Play Make Write Think

I was the producer on my podcast titled “keeping your head in the game.” My assistant producer Greg and I took a deep dive into EA Sports’ soccer video game FIFA 20. We each played and paid attention to the different features and techniques we used. We decided it was best to focus on FIFA 20 as a whole rather than focusing on one game mode. When I was the assistant producer of Winslow’s podcast, we each made different arguments and asked each other questions throughout to make it more engaging. I thought this worked well, so I made my episode similar by having us ask questions and going in-depth about our personal experiences.

Our main goals going into the episode were to talk about how sports video games compare to playing sports in real life, the feelings they bring to people, and how they fill a void during the COVID-19 outbreak. Since people can’t be together, we discussed how sports video games like FIFA can help athletes improve their skills, knowledge, and strategies when they are able to play sports in real life again. Finally, we briefly discussed how social distancing can help e-sports grow today and in the future.

I was happy with the way the episode flowed and how our points came across. However, this episode was much more challenging to record than my first one was because we couldn’t record in person. When together, it’s much easier to build off someone else’s points and get a feel for the energy which is crucial. At home, it’s harder to connect personally and coordinate different segments. One thing I would’ve liked to go more in depth about in the episode was how FIFA has many built in-features to give players feedback on what they are doing well and what they should work on. This could be very helpful for coaches and players in trying to teach their players how to translate video game performance to actual games.

Our episode focused on creativity and communication. During challenging times, you must get creative and by playing video games you can get a similar feel to playing in person. The coronavirus is also forcing people to feel isolated, so playing with teammates and friends can be a great method of communication and way to grow your intellect. I saw an improvement in my confidence in my public speaking skills in this episode. I am a soft-spoken guy, so it was exciting to hear myself speak passionately about something I enjoy playing. I believe this reflects my progression as a learner because I can breakdown rhetorical situations and incorporate my opinions into arguments better.

For future episodes, I would recommend adding plenty of personal anecdotes as they make things easier to talk about. I believe that all strategies and preparation were effective for this podcast. I am proud of how my episode turned out given the circumstances and am excited to listen other people’s future episodes!