Going Game By Game

There are no shortage of podcasts out there. Heck, we’ve got plenty of our own right here on Geekade. But, one podcast has been something of an inspiration to me lately, and it just reached its milestone 100th episode. That show is The Atari 2600 Game By Game Podcast.

What is this show, you ask? Well, it’s a podcast wherein a gentleman named Ferg talks about every Arati 2600 game that ever was, one at a time. That’s right, every single game, no matter how small, crappy, or inconsequential, gets its moment in the spotlight. Of course, big hits like Adventure and Pac-man get a little more time on the air, but what’s so respectable about that is it’s only because there’s so much more to talk about. No matter what the game, he gives it the same respect as everything else.  Every episode is incredibly informative, too.

The titular Atari 2600
The titular Atari 2600

Ferg takes the time to delve into as much history as is available for every game he talks about. He throws technical specs that he admittedly doesn’t always necessarily understand in too, and just for good measure, each episode is peppered with sounds from whichever game is being discussed. Each episode is equal parts educational and fun, and truly worth listening to if you have any love for retro games. What makes all this so impressive, at least from my point of view, is that Ferg does it all solo. This is a one man podcast. No co-hosts. While he does seem to have a wonderful support structure, this is a passion project for him, and that’s what I found most inspiring.

I recently started my own solo podcast about a subject that I’m passionate about in the form of the WaveBack Music Podcast. I’ve always wanted to do something that gave me the opportunity to share my often ridiculous love of video game music with people, but the thought of just taking the plunge and doing it myself had never occurred to me. Then I heard about this crazy man doing a one man show discussing every Atari 2600 game ever, and I realized that the only thing stopping me was me. After a week or so of listening to Ferg, I went ahead and started WaveBack. I’ve never been happier.

Ferg has clearly inspired others.
Ferg has clearly inspired others.

There’s a very clear evolution in his style as the show goes on, which is great to listen to. He starts off as rather shy and charmingly awkward, but over time, you can hear him getting more and more comfortable behind the mic. That said, he’s just as humble as he was when he started. This guy truly appreciates every single person who listens to his show, as is evident by the fact that he reads pretty much every email, facebook post, and tweet he receives on the air and thanks everyone individually. As a listener, I appreciate that very much. As a fellow podcaster, it inspires me to be better at what I do. Like I mentioned before, Ferg just hit his 100th episode, wherein he performs a very interesting interview with the one and only David Crane. The game in question was Pitfall!, and it might be his best episode yet.

The Atari 2600 Game By Game Podcast is available on iTunes, as well as pretty much anywhere podcasts can be found I’m not the only one who was inspired by this show, and as a result, there are more retro game podcasts out there than ever, but The Atari 2600 Game By Game Podcast is the place to start. Ferg has done something wonderful, and I can’t wait to listen to what happens next. I’ll definitely be there when he does Midnight Magic! I love that game.

Kris Randazzo

Kris is the Content Supervisor of Geekade. As an avid consumer of all things video game, Kris spent his formative years collecting cartridges, CDs, discs, and assorted paraphernalia in an effort to amass a video game collection large enough to kill an elephant. He works with Stone Age Gamer, writing for their blog and hosting the Stone Age Gamer Podcast right here at Geekade. He's also the host of the WaveBack Podcast, co-host of This Week's Episode, and can occasionally be found in the pages of Nintendo Force Magazine.

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