Five Games to Play While Listening to Podcasts

I'm a big fan of podcasts. I regularly listen to at least two podcasts every day, ranging from business to comedy to video gaming. Speaking of that last one, the best time to listen to podcasts (aside from exercise) is while playing a video game.

Now, you can't just play any video game while listening to podcasts because it's just not conducive in every situation. For example, I would never suggest you play something like Call of Duty online while listening to a podcast. All your brainpower will go to the game and zero to the podcast. So when coming up with this list, I held to these couple of criterion for games suitable for simultaneous podcast:

• Can't be heavily story driven (Looking at you, Telltale Games)
• Can't be something that involves a ton of strategy
• Can't can't CAN'T be multiplayer

Keeping these criterion in mind, here are five games I'd suggest you check out.

1. Super Mario Maker (Wii U or Nintendo 3DS)

Really, you could put any side-scrolling Mario game in here. They're relatively simple and don't require a lot of brainpower. I specifically call out Super Mario Maker for a few reasons. First, there is the creative aspect of Mario Maker that allows you to create levels. If you enjoy this sort of thing, Mario Maker's creative abilities lend very well to simultaneous podcast. And second, it's all the Mario you could ever want. Granted, there are a ton of crappy levels out there, but there's also a good crop of pretty decent levels. I loved this game so much that I instantly purchased the 3DS version when it came out. (Check out my mini review of the 3DS version here.)

2. Chip's Challenge (PC)

We're throwing back to a simple time when fancy graphics were only a dream. This often forgotten game is a fantastic puzzle adventure with over 100 levels. The puzzles within Chip's Challenge do require a little bit of thinking, but I don't think they are so draining that you can't pop on a podcast, too. At least, I didn't find it to be a problem myself. If you've never played this game before, do yourself a favor and check it out.

3. Noodles! (iOS)

This was Apple's "Free App of the Week" a few months back, and I am so glad I downloaded it. It's a relatively simple puzzle game that requires the player to move these polygons around to create a shape of sorts. I got super addicted to it when it first came out, which is saying something since I'm not a big mobile gamer anymore. For $2, it's definitely worth picking up.

4. Tetris (Pretty much every platform ever)

Come on. If you haven't played Tetris, you haven't lived. And according to Tim Ferriss, Tetris helps foster better sleep. (The more you know!) You can play Tetris on pretty much every platform ever. My personal favorite version is the one Nintendo put out for the original Nintendo DS back in 2006. They implemented a fantastic multiplayer version with that game. Who'd know that multiplayer Tetris could be so awesome? (Of course, I wouldn't suggest playing it in multiplayer if you want to listen to a podcast!)

5. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is the bundled remaster of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! I know, I know, some of you will know that I am breaking the "story-driven" rule. Yes, Borderlands is a story-driven game, but because of its super high replay value, I love re-playing this game and ignoring the story the second or third time around. To that end, I would suggest you pay attention to the story for your first playthrough and then turn on the podcasts with your subsequent playthroughs. (And yes, you will play this game multiple times!)