Do you listen to podcasts/videos while gaming?

Unless it involves a lot (and I mean a LOT) of reading, I quite literally cannot do only one thing at a time. I have a video (or rarely a podcast) going basically all hours of the day, usually a Giant Bomb video, as I watch very little conventional television. So when I'm gaming, playing/composing music or writing, there's a video on. Always. In the case that a game is really grindy and can be played mindlessly, I'll actually put on music in addition to the video, doing three things at once. And I dunno, maybe I just have a weird brain, but I've never noticed it having any effect on my ability to retain the information or focus on the game. I think I can switch pretty fluidly in my focus between things, which helps. It's generally a pretty even split in attention, but I can easily focus on one to the complete exclusion of the other, if I have to. But I find that even this is rarely a necessity.

@slag: I agree. I find things way more enjoyable when I focus on one thing.

When I find myself doing this, it’s cause I just want a lot of white noise to block out my thoughts.

@markus1395: Finally, solidarity.

Grindy games like wow or Diablo are perfect for listening to podcasts. I would usually listen to the audio at-least once though and once i bored of it ill switch on a podcast

It really depends on the game. If a game has some grinding sections or long times of doing nothing while traversing the map, I will drop a podcast as company...

Never. Podcasts are what I listen to on my 90 minute round-trip commute to work everyday. Also, I would not play a game if I thought it was repetitive/grindy.

When I play simulation games, I always have youtube playing on the other screen.

I tend to turn off any distracting thing when I need to really focus. For example, if I’m reading something or trying to compose some type of writing that requires some heavy thinking, I have to have it quiet. Likewise, in a gameplay setting, I cant have something on that distracts from the rythm or tone of the game because it feels like I am splitting my attention in two and ruining both. The few times I have managed to blend was when I was playing fast music while engaged in Star Craft II multiplayer sessions. Somehow the music helped me keep my tempo up in the game. But in general, I keep to game sounds/music only. Even during grindy games. But I think it also has to do with the fact that I tend to play games to zone out and that split-focus keeps me from doing that.

Music maybe but I have no idea how people listen to podcasts and game at the same time, much less actually have TV on another screen playing tv shows or whatnot. Whenever I try to play a game, even while mindlessly grinding, and listen to a podcast I tend to lose concentration on the podcast and realize I haven't really been listening for the past 5 minutes because I've been reading these inventory screen descriptions. Then again that might be a personal issue because I'm absolutely unable to listen to audio books for the same reason - I just drift off.

I usually prefer music to podcasts. I don't really listen to any other podcasts than the GB ones, apart from the occasional Waypoint or Shift+F1 podcast. But the principle is the same, games with a lot of grind, games I'm replaying or games that don't really rely on narrative or environmental immersion are all candidates for having music, podcasts or sports events in the background.

Doing two things at the same time is generally a bad idea. I noticed, it creates stress and irritability for me and also takes away precious time to think, observe, reevaluate decisions. Even though I love audiobooks and podcasts, the GB content has gotten much too long and garrulous, also podcast ads are something I learned to loathe especially with Startalk, Radiolab, Idle Thumbs and other podcasts. Signal-to-noise ratio has dwindled significantly over the years, due to confidence, ads, conflict avoidance, new hires and routine. I think they should write more, as writing is an exercise in thought and reflection, while streaming and podcasting is an opportunity to test and share those thoughts. It helps having (new, critical, reflective, observant) things to say, before opening one's mouth.

Activities I consider suited for podcasts: taking a walk, routine drives, few repetitive household chores, weeding any kind of cleaning and maintenance, some exercises. I've done the games and podcasts thing, but neither of the experiences is enhanced by the other. So I'd say podcast games, aren't really worth playing.

I play lots of grindy games, where I have to learn a track and/or tune a vehicle: MotoGP, Project Cars, Nascar, and so on. I never listen to podcasts when I'm in an actual race though, since I need my concentration.

In games like Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator, and No Man's Sky, I always have podcasts or some walkthrough running in the background.

Games that don't have much of a storyline, as with most rogue-likes and puzzle games.

Strategy games too, especially big 4x types, requires something in the background.

I don't use podcast when playing narrative-driven games, like Uncharted, Yakuza 6, Unavowed, Owlboy, and so on.

Depends on the game, I usually do when I'm playing path of exile, Monster Hunter or more recently rounding up side stuff in Spider-Man.

i really like listening to podcasts while playing grindy stuff, like D3, Destiny, poe.

i need more podcasts though, i really only listen to the bombcast.

I find games like Overwatch, Team Fortress 2 and Battlefield are great games to listen to a podcast too.

I actually listen to podcasts while I play multiplayer games (when i'm not with friends) I find it calms me down and I end up doing better weirdly enough. I'll sometimes listen to them with grindy stuff but never games where I actually care about the atmosphere/story. It's like listening to music while watching a movie, I dont understand it.

Absolutely yes. I do believe deep inside that gaming is a waste of time so in order to somewhat compensate it I always listen to interviews, audiobooks or something that I can learn from. I do it all the time.

Never ...I stink at multitasking...I would miss most of the podcast....Only listen when I am driving

Going through MGSV again with the giant bombcast on my google home mini has been a perfect way to detach from the harsh gameplay of Sekiro. But I usually, don't listen to anything external when playing games. I like my immersion where I can get it.

When I'm digging deep into a wrestling title's creation suite a podcast or custom playlist is a must.

Really wish Spotify would let you access your podcast library on the PS4 app.

When I'm doing space-trucking or exploring in Elite: Dangerous I'll listen to something, but that's pretty much it.

I have only not listen to something else for a handful of games and because of it I couldn't really tell you much of the story in most of the games I've played. I do try to pause whatever I'm listening to during cutscenes and story heavy moments, but sometimes I just can't be bothered. Besides missing out on story it also means that in games like csgo I have my volume turned down so low I can't hear foot steps and stuff that lets you know where people are. At the end of the day I just get bored of playing most games without something playing in the background

Almost always, yes. I find it is the best way to consume information. I also try to be efficient since all of us have a limited life span. Using https://github.com/igrigorik/videospeed has enabled me to listen to wayyy more content. MOAR KNOWLEDGE!

twitch.tv/patchryan

Doing this just means I have a bad time playing the game and miss stuff from the podcast or video so no.

I always have a podcast or GB vid going, but I'll always pause for a cutscene unless I'm replaying a game and I've already seen it.

The Division 2 has really been helping me get through my podcast backlog. Thanks, Ubisoft!

i make it a point to play things on my steam backlog that aren't story heavy or even really have any dialog while while listening to podcasts. with my last job i started listening to a good few a week so it spoiled me with the time to listen to things so its been hard to let go of the banter you get.

As someone who plays a lot of grindy games like Diablo, WOW, Destiny, Division etc, I have some podcast/music/tv series playing along side most of the time.

For me it's always, but only because most of the games I play alot are games that are easy to play without paying attention to the music/sounds. So Civilization VI, Stellaris, War Thunder, 7 Days To Die, Crusader Kings III, and the like are that way for me because I can still listen to a podcast without needing to listen to the game audio and can play along.

When I do play a story heavy game I don't play podcasts then.

I listen to podcast only with games that, during normal gameplay, have little to no narrative or audio. Games such as Minecraft, Factorio, Satisfactory, etc. These games' music is very low-key if enabled, and most audio is just ambient sound effects. You can play for hours just building something - so they work well for just listening activities.

I'm a terrible multi-tasker in both a physical and mental sense so I have tried to do this, but simply cannot ever manage to enjoy either the game or what I am listing to while attempting both.

Similarly, I have an impossible situation with Audiobooks because I can't seem to focus on them alone without distractions and yet I also cannot absorb any information if I am occupying myself with a task during my listen.

The rising popularity of video podcasts has actually allowed me a format that I can effectively pay attention to. And yes, most of my teachers in school absolutely hated me for not being able to absorb information in class without a visual component.

@big_denim: This all just speaks to the generation of split attention. The type of people who cant watch a movie and say its slow-paced after 5 minutes opens their phone and when the movie ends say its lame. etc. I tend to get into the rythm of constant stimuli and noticed lately its not good. I play games less cause of it and get bored of everything in 5 minutes. Before i know it the days over and i did nothing but look at short memes. This is the generation of watch a trailer for your movie trailer so i guess were all practicing ADHD 2020.

The only time I did it was in Euro Truck Simulator where part of the experience is listening to the radio while driving. In most other cases, I feel like I would be tainting the intended experience.

For stuff like WoW and MTG Arena, sure! Helps to break up the monotony.

Interesting to read all the different takes on this thread. I'm definitely in the camp of listening to podcasts during more repetitive/grindy/mechanical games. I can relate to the person that said deep down games feel like a waste of time so listening to podcasts gives me the illusion I'm being more productive.

Where I draw the line though is playing games while having a second screen with video/netflix etc. Can somebody explain to me how that works? Your eyeballs can't look at both at the same time. Maybe I'd put some movie on that I've seen twenty times in the background at most but then I'm really just listening to the audio. Having two screens with video content/gaming almost makes me think its a psychological coping mechanism to make it feel like you have people around you?

@judoboy: I don't really do video much anymore, but when I did it was often a combination of a game that you didn't have to pay that much attention to AND watching something that you didn't have to pay attention to, so I'd just sort of flick back and forth. The prime example for me was sports. Sports have long commercial breaks and long breaks during the action (think in between downs in football or visits to the mound in baseball) and it was easy to focus on the game during those periods.

As for the game, it would obviously be something with a lot of downtime and low focus periods. So I would never do that while playing an online vs. FPS or a fighting game, but think MMO or open world game. In old MMOs there was a lot less fast travel and if you were a mana class you'd have to literally sit around and meditate for mana, which involved doing nothing. So it was easy to half watch a baseball game (you get instant replay for any of the big plays anyway) and also do random chores in the MMO, or just watch while meditating. The same is true of a lot of open world games. If you're hunting down shards in infamous or grinding in an RPG or whatever it's pretty easy to play while only looking at the screen like 1/3 to 1/4 of the time. You're not going to play well but who cares if you crash your car in GTA or whatever while on the way to your destination? Zero consequences.

If it wasn't sports it might be a Sitcom episode I've seen a thousand times where I can watch it in short spurts because I know everything that happens in between. Seinfeld is really good for that.

It's sort of a way to zone out and clean up cheevos or grind levels or commute in games. Heck in old school MMOs it might take 25-30 minutes to get where you were going, with very little to do along the way, so it was pretty easy to watch an episode of something while doing it.

Remember that there are people who watch movies and stuff while they drive IN REAL LIFE. I think those people are absolute lunatics (remember what I said about no consequences for crashing in GTA? Not true in real life!) but they exist and they mostly get by because they can pay enough attention to a road they've driven hundreds of times to not crash... most of the time.