Topic: Gaming while listening to podcast/book?

Have you ever tried playing a game while listening to a podcast, audiobook or youtube video?

I have games set aside for that very thing and I find that I take in the info significantly better through processes of the brain that I dont know the name of, its to do with doing something familiar while taking on board new information, the new info is stored more easily.

I play mostly forza horizon 5 these days while I do this but I have loads of games that I turn to. It has to be a repetitive game with no dialogue. Racing games in general, tetris like games, classic 3d platformers, arkanoid like games.

Have you ever tried this? What game would you use for it?

@Ironcore
Yeah, if I’m playing a handheld system I like some background noise. Maybe like an arlo or king k video.

@Ironcore I do it all the time, I need to multitask to focus.

Yup, I play Gran Turismo and the F1 games, plus Project CARS 2, while listening to podcasts. It's a great way to multitask. Favourite podcast is "No Such Thing as a Fish".

Listen to music while playing Animal Crossing and a few other games.

Anybody got some good clean podcast recommendations?

This.

@TheJGG same, gran turismo is a go to for me. I will pick a track and car and then just do laps for the entire length of the session in time trials. I read over 20 books on economics this way.

@Ironcore @Snatcher @Kermit1 Holy cow I thought I was the only one that did this!

@Greatluigi @Kermit1 @TheJGG @Ironcore I thought I was the only one who did this as well!

Depends on the game. Unless there's a certain ambience to it which enhances the game I will put on a podcast for some slower single player games but games which are faster paced or are competative I need my own tunes for extra energy. Even games like the DOOM remake filled with testosterone pumping adrenaline tunes (with homages/lifts from thrash titans Metallica and Slayer) are too much weak sauce compared to some of my playlists. 🤘

I'm not keen on the idea of listening to new a tv show or audiobook when playing, if a show or book is worth experiencing them it should be experienced properly and if it's a crud show then I'd just rather not watch it at all than half watch it. I do tend to rewatch shows/movies but that's generally more when I'm working out.

I listen to podcasts or have YouTube videos playing while I game a fair bit, particularly with more relaxing types of games. Lately I've been playing Terraria on Switch and it's a great game to stick on a long podcast or audiobook while mining or building

Normally I would only ever listen to the in-game music/sound effects as I feel it's immersion-breaking otherwise. However, listening to podcasts has very much helped with grinding in RPGs. I enjoyed RPGs, but always hated grinding. The very concept was baffling to me. But one day, I read someone say that they would just put on a podcast and grind for an hour or so, and it made it not just bearable, but actually quite relaxing in and of itself. So that's what I do now if I ever need to grind and it has indeed made it a lot more bearable. It doesn't feel like quite such a waste of time anymore.

I listen to some YouTube videos whenever I play games that aren't story driven, multiplayer, or being played for fun. With the holiday season coming up, looking forward to playing some online games, while listening to Christmas music and sipping cocoa, one of my favorite things to do.

If I'm playing a story driven game, I don't listen as I'm paying attention to a story and enjoy it.

It definitely depends on the game. Generally, if there's no dialogue and the soundtrack for said game is missable or I've heard it a ton, I'll listen to a podcast. For example, both Minecraft and Minecraft Dungeons are great games to play while listening. They're chill, laid back, and don't require a ton of brainpower unless you want them to.

I found that Age of Calamity's side missions can be good for this. That type of enjoyable but ultimately very repetitive and minor content is practically the only times I'd do such a thing, I do consider game audio significantly important to me the vast majority of the time.

In hindsight, I probably should've done this when I went back to Xenoblade 2. But then again, even if I got sick of some of the daytime songs in some places, ignoring a top tier soundtrack wouldn't necessarily be ideal either.

I wouldn't listen to stuff like podcasts/music when playing through a game regularly, but if I'm doing something like grinding or hatching eggs for a shiny, I stick on a bunch of playlists. My go-to's would either be a video of every song in a game (like The Great Ace Attorney for instance) or a compilation of themed songs (like 'relaxing Pokemon music' or 'spooky Halloween themes'). Those sessions can be some of the most chill moments of my week and the music I listen to plays a big part in that. I'm literally listening to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX's soundtrack as I type this for crying out loud! XD

I can’t seem to coordinate the two of you get where I’m coming from. Podcasts are too distracting and game is too distracting for the podcasts.