About Steamcast
Steamcast is a fan-made podcast that hosts discussions about Valve and Steam, but also a wide range of gaming related subjects such as video game digital distribution, the art and design of video games and other topical video game related subjects.
(Above) The original logo used for the first few episodes, which was accompanied by a green and brown website colour scheme.
Steamcast was created in early June of 2009, born from the controversy of the Left 4 Dead 2 announcement at E3. Since then, it has been maintained by the three hosts; Sam, Saurabh, and Brad. Steamcast has enjoyed considerable success in that time. In August of 2009, Steamcast hosted its first exclusive interview with Gabe Newell, co-founder and managing director of Valve Software. Staying true to its aim of supporting the community, Steamcast allowed members of the community the opportunity to forward their own questions and concerns to Newell, resulting in an entirely community-produced interview. Since then, Steamcast has published a further six community-based interviews (including one other with Newell, along with Harry S. Robins, Marc Laidlaw, Alésia Glidewell, Ellen McLain, Jonathan Coulton and the Black Mesa mod team).
(Above) The logo that was used between 2009 and mid-2011 and sported a monochromatic website colour scheme.
As a community-founded podcast, Steamcast places high importance on community participation, of which members are welcome to join the hosts and share their thoughts and opinions on specific topics. This gives the community — everyday gamers — the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns.
Steamcast episodes are released in audio and video format, and generally go for around an hour in length. Episodes are recorded live every Wednesday and published the following Friday. It follows a three-part structure:
- Mail Bag — Emails and messages sent to us by our listeners are addressed
- News — The latest Valve, Steam, and gaming industry news are covered
- Threads of Discussion — A community-raised topic is discussed in detail
After each episode recording, the hosts typically hang around in an Afterhours segment, where discussion can trail off into various tangents with people in the live chat.
Audio versions of the episodes are published on the official Steamcast website, on a M4A-file RSS feed (which includes iTunes chapters) and on a MP3-file RSS feed. The podcast is listed in the iTunes Store.
Video versions of the episodes are published on our YouTube channel, which are taken directly (and consequently uncut) from our live stream during episode recordings.
There is also an official Twitter feed, Facebook page and Steam Community group where the hosts talk with our listeners, post announcements and even give away free games from time to time. Steamcast also accepts donations from fans which are used for maintenance costs, improving our production quality and charity donations.
About the hosts
Sam ...is British; tea? Alias: Flamov
With the superhero-power-worthy ability to never stop talking, Sam postulated the idea of Steamcast many moons ago. Equipped with an unrivalled butchering of a British accent and an unhealthy fasciation for RollerCoaster Tycoon, Sam has been playing PC games ever since Zork.
Saurabh ...is Canadian, eh! Aliases: Spitfire1945/Craeyon
Originally wanting to call the podcast The Steamers, Saurabh crowns himself as the most mature of the three hosts. Every full moon he unleashes his hidden persona and skill of a rapper, resulting in a schedule so saturated with mesmerised women he can not even find the time to play the original Half-Life.
Brad ...is Australian, mate. Aliases: Mimaz98/Bboynexus
Also known as Brad, DJ Bradley-D-Diddles has opinions as hot as the Outback and criticisms as cold as a pint of Australian-brewed beer. Having learnt the rites of gaming from his aboriginal guardians, Brad has an appreciation for story-writing in games as wide as the biggest deserts Down Under.