What’s Good Games

I love reading. I love fantasy books and poetry and horror and essays and history, but I really hate finishing a good book and having no one to talk about it with. Honestly, I don’t even need someone who has read the book (though that is always nice), I just want someone who also loves books to let me geek out with them. This is how I ended up on the phone with my ex gleefully explaining the genius of The Outsiders when he finished it; then I remembered that I really don’t like him. A much healthier way to discuss things you love with like-minded people is to start a podcast. At least, that’s what I learned from the creators of What’s Good Games.

Andrea Rene, Brittney Brombacher, and Kristine Steimer are the hosts of What’s Good Games, a podcast about all things gaming and nerdy. “What’s Good Games is a weekly podcast where we discuss and analyze topical video game news, chat about video games we’ve been playing and give our impressions, and then we do a feature segment where we highlight a special guest or feature a special topic,” Andrea explained. With so much to talk about, the shows are a solid length of one to two hours.

What’s Good Games was born out of the realization that there wasn’t a great way for the hosts’ voices to be heard and that they really wanted a place to discuss their deep love for video games. Just to explain a bit, I’m not talking about three women that just mess around with Mario Kart after work. The What’s Good Games hosts are all active in the industry with a wide range of jobs from hosting websites to reporting news to working for IGN or PlayStation. These are women who know what they’re talking about, so if you’re looking for some quality conversation, this is the place.

Each of the hosts grew up playing video games and their experience in the industry makes them well-suited to making a podcast, but that doesn’t mean it comes easily. With each of them living in different cities along the West Coast, getting everyone together to record content is difficult. But Andrea said that “when we finally do get together, conversation usually flows pretty easily because we have been friends for so long and we all share an equal passion for the video game industry.” With podcasting, conversation is key, and What’s Good Games has that down pat.

Beyond the difficulty, though, is the joy of getting to make the show together. Brittney cited getting to work with close friends on the show has been one of her favorite parts, also saying that “to start something from nothing and grow it into what it is, to collaborate and put our heads together,” has been a highlight. The connections with each other have been great, but Andrea also pointed to getting to know their audience as another highlight because it means seeing that their work is affecting people in positive ways.

The trio of hosts is excited to keep making great content and expanding their audience, as they all get excited when they hear from a new listener who relates to them and their work. So, if you want to hear about what’s happening in the video game world, thoughts on games that have been released, or are looking for a community of fellow video game lovers, check out What’s Good Games and leave a review to tell us what you think!