The Instance Podcast Review
The Instance Podcast-
Site – theinstance.net
“The #1 rated and award winning weekly podcast for lovers of World of Warcraft. Hosted by Scott Johnson & Randy Jordan, The Instance is home to the latest news, rumors, and people from the thriving WoW community.” – According to http://frogpants.com/podcasts/the-instance/ (owned by the Host, Scott Johnson).
Background
I listened to the instance podcast for my review this week. I have been an infrequent listener of this one over the last 2 years. I will typically start listening again when I run out of podcasts to listen to or sometimes out of sheer curiosity of what is new with them. The Instance is one of 3 podcasts I listen to that Scott Johnson produces. I listen to App Slappy, Film Sack, and The Instance.
What I Liked-
The instance is one of the best podcasts to get someone that is new to the World of Warcraft podcast circuit. Most of the Wow podcasts out there will structure their format to one similar to the Instance. I think at heart most of the podcasts want to emulate the success of what Scott Johnson has done with this show. The information covered is very topical but not just a re-reading of what mmo-champion is reporting. There is obviously a huge community that follows The Instance and their contributions to the show add a lot of content. The production of the show is absolutely top notch. The general “Flow” of the podcast is seamless for the most part. It typically doesn’t hit awkward silences and the hosts stay on topic fairly well. If there was a speed bump or a show stopper I am sure it would be edited out. The length stays pretty consistent, so you surprise as to how long each one is from week to week.
What I Disliked-
I think this show has only 2 lingering bad things about it for the most part. The first is that Scott and his Co-Host Randy teeter on the edge of being Blizzard ass kissers. Sometimes I think they disagree with something and say they are cool with it just to stay in good standings with Blizzard in the hopes that some day they will be called upon to be a mouth piece for Blizzard. The second is really just a nagging annoyance I have with Randy Jordan. He talks about WoW like it is a thesis paper. It is the most annoying thing to listen to. I can’t tell if he likes to listen to himself talk or if he is mentally ill. The amount of thought he puts into a video game is ridiculous. The less he talks the better the show is. Other podcast he is in with Scott he doesn’t seem to lay it on so thick. Maybe he thinks he is so superior to the demographic that listens to the show he feels the need to flex his intellect to prove it to them every chance he gets. Either way it makes me turn it off early. I very rarely finish an episode for this reason. If Randy isn’t over thinking and talking he is forcing himself to laugh like an idiot at Scotts jokes whether he finds them funny or not.
Another thing that is a bit aggravating is the fact that if you want to get a “shout out” at the beginning its going to cost you 10 dollars to have Scott to say your name at the beginning. Or if you want to pay for the show you can donate 2 dollars a money to “help out”. For someone who is from a gaming community of people who just play the game he sure does operate like Blizzard. Micro-transaction anyone?
The Rating –
- Production – 5/5
- Frequency – 5/5
- Content- 3/5
- Length- 4/5
- Hosts (Scott Johnson) – 4/5
- Hosts (Randy Jordan) – 1/5
- Community Involvement – 3/5
- Overall – 3.5/5
MY Suggestions-
- Either drop Randy Deluxe or shut him up more often, maybe even call him out on air – “It’s just a game, not your thesis, Dude!!!”
- Stop charging people just to say their names; this community shouldn’t be taxed by you, Scott, just because you have a podcast about the game. Isn’t the request for a 2 dollar a month donation enough?
- Stop kissing Blizzard’s ass and say what you really think, the call for you to be the official Blizzard/World of Warcraft isn’t coming.
**If you are ass hurt by this review or are about to have a shitty nerd-rage/fan-boy moment read this first. My response will always be a link to this disclaimer unless you actually want to debate this review.
Tags: Podcast, WoW
After our twitter exchange, I did think of one part where I agree with you, but think sometimes its better Randy does treat it like a thesis, but it can only be defined within the context of other podcasts.
I really hate to listen to a podcast and find that the simple details of the game (not the theorycrafting or nuances of a class, but the information you can get from reading patch notes or having a solid blogroll rotation) are completely miscommunicated or just plain wrong. I would much rather have an overly informed know-it-all sharing pontificating on the state of the game than I would someone who can’t accurately recall simple information on a topic I can only hope was researched before the topic was thrown into the podcast.
There are exceptions as listener interaction through a chat interface often shakes things up, and podcasters are usually forgiven for that as far as I’m concerned but if you put something into your agenda that you clearly failed to research, I find myself screaming at the damn iphone and asking what in the hell these people are doing putting together a podcast for WoW fans who have already demonstrated they probably are a bit more involved (and educated) than the average player by just downloading and listening to a Warcraft exclusive podcast in the first place.
TL:DR I agree with you about Randy, but I’ll take a know-it-all over a know-nothing anyday.
I pretty much agree with on The Instance. I haven’t listened to them in at least a year, probably longer. I like Scott all right, but the damm Randy Jordan, is annoying as hell. When I was stilling listening to him, not only was he a know it all, but would be completely wrong at least 25% of the time. I probably wouldn’t be listening to them anymore if he wasn’t still on the show, but he is the reason that I quit listening.
As far as them asking for donations and charging for shout outs, I really don’t have a problem with that. I can’t imagine what their bandwidth bill is every month. They hadn’t started doing that when I listened last, so I can’t comment on how they do it.
What I am getting at as far as the 10 shout-outs and the 2 monthly auto pay is;
The show is free and draws in a listener base. Sponsors need a group of people to advertise to so the sponsors will should be sponsoring the show to cover the costs so the show can be a platform for the sponsors to get the advertisements out there.
Now I know that Scott knows it works this way because he has multiple sponsors for this show. so why tax the listener base it’s not their spot in the “food chain” of marketing. If you need more money get more sponsors. He has made podcasting and comics his full time job so he knows about this…
Plus I donate to shows that have the donate button but don’t ask for it, but i am just a dude playing another dude who is just a dude. LoL