Isometric is Greek in origin, and means "equal in measure". Although the term itself is likely foreign to a lot of people, it's place is everywhere in our environment and in many of the games we play, laying out a grid upon which we can build worlds. It was a mostly alien word to me, even though one of my favorite Facebook games was on an isometric grid, until the podcast Isometric - one of my favorite podcasts. Loosely centered around gaming, Isometric has four component parts which make it unique.
- The originator and center of chaos around which the podcast rotates, Brianna Wu, the co-founder and CEO Giant Spacecat, which released the awesome video game Revolution 60, available on iOS and coming soon to a computer near you. In the wake of the success of Isometric, Wu began a second, all female podcast called Rocket which focuses on geek culture in general. She brings the unique perspective of a developer, as well as her activist and journalistic history to the table. Her opinions are clear and unambiguous, but more than any of the other hosts she's shown a willingness to rethink her opinions and change her mind based on a solid argument or additional information on a topic.
- The "voice" of "reason", Steve Lubitz, who usually does the introductions and is often the most grounded of the hosts. Father of three, Steve brings both a man's and a father's perspective to the table, as well as the perspective of someone who is a longtime fan of games without ever being part of the professional gaming world.
- The giggle and purveyor of Hand Turkeys is Georgia Dow, a psychoanalyst, Senior Editor and writer at Mobile Nations, as well as a participant in another podcast, Vector. Dow brings a psychological perspective to the table, as well as the perspective of someone who would lurk in the grasses, waiting for hours for the moment to strike. She also brings the silly, and the mustaches. She was supposed to be the sweetest and most gentle, but now we're not that sure.
- The hardcore gamer of the group is Maddy Myers, who is also a professional games journalist, Assistant Games editor at Paste Magazine, and Samus* in a hysterical video series. She is most outspoken about her changing perspective on being a woman in gaming, and on feminism and femininity in general.
The first episode is a must-listen, and you will be able to figure out pretty quickly if it's the podcast for you! The thing which amazes me is that the first episode is essentially the first time everyone is meeting each other for the first time - Wu pulled everyone together and the chemistry and fun was immediate. What I like most about Isometric is how it sounds like a bunch of friends I'm getting to know just chatting about gaming. Serious and silly melt together almost seamlessly, each of them balancing out the other. Several episodes after Isometric began, a massive misogynistic backlash against women in gaming began, and Isometric offered up a unique perspective on ground zero of the fallout. It also is simply fun; when I've had a hard day, or I'm feeling down, I'll often cue up one of the recent episodes to listen and giggle along. There's even a video of their first public appearance together at PAX East, complete with panda hats, mustaches, games involving plushies, and hilarity. I hope you will love them as much as I do - so please check them out!
*For people who may not know, Samus is the main character of the Metroid series of games.
( More Sunday Squee here. )
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