Audio

Research

Planning & Production log

W/C 05/01/25

As of writing, we have come up with a name and topic for our podcast. For our topic, we will be discussing “Healthy VS Unhealthy gaming”. This topic will involve the ups and downs of engaging in video games, with a particular focus on mental health. Unhealthy habits and aspects, such as; addiction, microtransactions, toxicity and potentially others. We will additionally focus on the healthier aspects of gaming on mental health. Things such as pattern recognition, cognitive memory and puzzle/problem solving will be mentioned. We would also like to talk about how video games can often inspire creativity and bring people together.

First plans

W/C 12/01/25

The initial test recording had a few technical issues, including the microphone being very sensitive, resulting in a lot of background noise and loud voices. I struggled to convey my thoughts properly, which I also need to work on. The podcast also lacked structure, as some of it felt like we were just bouncing topics randomly. However, we mostly stuck to the plan, even if it felt slightly rushed. Overall, the test recording was okay, but there’s definitely a lot to improve for next time.

What to improve next time:
– More structure (Written plan, rough script)
– I need to try and sound more confident
– Adjust the microphone for less background noise

W/C 19/01/25

Second plan

To summarise the above plan, we will give a brief introduction and talk about our chosen topics, which include; addiction, communities and benefits of gaming. We will end with a quick recap and sign off.

W/C 26/01/25

Recording will continue next week as we are unable to record this week due to absences.

W/C 02/01/25

This weeks recording session was a success. My chosen section to edit is the intro and outro.

Above is a screenshot of my Adobe Audition workspace.

I have finished editing my intro and outro. I achieved this by adding a few effects, cutting out empty sections and adjusting the volume.

Research

My first chosen podcast I would like to reference for this unit is the Friends Per Second podcast on the Skill Up YouTube channel.

As of writing, the newest episode is #86, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GSlzyRfAZo

This podcast is fairly laid-back and casual in terms of the presentation. There are usually three or four speakers on this podcast. From what I can gather, the presenters like to talk about various topics. Gaming news, what they have been playing, show and tell, even the occasional interview.

Alongside this, the presenters also talk about book and movie recommendations. While this obviously isn’t necessarily to do with video games, I like it as it breaks up the pacing a fair amount.

There are very few sound effects aside from the intro, which I like.

Overall, I enjoyed listening to this podcast because it is very casual and it felt more like I was listening to a group of friends hanging out, as opposed to a traditional podcast. While this may not be for everyone, it works well for me. As mentioned, I also like how they even drift away from video games at times. It keeps it all from feeling the same.

Next up is the Trash Taste podcast. While this podcast isn’t specifically centred around gaming, they do have episodes dedicated to the topic. The episode I will be taking a look at is #206, which is rating the most popular games of all time. We Rated the Most Popular Games of All Time | Trash Taste #206

The Trash Taste podcast is a bit like the Friends Per Second podcast, in the sense it’s fairly casual. Although, from what I can gather, the speakers on Trash Taste are a bit less laid-back and slightly more rowdy and loud than Friends Per Second. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, although it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Trash Taste also feels like a group of friends who have gathered together to chat and have a great time. There were no sound effects in the clips I listened to.

I liked listening to the Trash Taste podcast because the speakers were fairly high-energy and entertaining. When compared to Friends Per Second, Trash Taste feels more like I was tuning in for the high-octane speakers and their energy as opposed to gaming news and recommendations. They’re both good, although they do achieve different things.

The last podcast I would like to take a look at is State of the Arc podcast on the Resonant Arc YouTube channel. The episode I am taking a look at is the one based on if you can become “too old” for gaming. Too OLD For Gaming? | State of the Arc Podcast – YouTube

This podcast stars two speakers, Mike Brown and Casen Sperry. The format for this podcast is, again, fairly casual. From what I can tell, the podcast usually focuses on literary analysis and storytelling of video games, which I also find interesting.

Despite being casual, there is a serious undertone to the speakers. I like this because it creates a sense of easy listening while also not being too much.

From the clips I listened to, the speakers would talk about how they don’t “get” gamers anymore, which is something I can somewhat relate to. The podcast even gets a little philosophical at points.

In terms of sound effects, I could hear a light piano track towards the beginning.

There were brief mentions of aspects like gacha systems. This is something I would like to touch on in my own podcast.

Overall, I very much like the State of the Arc podcast, as it feels very casual yet serious and is also entertaining. They also discuss a range of topics.

Out of all the podcasts I looked at, State of the Arc feels the most relevant to what I want to discuss on my podcast. The more personal elements of gaming, as opposed to industry news. (Although this is discussed a bit too)

Reflection

My podcast went fairly well the second time around. I was able to mostly keep the conversations going, albeit with a few stutters which can be edited out.

The subject matter we discussed was quite interesting, in my opinion. The only caveat is to try going more in depth next time.

There are a few things I would do differently next time. I would start with trying to rehearse a bit more. Additionally, I would like to try more preparation beyond rehearsing. Gathering sources such as texts and/or videos based on our chosen topics would have been great.

Listeners may notice that I don’t sound particularly confident in myself or engaged too much in the podcast, which is a big point I need to work on. At the very least, I did manage to work on my general talking skills a small amount during this process.

Overall, the podcast went quite well considering this was my first time doing something like this.

Bibliography

Reference list

Friends Per Second (2024). Friends Per Second | Substack. [online] Substack.com. Available at: https://friendspersecond.substack.com/ [Accessed 28 Jan. 2026].

TVTropes (2022). State Of The Arc (Podcast). [online] TV Tropes. Available at: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Podcast/StateOfTheArc [Accessed 28 Jan. 2026].

Wikipedia (2021). Trash Taste. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trash_Taste [Accessed 28 Jan. 2026].