GFW Radio: 2006-2008

"Hello and welcome to GFW Radio podcast..."

I know I'm a little late to the farewell party, but I had neither the time nor the correct mindset to write something serious and laudatory (as opposed to my typical sardonic and cynical outlook on all things). While trying to come up with kind words for GFW Radio podcast and the unique personalities that shaped the show over its disappointingly short lifespan, I came to realize that I'm honestly no good at writing down kind words. If a distantly-related 8 year-old nephew kicks a field goal in his AYSO game, I can muster up a "way to go there, champ", but that's pretty much the extent of my congratulatory abilities.

Nevertheless, I will do my best to give credit and thanks to where credit and thanks are due. Besides, if I'm going to field a career based on my skills (or lack thereof) as a writer, I'm going to need to broaden my horizons.

GFW Radio, then, is as good a candidate for praise as anything else I've come across in my life. I started listening to GFW Radio on a whim, seeing as how it was associated with the 1up Yours podcast, a show I had just started listening to. I'll be honest; like many other first-time listeners, the "Games For Windows" tagline threw me off. It was when I heard Shawn Elliott mention Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel And Dimed during their conversation that I knew I was listening to something special. After I came down from my cultural-elitist high, I started to appreciate the podcast for what it was; a damn fine gaming podcast that didn't abide by anyone's rules.

1up.com and EGM have always had a reputation for being tough reviewers, and the former cast of GFW was no different. Individually intelligent and collectively brilliant, the minds behind GFW Radio were skilled writers and thinkers first and foremost, and gamers a very close second, a group of enthusiasts that were always the first to actively praise forward-thinking innovation and skeptically call poor game design into question. Oftentimes, an expansive and thought-provoking discourse on integrity and creativity in not only gaming but the journalistic outlets dedicated to the development and final results of games started off deceptively simple enough, beginning with a topic already exhausted on numerous other gaming sites and publications. One podcast that stands out in my mind is the staff's discussion on Jeff Gerstmann's summarily being terminated from Gamespot for a negative Kane And Lynch: Dead Men review, wherein the staff covered not only past examples of PR and marketing strong-arming but also their ideas on journalistic integrity in general.

GFW Radio was smart podcasting, but the personalities that dictated it always had an endearing tendency to stray from their "scripts", with their tangents ranging from comic book recommendations to low-brow humor in the form of "Heroes Of The Web," a segment that will be sorely missed by numerous GFW Radio followers. Shawn Elliott was as skilled a humorist as he was a strong discussion leader when needed, and his numerous hilarious alter-egos such as Ralphie and Whiskey Nerd served to remind us time and time again that the internets really aren't as serious business as many of its denizens might consider it.

With a strong mix of intelligence and humor, GFW Radio's candidness and appreciation of fans served as the icing on the proverbial cake. Tuning into their weekly podcasts was like listening in on a conversation between good friends who had no problem ragging on each other with a brand of humor that only people with the strongest of relationships have access to. From Jeff Green's inability to cite the correct date and year in almost every introduction to Shawn Elliott mercilessly teasing Ryan Scott's love of the DC Comics series Booster Gold, the podcast was lined with a genuine and good-natured chemistry that made each episode, no matter how stale or unexciting the material, a joy to listen to. In addition, the staff at GFW never forgot about the fans, giving on-air shout-outs to listeners who sent them candies from around the world, or airing a PC game-free podcast to express their disappointment with the cancellation of the eponymous magazine and to extend heartfelt apologies to any listeners that started a subscription within the year. Although the GFW staff never made any excuses or apologies for their sometimes strong opinions on popular games, they always made sure the listeners knew where they were coming from in a mature, honest, and respectful manner.

On a personal note, GFW Radio was an inspiration of sorts. Although I do believe games have a while to go before they can be considered art in the same way literary classics are required reading before dying, the staff at GFW opened my eyes to the role gaming journalism might play in nudging game development towards that direction, as both its most heartfelt critic and skepctical proponent. The overall, unifying theme I've gathered from listening to every single episode of GFW Radio? Always demand the best out of yourself and others around you, and for fuck's sake, don't take things in life too seriously.

I'm keeping this dedication short, as I'll let the outstanding quality of the podcasts speak for themselves. Jeff, Shawn, Ryan, Robert, Anthony, and Darren and Sean, I hope you continue kick ass and take names in whatever career path you carve out for yourselves. As long as you guys continue to demand the same output of quality in your work, you will always have loyal fans like myself.

Long live the motherfuckin' Brodeo.