The player of games
Shut Up And Sit Down review
Rating – 
Hi there. My name is The Podcast Geek, and I am a nerd. I love playing boardgames. I get a pang of jealousy when I see people’s “shelfies”. My modest collection is lovingly picked after hours of research because I don’t have the cash to throw at every collection of cards and dice that attract my magpie-like eye. I have to pick my battles, so to speak. I am also on a seemingly never ending quest to pry my children’s eyeballs away from electronic devices. Maybe I’ll succeed one day.
Having said that, there are a few online resources that I check first. Board Game Geek (no relation) is one, and top of the list is a YouTube channel called “Shut Up And Sit Down”. Imagine my joy then, when I found out (albeit thirteen years late) that there is a SU&SD podcast! I couldn’t wait to see what I was missing with this extra content from Quins and co, so I obviously subscribed and hit play.
So what’s it about?
Shut Up And Sit Down, as you have probably guessed from the opening passages, is a podcast about boardgames. This is a more diverse subject than you might think, and you might also have a rather outdated idea of what a “boardgame” actually is.
Each episode covers a range of games, and the witty banter between the hosts is what you have come to expect if you know the YouTube channel. Whereas the YouTube videos tend to go into very good reviews of a single game, this is more of an overview of many at a time.
Is it any good?
Now you know I hate to skip episodes. However I am well aware that with over 300 episodes spanning 13 years, times (and tech) will change. Therefore, I listened to the first seven episodes, and then played a selection of episodes over the years to get a feel of how it has developed. Thankfully, the nature of the show means that you aren’t really missing out if you take this approach.
This is a podcast aimed squarely at the boardgame fanatic. Yes, it is entertaining to listen to the guys talk, but I feel that if you are listening to try and get recommendations or insights into playing, then you’ll be left wanting. In that case I would stick to the YouTube channel. If however, you are already au fait with gaming in general, and you’re looking for insider knowledge, then you need look no further.
In the early episodes, the sound quality isn’t great. As I said though, times and tech may change, and I can’t think of a show from 13 years ago that doesn’t sound bad. I’m still very far behind with episodes, so this opinion may change. I am enjoying the show immensely though.
Final thoughts
This has been a tricky one to rate. I have to be aware that readers of this blog might not be into boardgames, or maybe some are. That’s why I didn’t give it five brains. Feel free to add or remove brains as you see fit (in the rating obviously, not the reviewer!)
I would recommend checking out their YouTube channel if you are intrigued by what you’ve heard here. It is a lot more accessible to beginners.
You can get Shut Up And Sit Down here:
For more great reviews, I recommend GreatPods