From Icewind Dale to Fallout: New Vegas | Josh Sawyer (Obsidian) PART 1

From Icewind Dale to Fallout: New Vegas | Josh Sawyer (Obsidian) PART 1

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new] Today on The Examined Game, I’m joined by Josh Sawyer (Joshua Sawyer) Studio Design Director at Obsidian Entertainment. Josh is an industry veteran whose credits include Icewind Dale, Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, The Outer Worlds, Pentiment, and many more. So what do you talk about with someone who has worked on so many beloved RPGs? We discuss how games can convey grief, the joy and frustration of not letting players kill God, his beginnings as a web designer breaking into the games industry, how the Fallout: New Vegas team compensated for severe time and budget constraints through exceptional story, characters and world-building, and the risks he took to bring Pentiment to life. An extraordinary RPG set in 16th Century Bavaria. This is Part One of a two-part interview, covering Josh’s career from his early days in the industry through Fallout: New Vegas. Part Two, releasing next week, is dedicated almost entirely to Pentiment, one of my favourite games of the last few years. The Examined Game Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.

The Evolution of Life Is Strange | Jonathan Zimmerman (Life is Strange: True Colors, Reunion, Before The Storm)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new] write me at steven@theexaminedgame.com and let me know what you think! What does it feel like to land your dream job working on the follow-up to a game that blew your mind? This is exactly what happened to Jonathan Zimmerman when he landed a writing gig on Life Is Strange: Before The Storm. What followed was a near-decade-long relationship with this beloved franchise, alongside his work as Narrative Director for The Expanse: A Telltale Series. Among the many influences Jonathan references, we discuss Until Dawn, King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, The Seventh Guest, Myst, Portal, and What Remains of Edith Finch. We also talk about the fantastic Dispatch, and Jonathan's take on the pros and cons of people comparing the Life Is Strange series to the recently released Mixtape. Jonathan has an incredible passion for his craft, and it's always a pleasure when a guest is so open about the unique experiences, challenges, and successes that come with working in the industry. Beyond his role as a creator, Jonathan is a dedicated player at heart, and we dive into what it means to bring something into the world that you yourself would want to play. I am a long-time superfan of the Life is Strange series, so it was a real privilege to dig into it with him. The Examined Game Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.

How Inkle Studios Built a Sustainable Game Studio | Joseph Humfrey

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new] In today’s episode of The Examined Game I talk with co-founder of Inkle Studios (80 Days, TR-49, Heaven’s Vault, Overboard, A Highland Song, Expelled, Sorcery) Joseph Humfrey. This interview is a counterpart to my chat with Jon Ingold, the other co-founder of Inkle. I talked with Joseph about what it takes to make a video game company sustainable in this day and age, and their approach to efficient game design, narrative design, branching narrative, not over extending and the joy of reaching new audiences with adventure games. I loved hearing about the inner workings of a video game company, and the risk that Joseph and Jon took in founding Inkle. They are both very thoughtful in their approach not just to the type of games they make but how they go about making them. It’s no surprise when talking with them that they have been able to build such a robust and sustainable company. We go into the influence of games such as Monkey Island, Sierra adventure games, David Cage’s Fahrenheit, Halo, the early Bungie games, HyperCard, and how Joseph got into game design on his family Mac. We also discuss Inkle's narrative scripting language Ink, Steam Deck game design, and the development of games such as Sorcery, 80 Days, Heaven’s Vault, A Highland Song and TR-49. The Examined Game Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.

We're All Going to Die - Creating Outer Wilds | Alex Beachum Creative Director

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new] In today's episode of The Examined Game, I am talking with the creator of Outer Wilds, Alex Beachum. We get into the weeds of how the original prototype of the game came about back when Alex was studying game design, his approach to development, including the idea of "emotional prototyping", which helped build the bedrock that would become one of the most loved games of all time. Honestly, I don't think that is an understatement. People who play Outer Wilds love Outer Wilds, and there is a reason for that. A few weeks ago, I got to speak with Alex's sister and writer for Outer Wilds, Kelsey Beachum, and we also get to hear from him about how the two of them influenced and inspired each other by creating comics and games for the other to enjoy. I loved hearing directly from Alex about some of the games that inspired him, including the likes of Dark Souls, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Wind Waker, and, funnily enough, The Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System. This really is an interview about funnelling passion, interests and philosophies into a game, and finding out what it's like for a developer to make something where they feel as if they really did leave nothing on the table. The Examined Game Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.

Mastering The Modern Adventure Game | Francisco Gonzalez (Rosewater, Lamplight City, A Golden Wake)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new] Today we are talking with Francisco Gonzalez as we go in depth on the genre of video game that I have been playing longer than any other in my life: point and click adventure games. I have been a fan of Francisco's games ever since I stumbled upon Lamplight City. I then had the pleasure of playing back retrospectively through his earlier work, which includes A Golden Wake and Shardlight, before eagerly anticipating the release of Rosewater, an epic western point and click adventure. We talk about our shared love of Jane Jensen's Gabriel Knight series, and the fact that we both made pilgrimages to New Orleans primarily because of the first game in the series. Francisco has some fantastic insight on what it takes to create a standout point and click adventure in an age where one is balancing modernising the classic format while borrowing what worked so well from a genre that has been around for nearly half a century. We of course cover the classics: Monkey Island, Broken Sword, King's Quest V, Police Quest III, and, as mentioned, the Gabriel Knight series. I've been waiting to talk with Francisco for a while now. I think point and click adventure games are a tough genre to market and sell, and much like the classic point and click games of my youth, I believe the reason he has been so successful in what he does is because of the attention to detail he pays to character, story, and creating what always feels like a rich, lived-in world. #monkeyisland #brokensword #rosewater #pointandclick #adventuregame #adventuregamestudio #kingsquest #sierra #lucasarts  The Examined Game Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.