The Examined Game

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.

The Talent Behind Video Game Hair Design | Amandine Marest (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new] Today I get to talk with Amandine MarestHair & Technical Character artist Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. We cover all things hair related in video games. Amandine's work in Clair Obscure is incredible and it was such a pleasure to deep dive into just how much she and the team thought about the hair in this game and how it represented the personalities of its characters. We also discuss her love of Final Fantasy hair, including Lighting's from Final Fantasy 12 and of course I get into my own rabbit hole about the contradiction between Cloud's hair and his personality in Final Fantasy 7. We also discuss how games like The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption and God of War inspired Amandine's work, as well as how she got into the industry and her decision as a student to double down on focusing on hair design. This interview shows just how much love and attention was put into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as we are able to go into so much detail about one single aspect of the game, and how it works alongside all of the other incredible moving parts.  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 Mathematics of Interactive Storytelling - Jon Ingold (80 Days, Heaven's Vault, TR-49)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new] In today's episode of The Examined Game I speak with co-founder of Inkle Studios, Jon Ingold. I am a huge fan of the work both he and Joseph Humfrey have done under Inkle Studios. Beyond finding new ways to iterate on the adventure game genre, they’ve also done an incredible job of creating mobile-friendly games, giving audiences who might otherwise never play a game like 80 Days the chance to experience one. One clear takeaway from this conversation is that Jon loves writing. If you've ever played an Inkle Studios game, you'll know that writing is the absolute foundation of their work. We discuss the profound influence that text adventure games had on Jon, as well as games like Monkey Island and his lasting love of The Last Express, and the collaborative approach he and Joseph take to getting projects off the ground. There is nothing quite like an Inkle Studios game. Whether it’s 80 Days, Heaven's Vault, Overboard!, Expelled!, or their most recent game TR-49, there’s a reason their work resonates so deeply with players. One of my favourite parts of this conversation is Jon going into detail about the concept of choice in video games, and the work they do at Inkle to remove the feeling of binary “PRESS A or PRESS B” decisions, instead steeping players in the emotional reality of decision making. Finally, we discuss the similarities between mathematics (Jon originally trained as a mathematician) and writing, and the power of finding the most efficient and succinct path to a solution, whether through numbers or through words. 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 Dial Up Entrepreneur | Scott Miller (Apogee Entertainment, Duke Nukem 3D, Wolfenstein 3D)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new] In this episode I speak with Scott Miller, founder of Apogee Entertainment (Commander Keen, Duke Nukem) and 3D Realms (Max Payne, Prey). Scott helped pioneer the shareware model of game distribution in the late 80s and early 90s, releasing large chunks of games for free online long before Steam existed, and asking players to mail in cheques or call directly to order the full version. Scott literally helped build the gaming industry as we know it today from the ground up. After being rejected by major publishers in his early years in the industry, he decided to do things his own way. We discuss his early attempts to break into the industry, the rejection from publishers like EA and Sierra, and how that pushed him to build his own path through BBS systems, dial-up distribution, and early online communities. I’ve been playing Scott’s games since I was in single digits. Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure and Wolfenstein 3D were some of my favourite games growing up, playing them on our family Amstrad with the dining table chair pulled up to the keyboard. The conversation covers his work with John Romero and John Carmack at id Software on Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D and the rise of the FPS genre, as well as the development of Duke Nukem 3D and how it differentiated itself from Doom through humour, interactivity, destructible environments and world design. We also talk about the early PC gaming era, game demos, shareware, PC Gamer magazine culture, box art, game marketing, and how games like Duke Nukem, Max Payne, Shadow Warrior, Rise of the Triad and Prey were shaped by player feedback and experimentation. This is a conversation about the foundations of PC gaming, the origins of indie distribution, and the mindset that helped shape modern game development long before digital storefronts and platforms like Steam existed. 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.