:  Serial

Serial is the OG of the podcast genre and it deservedly has maintained its status as one of the best.  Each season focuses on a different, well reported story.  It originally began as an investigation into a murder case, but subsequent seasons focus on issues and stories related to suicide, cold cases, drug abuse, and personal relationships.  Some seasons are better than others, but most of the stories they do turn out to be interesting.  My personal favorite seasons are S-Town and The Retrievals.  (*S-Town does deal with suicide, so a note of caution there) (Link:  Serial)

#2:  Handsome

This is a new podcast hosted by three hilarious comedians--Fortune Feimster, Tig Notaro, and Mae Martin.  The premise is that each week a celebrity friend asks them a question that they will answer.  The celebrity questioner will also eventually answer, but that's not the focal point of the podcast.  The questions range from silly to fairly deep and reflective.  In reality, the three hosts spend about 10 minutes talking about the question and the other 50 or so just being their hilarious selves and talking about whatever they feel like.  Fortune Feimster is hilarious and does a lot of singing--you'll definitely find yourself chuckling throughout the episode.  It has a decidedly LGBTQ vibe, so if that's not your thing, maybe pick something else.  (Link:  Handsome)

#1:  Criminal

Don't let the name fool you--this isn't just another "true crime" podcast.  Criminal focuses on the stories around crime--the legal system, police, what should be considered a crime, funny stories of people breaking the law, and so many more.  The host, Phoebe Judge, has the perfect podcast hosting voice...it's shockingly good.  The best part--it has been around since 2014, so there is a big backlog of episodes and they're all very good.  One of my favorite, most thought provoking episodes dealt with a group of mostly older women who travel around the United States basically assisting suicides (again, a warning that some of the content might be upsetting for some folks--assisted suicide is something that's pretty controversial in the U.S.).  Other stories are much more lighthearted and fun.  (Link:  Criminal)

There are plenty of other good ones out there, but these five are some of my favorites.  The next time you're feeling a little bit tired of the in-game music or wanting to listen to something engaging while you play, consider picking one of them and giving it a go.  Happy podcasting!