Video games. Some teach us, some help us relax. We solve puzzles, shoot bad guys, take mushrooms to make us bigger, fall through plumbing for short cuts, break walls, and even be Batman when the time is right. The question is though, why do we play video games?

I recently asked fellow Geek Watch One blogger, Kamerin – the resident video game blogger – why he plays video games.

I play video games for two reasons, the main one being to be told a story that I get to be a part of, that other forms of media can’t give me. The other being the fact my friends play games too and sharing an experience with them gives me that sense of comradery that sports fans get.

I first started playing video games on a Tandy computer as a child. This was where I learned to type before actually learning to write in school. This is also where I fought the Foot Clan, ran from the dog catcher as ALF, and in the meantime learned to tell time. As I grew up I begged my parents for a Nintendo and, while the rest of my friends had Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, I got the original NES system due to our older RCA all-in-one cabinet television (I still have a feeling this was just an excuse to not spend the price of a newer system, given that we had a cable box at the time). The first games I ever played were Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and, soon enough thanks to one of my dad’s coworkers, Maniac Mansion.

Since then I am still a few systems behind (though I’m catching up using the PC), but I still love playing video games for many reasons, some of which are the same as Kamerin. Video games help me relax, but they also help enhance my brain, making me think about different puzzles to get through a level. No longer are the games I played as a kid easy – now it takes me almost an hour sometimes to get through a world in the original Super Mario Bros. (of course only to lose it later because there was never a save option).

I recently came across a podcast that digs into this same concept. A Life Well Wasted is like NPR’s This American Life or Snap Judgement, but all about video games and the people who play them. In fact, I heard about this show from a segment on Snap Judgement. Don’t be taken aback by the title – this show doesn’t look badly on gamers, but in fact embraces gamer culture. Each episode, host Robert Ashley presents interviews, stories, and other interesting tidbits from gamers and people in the industry to learn more about why we game. This could be a person with the largest collection of video games, to the owner or operator of a vintage pinball café in Alameda, CA.; the owner of the rights to Tetris or the end of the online community Eternal Life. All of these and more are discussed on the podcast.

Although no new episodes have been release since 2013, Robert Ashley has confirmed that while the show has been on a long hiatus, a new episode is nearly complete and will relaunch the series later this year.

If you are interested in hearing about other gamers in the world, have ever wondered about what happens to games when they die, or are just a geeky This American Life junkie who wants more gaming in their life, A Life Well Wasted is the perfect addition to your life.

You can find A Life Well Wasted at http://alifewellwasted.com/podcast/, or on iTunes. And while you’re on iTunes, why not leave a review about any of the podcasts I’ve talked about, most of all Geek Watch One!