So you want to be a podcaster, eh?  Well, it’s not as easy as it looks.

“But I have a great personality, you’re probably saying.”  Well, great, glad you’re personality laden.  But there’s something about finding the right flow with a podcast, not just jumping on and saying, “Hey, I’m gonna make this bitch shine.”

I’m not a “pro” podcaster myself.  Not even short.  But I’ve got years of experience with it thanks to some good people who opened the door for me, like Crash from the Gamers Garage and JVB (I guess I’ll thank ol’ baldy, heh) from Post Game Report.  Through them I found out more about the skills necessary to make a podcast better, though I still screw up now and then.

It’s a matter of getting into the ebb and flow of a podcast and feeling like you’re a fit.  There’s nothing worse than a show that drags on with no direction, no real reason to listen.  I’m lucky to have landed in current shows with people that are really great to talk with, like my crew over at the newly formed Furious Fourcast (our first episode just went live) and the nutcases at 2nd Opinion Podcast.  Plus I’ve made stops on The Married Gamers and Electric Sistahood that have been nothing short of fun for me.  (And I’m constantly mention on the Mommy Gamers — how about that?)

Try out a listening to your voice and see what you have to offer before you go all in and register for a podcast.  Maybe sit around and talk with your friends, and give it a live “trial run” to see how it sounds.  Then go for it…but don’t go in there thinking you’ll make mad profits.  You won’t.

It takes a great deal of establishment to build your podcast up to greatness — and NOT just trying to start a KickStarter like Penny Arcade is.  That’s just the wrong way to do it — the audience should come to you, not pander into putting money to become part of the community.  GamerTagRadio has been getting it right for years thanks to its top-notch team, and it addressed this matter even further in its latest episode.

Remember, podcasting takes patience, and it isn’t going to be immediately profitable — or maybe not even profitable at all.  It’s about finding how it fits with you, making the show interesting (and more importantly, keeping it so) and not taking it deadly seriously.

With that, I wish you luck if you decide to dabble in it.  Just please don’t talk about balls.  JVB does enough of that as it is.  DAHHHH.

The funniest shit you will watch all day.  Bill Hader killed it last night as Stefan on SNL.

Frickin’ hilarious.  Big ups to Alex Ryan for sharing.

I do love me some Midnight Resistance tunes.  I need to play this again today.

Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve posted.  I’ve been quite busy between figuring out weight loss, managing a new truck, and, of course, work.  But something’s come up as of late and I just felt the need to address it.

As you might have heard from the social circles, The ECA has selected Gerard “Hip Hop Gamer” Williams to be a brand ambassador for them.  When he was first announced, this news was met with mixed response.  A lot of HHG’s fans and peers were thrilled that he was given the opportunity.  Others, however, fear it’s a decision for the worse…

See, Hip Hop Gamer is outspoken.  Always has been.  He’s always been about having an energetic flow, and goes on the defensive when he sees something he’s so passionately behind get trashed…like the PlayStation Move or Medal of Honor: Warfighter.  (Granted, those aren’t my favorites either, sometimes people agree to disagree.)

Now, the thing is, some of his comments in the past have been very controversial, hard to look past.  There’s no denying it.  His prior use of words like “rape” and “f*ggot” are definitely ugly terms, and the use of a “#shotsfired” hashtag with some statements don’t exactly paint a positive effect on an industry that’s fighting back against video game violence claims.  I’ll admit, I can see why there are some doubters out there.  (And the fact that one of my peers claimed that he called her a “cunt” doesn’t exactly help.)

However, I think some people are going about it a little too far over the top, trashing the ECA before they have all the facts.  Speaking as a guy who’s run into him on a number of occasions and had no problem with him (outside of those Move arguments, heh), the best advice I can give for him is to represent positively.  Obviously, Hip Hop Gamer is gonna be Hip Hop Gamer, but remember who you’re speaking for — the industry as a whole.  This would be a good time for him and the ECA to give their reasoning behind the hiring and what message they’re looking to represent, and focus less on criticizing those who think it was a bad decision.  (And on a side note, HHG, probably not a good idea to ask Geoff Keighley for help.  Just saying.)

However, there are two things I’d like to address regarding this matter.

Number one, calling for a boycott of the ECA before hearing their side of the story and why they think HHG is a proper choice for them is…well, foolhardy.  You’re jumping to conclusions before seeing what the point of it was.  Let’s see what he can do for them, and if proves to be an improper fit, then voice your displeasure.  Obviously people are open to opinions, and I won’t dictate them, but give it a chance first.

Secondly, for those who are fighting Hip Hop Gamer’s critics, keep one thing in mind — most of these people aren’t doing it for the sake of racism.  Granted, I can’t speak for all of Twitter, but most of the opinions I’ve seen are based on Hip Hop Gamer’s approach and personality, not skin color.  Marcus, aka the Annoyed Gamer, casted his doubts about the decision, but did so because he wasn’t sure if HHG would bring a message of positivity.  And not race.  And a few people are in the same boat, judging what he’s done with the past.

With that, let’s see what the ECA says — and more importantly, what Hip Hop Gamer does — before we start casting stones.  I’m not saying what he said should be easily forgiven — though it’s obviously low grade compared to the more heinous acts out there, like murder, child molestation, etc. — but there may be more weight behind the decision than you expect.

And I can say this because I know I’m not the most positive force in this industry.  Far from it.  I’m old, slightly overweight, sometimes say the wrong thing on Twitter (to which Futter acts as my spotter, whether he’s thrilled about it or not, heh) and, of course, drink.  But I think I’ve done quite a bit for my friends and community — maybe too much, as some folks take advantage — and there are those who appreciate me regardless.  So I can totally see that situation of a “square peg trying to fit in a round role” situation.  Thus my need to address it.

Two sides to every story, y’know?

And here’s the second part of my (partial) year in pictures.  You can find more on my Facebook page!

My (partial) year in pictures part one!  Brought to you by good friends, celebs and beer!

1. I enjoyed spending money on a Blu-Ray of Miami Connection than I did with my rental of Lockout.

2. Me and Eliza Bayne would probably have the greatest lunches ever, complete with snarkiness galore.  Can’t wait.

3. I met Orlando Jones at Comic-Con while wearing a pair of robotic cat ears.

4. I was featured on the Destructoid Show’s E3 party advertisement while licking the side of Mr. Destructoid’s head.  Hey, he came onto me first.

5. I can no longer eat turkey legs without a zombie hand attached.  I have Job Stauffer and the Walking Dead team to thank for that.

6. I’d be perfectly fine with a blood transfusion consisting of Chester Cheetah’s Flamin’ Hot Puffcorn.

7. I paid more for my dental work this year than I did on my last car.  YIKES.

8. I do a damn fine job writing “outside the box” on the usual video game coverage.  Note my many examples on TechNewsDaily and Prima Games.

9. I do a killer impression of Marvin the Martian.  A drunken one, anyway.

10. I’m looking more like George Clooney every day.  Note the handsomeness.

11. Tasted some great beers this year.  Even a weird apple brew that went down better than expected.

12. Still interrupt people on certain podcasts.  BECAUSE LISTEN TO MEEEEEEE.

13. Saw my typing speed go up from 95 WPM to 102 WPM with the same level of errors. And I don’t even drink coffee.

14. Video game-related shirts based on the show Community go over extremely well at events.  Must buy seven more.

15. Not having the NHL has more on an impact on my life than expected.  Yesterday I checked my mailman.

16. I can’t get One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” out of my head.  The hammer isn’t helping.

17. I created one of the most popular “horse-bayonet” memes during the political debates.  Refuse to put it on my resume because I used a Mr. Ed image without permission.  Oops.

18. Me and Patrick Scott Patterson need to do an old-school podcast, complete with game trivia where the loser has to do shots.  (I wouldn’t be sore about it, either.)

19. My framed Revenge of the Jedi poster is almost as awesome as my framed Ron Swanson “Don’t half ass two things, whole ass one thing” poster.

20. I’m still a sucker for a good hug.

Airborne Toxic Event is one of my favorite bands this year.  And here’s the main reason why.

On this, Christmas Eve, I thought I’d share some of the highlights and lowlights that have come from my 2012.  There’s a lot that happened this year, so lemme wax nostalgic for a few minutes.  And no, I’m not drunk.

First and foremost, I’m thankful for the health of my family.  Yes, I pick on my sister on Facebook (considering how she humorously treated me in childhood, I call it “payback”) and, yes, every once in a while we get on each other’s nerves.  But I still love my family, thick and thin, and we’re still doing quite well for what we are.  Plus, I tell you, hanging out with my sister and her kids this past weekend was hilarious.  Lots of Christmas cheer between the shoving and cursing (in a good way, ha!).

Then I have to talk about my workload.  As you guys know from a freelance standpoint, work can be tough to find.  But I’ve been fortunate enough to fall into some great gigs in 2012, with more to come in 2013.  Gamerlive.tv is going places under the new name Gamerhub.tv; the GameZone team, headed up by SPLETCHA!, is still doing quite well; Planet Xbox 360 and Planet PlayStation may have gone away, but Eric Bush’s hard work is never forgotten; CBR continues to be a blast, especially during Comic-Con season; TechNewsDaily has become a huge gig for me, and a great place to work; and finally, there’s Prima Games, headed up by a wonderful team and tying me back in with great co-workers like John Benyamine and David Radd.  Pleasure to work with you guys again, even if it’s just email correspondence.  There’s just a comfort to it.  Now on to 2013 and, hopefully, enough money to really get me moving places.

Friends.  I’ve lost a couple this year due to something as small as misunderstanding.  One thought I was harassing her boyfriend online (though it was nothing more than a small joke, it’s funny how a Facebook comment can be misconstrued) and the other a complete fallout with someone I really thought I knew, who turned out to be much, much worse.  That said, I do kind of want to say I was sorry I lost them, though, essentially, I made so many other good friends this year that it more than makes up for their departure.  I’m talking about growing closer to the 2nd Opinion crew (but not Skelly – haha, eew), reuniting with some co-workers from long ago for a great new assignment, running into new faces galore at the events (particularly PAX) and even making a few friends within the industry.  Whoever says journalists can’t be friends with PR is utter bullshit.  I’ve had so much fun hanging around Aubrey, the Square Enix team, the Activision folks, Alex, Stone and Raha over at Ubisoft (along with anyone I’ve forgotten), the Triplepoint “nut squad” (yes, Erin, including you), Kellie from Sega and others, it’s ridiculous.  That’s part of the fun of this job.

With that, I’ll point out a particular few- Patrick Scott Patterson and his wonderful new cultural history video project (which I was happy to be on the debut of, despite my needing a drink).  Emily Jean Royce, who has been nothing short of a delight and I consider one of my closer friends, despite her situation of not having a phone (FIX IT, EMILY).  Chris and Kelly Brown, the Married Gamers, who have become dear friends, despite their occasional smarminess.  Also, don’t ask me to explain Chris’ hair.  I can’t.  Marcia Webb, who I give a lot of shit to whenever I see her, but in truth, is one of the coolest gaming moms I know.  (Now go drink!)  Sara Earl, whom I ran into again in Vegas and got to know real well this year.  (You owe me Dave and Busters, woman!)  There are others as well, including Desirai, Nicole, Kimberly, and so many others.  You all mean more to me than you’ll ever know.

And of course I can’t forget about the long-time friends that I had the pleasure of seeing again, even if ever so briefly.  Jessica Villarreal tops the list, especially after putting up with me at Gamers United.  Heh.  Chastity, Jonathan “Weezul”, Rachel Lara, Raychul, Nikole, Ali, Pink, Blain, Edelita, Amy, Erin, Warren, Kelly “Mrs. Violence” Kelley, Melonie Mac, Jessica Chobot (who stopped everything during an autograph session just to give me a hug – awww), Blair Herter (who asked what I was drinking, like clockwork), Annette, Amanda, and so on.  You guys really do mean everything to me and every time I see you at events, it’s a trip.

Also got to meet a whole bunch of people this year, which was unreal.  Went to the Borderlands 2 premiere party in Dallas and got to meet Randy Pitchford, David Eddings and so many other great people at Gearbox.  Went to Comic-Con and had a drink or two with Emo Phillips, who was amazing, as well as Orlando Jones, who was great in his own right.  Got to meet James Roday and Dule Hill from Psych, Wil Wheaton (high elbow!), Alison Haislip, Dan Amrich, and so many new people as well.  It’s been a trip this year, and the next one will be even better, I feel.

I’ve also gotten to get closer to some people in the industry, and the community that follows.  Danny Pena and his GamerTagRadio team are still some of the best people around; JVB, despite the ridiculous comments on Twitter and Facebook, is still a riot to hang around; Peter Skerritt continues to be one of the sharper analytical minds in our industry, despite his love for karaoke; the Frag Dolls continue to be great female gamers, and I’m glad to know ‘em all; and so many others that do their thing just to have their place here.  Keep at it, guys.  Despite the bullshit with the NRA’s comments and the sad company closures, it’s still a great place to be.

And finally, I gotta talk about this wonderful lil’ thing named Staci.  I got to meet her earlier this year in spite of all the drunken shenanigans that have happened over at 2nd Opinion Productions, and of course, leave it to me to wait until she moves halfway across the world before I start getting to know her better.  TIMING, WORKMAN.  Anyway, she’s made some of my nights over the past few months with our fun little banter, and I’m curious to see what 2013 brings.  Glad you’re around, baby.  <3

Sappy enough?  Anyway, thanks to you guys for a wonderful 2012.  Let’s do it all again next year.  Only this time, um, maybe someone can fly to Denver…?  :D