The Gameslave Podcast - S02E04 - COAF 2024 Kendo with Ito Dojo

This week, we are presenting a recording of a Kendo demonstration that the Ito Dojo of Denver put on at Colorado Anime Fest 2024. Prior to the demo, they talked briefly about the history of kendo and how it developed from sword practice to a sport. They showed off what modern equipment looks like and how it was derived from armor. Then demonstrated footwork, how to wield a practice sword (shinai), and the four ways that points can be scored during a match. Lastly, they invited attendees up to practice some of the basic skills. This recording has been edited for time to highlight the most interesting parts of the panel. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about this martial art.

The Gameslave Podcast - S02E03 - COAF 2024 - Breaths and Efforts with Bridgette Hoffman

Hello again! This week we have a recording of Bridgette Hoffman’s panel on Breaths and Efforts. In both voice acting and ADR, breaths and efforts refers to various non-verbal noises that are included in the voice track. These can include grunts, coughs, sighs, wimpers, and almost any other sounds that people can make that aren’t words. Bridgette talked about here background in voice acting and ADR work, talked about how breaths and efforts are recorded, why they are often recorded separate from the main voice track. Then, she invited attendees to try out breaths and efforts for some improvised scenes. We hope you enjoy learning about breaths and efforts. Have a great week and game on!

The Gameslave Podcast - S2E02 - COAF 2024 Opening Ceremonies

Hello listeners! It took a little longer than I anticipated to get this episode up, but I now have a path to finish all of our COAF episodes in a timely manner. This means that you can look forward to weekly episodes for the next couple of months.

This week, I have a recording of the COAF Opening Ceremonies where Ciaran Strange reminded attendees of important convention rules and then introduced the all of the special guests. Please enjoy, have a great week, and game on!

The Gameslave Podcast - S02E01 - COAF Wrap Up

Hello fellow fans! We’re back after nearly a year of hiatus. Crystal and I attended the Colorado Anime Fest this past weekend, then sat down on Sunday night to record a brief recap of our experiences. Overall, COAF was very good this year and has me super excited about anime and podcasting again. Additional panel and interview recordings will be added to the feed as I finish editing. Have a great week and game on!

The Gameslave Podcast - Ep. 262 - COAF 2023 - Getting Started in Voice Acting

In today’s episode, I have a recording of part of Kyle McCarley’s “Getting Started in Voice Acting” panel. Unfortunately, I was late to the start of this panel and missed the first few minutes. When I got my recording equipment up, McCarley was talking about preparing a demo reel for voice acting. He talked about the need to produce multiple demo reels for different types of voice over work, how to tailor the demo, and how to hire a professional to help you. McCarley also gave some general indication about how much producing a demo should cost and what to expect when working with an audio engineer. Next, he talked about some options about how to set up a home studio, including where to locate it in your house, some microphone recommendations, how to reduce room effects and noise, and home user audio editing software. After that, McCarley talked about where to find work, how to communicate with potential agents and clients, and how location can influence your ability to find work.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Come back again next week for the next installment of our COAF 2023 coverage.

The Gameslave Podcast - EP. 261 - COAF 2023 Opening Ceremonies

Starting this week we will be featuring audio that we recorded at Colorado Anime Fest 2023, and we will begin with the convention opening ceremonies, hosted by the singular Ciaran Strange. As is expected, Strange talked about convention rules and policies, including a reminded for everyone to take care of themselves, get enough food, water and sleep, and to bathe regularly. We were also introduced to the charity partner: There with Care. Lastly, Strange introduced us to the invited guests.

Considering what attendance at opening ceremonies looked like 2016, filling the Main Events room at this newer hotel is a real achievement. Throughout the pandemic, I was worried that this young convention may run into financial difficulties. But a combination of a well managed convention and a growing attendee audience, seems likely to secure COAF a long-term space in the Colorado convention scene.

Our podcast coverage will continue through the next several weeks, as I proceed with editing the raw convention audio. Please keep your eyes on this space and our social media for new episodes.

The Gameslave Podcast - Ep. 260 - NDK2022 Cosplay Interviews

Hi folks, we’re trying something new with this episode. Today, we have a big batch of interviews that we recorded with regular convention attendees on the floor of NDK 2022. We asked each person two questions: “who are they cosplaying?” and “why?”. Listening back as I was editing the audio this past week, I was delighted to be reminded of these little interactions with other fans. When we started doing this, I was incredibly nervous to approach people out of the blue (you can probably hear it in my voice in the first few). But the little stories that so many of these fans had reminded me of how fun and cool it is to love art and media. I hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I enjoyed editing them.

The Gameslave Podcast - Ep. 259 - Legacy of Voice Acting

Today’s episode is a leftover from NDK 2022, which I didn’t manage to get edited in time to post last year. This penultimate podcast from NDK is a panel with John and Olivia Swasey, and father and daughter who have both found careers in voice acting. They talk about working with each other, finding your niche in the VO industry, and how the industry has evolved from the time that John started working to now. A warning, there is one, very loud instance of the F-word being used in this recording. If you prefer not to hear that, we recommend that you consider skipping this episode.

The Gameslave Podcast - Ep. 258 - The Doctor and The Queen

In theory, a professor and a drag queen would seem to be an odd pairing. But when you put Dr. Alisa Freedman and Queen D together in a panel, the conversation is non-stop. The panel, dubbed the Doctor and The Queen moved rapidly through many subjects: sharks, Doctoral thesis, conspiracy theories, football fans, retro-gaming, and travel planning just to name a few. We hope you enjoy listening in on this panel from NDK’s Bert and Ernie duo.

The Gameslave Podcast - Ep. 257 - History of Nan Desu Kan

This year marks the 25th Nan Desu Kan. The convention has been held annually since 1997, with the exception of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented gatherings of large groups of people. In light of this Dr. Alisa Freedman, Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender at the University of Oregon, and Guy Davis, the NDK historian, and member of the Board of Directors of the Rocky Mountain Anime Association, convened a panel to discus the history of NDK as it relates to the wider history of anime in North America. They were joined partway through by Kevin McKeever of Harmony Gold (localizer and publisher of Robotech and Macross). The panel presented background on the origins of NDK, the early history of anime localization in the US, and how the convention evolved in its early years alongside the anime market. Near the end of the panel, there was a question and answer period that included discussion about what the future of NDK may look like.