Drew Agnew
Photo: Amy Agnew Portraits
Nintendo holds a special place in the hearts of many generations of gamers. For Drew Agnew, the video game company is viewed with such reverence that he was inspired in 2017 to create his Nintendo-centric podcast entitled, The House Of Mario - A Nintendo Podcast.
Recently Drew sat down with Pario to discuss the ups & downs of his podcast journey, reinventing the show & his excitement for the future of Nintendo as rumours swirl about a brand-new console just over the horizon.
Ready Player One
What makes Drew's story as a gamer so interesting is the place he grew up. Drew isn't your stereotypical video game nerd, rather he is a man who grew up on a farm where he continues to work, as a sheep shearer, alongside his family to this day.
Drew first discovered his passion for video games when he received a GameBoy Advance SP handheld video game system. From that moment on he says he was "smitten" with gaming, particularly Nintendo & the Pokémon franchise.
Growing up in a rural setting the opportunities to discuss his newfound passion were few & far between.
"It's hard to find people around here with the same enthusiasm I have for video games," explained Drew.
However, there was one person who shared Drew's passion, his primary school best friend Bryce."Whenever we were together we'd always be talking about or playing games."
Eventually, Drew & Bryce felt that they needed to expand their horizons by sharing their conversations with a wider community - thus the seed for The House Of Mario would be planted.
"I absolutely loved listening to podcasts & knew that I eventually wanted to dip my toe in, so I threw the idea to Bryce & we had those discussions."
These initial discussions revolved around what the core focus of their show would be. Would it be a general gaming podcast or could focus a little more & carve out its niche? During this process, Drew soon realised that Nintendo was the topic he was "easily the most passionate about". Plus the new Wii U console was right around the corner, so excitement levels were at a peak.
Let's-a go
After a few months of planning & brainstorming show names The House Of Mario was born. During this planning phase, Drew was surprised to learn that he & Bryce had seemingly stumbled on an untapped market.
"As far as my searches went, other than Vooks.net - who have a bi-weekly podcast, I couldn't find anyone else in Australia making Nintendo exclusive podcasts," Drew told Pario.
Although the Wii U proved to be a bust as a console system The House Of Mario was able to build a community & place them in good stead for the arrival of the Nintendo Switch.
In particular, Drew was able to find his voice as a podcast host, both in a 2-person setting & a solo setting. While the art of podcasting may seem easy on the outside it actually requires many reps to find your voice & become comfortable behind a microphone.
"Podcasting is definitely a muscle you need to flex & work out as you go along," explained Drew. "If you go back to episode one of The House Of Mario, I remember being nervous. It's funny looking back on it & hearing how much more confidence there is in my voice now."
Eventually, life & other responsibilities would see Bryce have to leave the podcast in the hands of Drew to host on his own. Something which Drew initially found great enjoyment with, but soon he would come to dread recording alone.
"I felt the pressure of talking into a microphone by myself," recalled Drew. "It got to the point where the anxiety created by that was a little bit too much & I kept on putting off recording. Eventually, I just gave up & didn't get anything out for a couple of months.
This period of time would prove to be Drew's most difficult period as a podcaster."To go from something you're very comfortable with, to being very self-conscious was a massive hit to the confidence."
Welcome Player Two
Thankfully, another of Drew's friends, Josh Tunig would come to be the Luigi to Drew's Mario. Josh, a fellow Nintendo podcaster with his show Nintenvania, was the perfect fit to join Drew as the new co-host for The House Of Mario.
"Over the course of the last couple of years Josh & I have become really good friends, so he was the perfect person to ask," said Drew. "He said yes & for the last six weeks, we've been doing The House Of Mario together. We're in this phase of discovering what the show is going to become for the next era."
Super Switch 2 ??
Looking ahead to another new console launch Drew is excited for the future of both Nintendo & The House Of Mario.
"I've been wanting a new console since 2020... so I cannot wait. I'm going to have a lot of fun, especially with Josh on the crew."
Follow Drew’s creative journey on social media at: @iDrewby
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