Most of my friends know me as a veritable encyclopedia of past and present videogame lore. Going to work at a predominantly male establishment has certainly blunted that reputation, but it still exists among my friends, and I still like to think that it's merited.

I subscribe to a lot of feeds, including Kotaku, Joystiq, Destructoid, GameSetWatch, Level Up, MTV's Multiplayer Blog, and other major gaming news aggregators; though they are largely redundant (especially the first three), they each bring a unique perspective to news I can use to inform my own.

But the major source of my gaming industry knowledge, and my major entertainment events of each week, comes from 1Up's podcasts, specifically 1Up Yours and GFW Radio. I've been listening to them for so long now that it's strange to think I don't know the hosts personally. Luke Smith was a favorite of mine; though I thought he might be an asshole in person, I appreciated his insight and humor. Shawn Elliot is my current favorite on both podcasts, for his sense of humor and perspective on narrative vs. story. Shane Bettanhausen is a douche, but a welcome one, as he provides most of the conflict that keeps the show interesting (when a developer isn't on; whenever I hear Denis Dyack, I know I'm in for a developer circle-jerk).

But my favorite was always John Davison, the former Editorial Director. His dulcet tones and even temper are sorely missed on the current 1Up Yours lineup (though Shawn is close). He left to found What They Play, which is a fantastic resource for understanding what kids want to play. And he has a great blog.

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