Join Alanah Pearce (game writer), Mike Bithell (game director), and Austin Wintory (game composer) as they talk about all the games, movies, TV and 'whatever else' that took their interest that week, from three unique perspectives in the games industry.
…
continue reading
Each week game developer Mike Bithell (Thomas Was Alone, Volume) and Alexander Sliwinski talk about the world of video games from inside a growing studio of their own. There will be scones.
…
continue reading

101
166. Talking to Eternal Strands director Mike Laidlaw!
1:13:01
1:13:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:13:01This week, Austin and Alanah sit down to talk to Mike Laidlaw, the game director of Dragon Age: Origins who most recently started his own studio and make ETERNAL STRANDS. Which Austin also worked on, because of course he did. He cannot be contained.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
165. The Studio Making Four Games A YEAR!? (ft. Xalavier Nelson)
1:27:01
1:27:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:27:01Apologies for the delay here - the audio file was corrupted! This week, Mike and Alanah are joined by Strange Scaffold's Xalavier Nelson Jr to talk about how the studio makes so many high quality games, and what it really means to be a good game director.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
After a break due to the LA fires - which we talk about to begin with here - we chat about a recent 200-page document called "The State of Video Games in 2025" from Matthew Ball. If you'd like links to the charities we mentioned, please check those out on the YouTube version of the podcast!By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
163. Game Design Challenges & the Indiana Jones Game!
59:26
59:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:26Happy four years of PWL! Sorry about Mike's audio here, we don't know what happened.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
162. Can Indies Save The Games Industry?
1:01:31
1:01:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:31Alanah left her job at Sony, and Mike got in trouble for saying something on Bluesky. We discuss the state of the games industry now that it's December 2024, and the notion that "indies will save" everything.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
161. Should DLC Be Nominated for Game of the Year?
56:25
56:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
56:25We're back from a brief hiatus! Immediately discussing: should Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree be nominated for GOTY even though it's a DLC? Also: Mike announced another video game!By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
This week, FROSTPUNK 2!By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
159. Star Wars: Outlaws and Bugs in Video Games
56:57
56:57
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
56:57This week, AUSTIN TURNS 40 (technically over a week ago at the time of publishing). So, we indulge him with almost an entire episode about Star Wars (Outlaws) and video game bugs.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
This week, Alanah, Austin, and Mike discuss the economic state of the games industry and if game prices need to go from $60 to $70.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
157. This Episode is Mostly About The Expanse
1:01:40
1:01:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:40After a month off, we have returned to bring you TOP QUALITY VIDEO GAME CONTENT! But mostly, a lot of us talking about the TV show The Expanse. And Sex in the City?By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
156. GamePass gets a Price Increase
1:09:37
1:09:37
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:09:37Austin, Mike, and Alanah chat about Austin's demanding freelance schedule, the GamePass price increase (and GamePass' impact as a whole), and the Halifax Harbor Explosion. Note: almost all details of said Halifax explosion are, indeed, incorrect.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
155. Alanah is Suddenly Obsessed with 1993's Myst
53:43
53:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:43Alanah and Mike discuss OLD game development! And Myst!By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
154. Our thoughts on Summer Game Fest... & Music Licensing
1:16:33
1:16:33
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:16:33This week we talk about Summer Game Fest and, because we never stay on topic, music licensing! Also featuring Rahul.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
153. Games Journalism is Very, Very Broken
55:53
55:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
55:53This episode features journalist Nathan Grayson chatting to Mike and Alanah about the state of games journalism (and that side of the industry) in 2024. This comes after IGN announced multiple aquisitions.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
152. The Fallout TV Show ft. Tim Cain (the creator of Fallout!)
54:46
54:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:46This week, Alanah and Austin chat to one of the creators of the Fallout franchise, Tim Cain, all about the Fallout TV show. Includes spoilers.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
This week, we talk to Abubakar Salim about his transition from actor to full-blown game director. How did he do it!?By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
150. WE TURN ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY!
1:28:10
1:28:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:28:10Featuring Rahul Kohli, and the return of Troy, AND we're all in the same room!?By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
This week, Mike and Alanah chat about GDC, LinkedIn, business cards, and give great life advice.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
148. TikTok Ban, Kate Middleton, Dune 2 & More!
1:22:27
1:22:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:22:27A LOT OF TOPICS THIS WEEK, WE SIMPLY CAN'T BE CONTAINED.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
147. Even More Games Industry Lay-Offs
1:03:21
1:03:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:03:21This week Mike and Alanah chat about the continued lay-offs impacting the games industry.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
146. Games We Wish We Could Play Again for the First Time
1:12:47
1:12:47
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:47It's an Austin and Alanah special, and we actually talk about video games the WHOLE TIME!? This week, we talk about games we wish we could play again, and games that fundamentally 'change' however many hours in.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
The title says it all, I don't understand what more context you could possibly need?By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
144. The Gang Has an Existential Crisis
1:26:01
1:26:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:26:01Apologies for the weird audio mix here. Regardless, this week we talk about Society of the Snow (a little), and then delve into the world of AI and capitalism. Again. Oh no.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
This is publishing a little later than planned because of internet issues, but this week we talk about Cunk on Earth, game direction, and more! Thanks for another year of listening to Play, Watch, Listen, everyone!By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
142. The Lay-Offs (& Our Favourite Things of the Year)
50:01
50:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:01You can't talk about good games this year without also talking about lay-offs, so hey, let's do both!By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
141. The Fall of the House of Usher ft. Rahul Kohli & Andy Grush!
1:26:16
1:26:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:26:16This week, Austin and Alanah chat to Rahul (actor) and Andy (composer and 1/2 of the Newton Brothers) about their work on The Fall of the House of Usher! Also, Stray Gods gets nominated for a Grammy, and the F1 Grand Prix debuts in Vegas. Apologies for the audio levels.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
An update on the Unity system, and an important question: do you own any baskets? Why?By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
139. We Have Questions About Starfield's Design
1:00:34
1:00:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:00:34This week, Mike and Alanah go over some of the biggest question's about Starfield.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
138. Explaining the Unity Engine drama ft. Rami Ismail
1:23:26
1:23:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:23:26We're back! This week Austin chats about Jacob Collier - apparently the best musician alive - and then Alanah asks Mike and special guest Rami Ismail all about the Unity drama.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
137. The Games Industry and Communication
1:12:15
1:12:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:15This week, Mike and Alanah discuss some of the responses to Baldur's Gate 3's exceptional quality.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
136. Taylor Swift and Stray Gods (ft. Liam Esler!)
1:22:01
1:22:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:22:01We have our first ever guest! Summerfall Games' Liam Esler joins Alanah and Austin to talk about Taylor Swift's enormous Eras Tour, plus, of course, the launch of Stray Gods.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
This week, Alanah, Mike, and Austin are back to chat about Stray Gods, plus a little bit of Barbie and Oppenheimer at the very end.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
This week, we talk about Apple's new Vision Pro and how it might assist with each of our vocations, as well as AI, again. Turns out it's still relevant. Who'd have thought?By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
133. Zelda and When Players Over-Think Puzzles
1:01:36
1:01:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:36This week (technically last week, the audio file just got stuck in processing and I didn't realise), Austin, Alanah, and Mike discuss The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and if players can be prevented from over-thinking puzzles.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
We're back from a month off! And this week, we catch up on Bithell Games' latest release - Tron: Identity. Then Austin (and his dog Canvas) join to catch us up on a game he and Troy have been hard at work on, called Stray Gods. Turns out both games excell in player choice. Neat. Did I mention Canvas?…
…
continue reading

1
131. Physics in Zelda and E3 got Cancelled
53:21
53:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:21This week, Alanah and Mike talk about what makes Zelda's recent physics so impressive, E3's cancellation, and the latest from Bithell Games - Tron: Identity!By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
130. Troy on playing James in The Last of Us
51:17
51:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:17This week, Alanah and Mike aggressively interrogate Troy about his experience playing Joel in The Last of Us (spoilers).By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
129. Games Industry Networking & Rocksteady's Suicide Squad
29:35
29:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:35Alanah and Mike talk about DICE, and how alcohol is often encouraged at games industry events (but probably shouldn't be), plus why Rocksteady may have gone from making the Arkham series to making a game like Suicide Squad.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
128. Austin on Why Assassin's Creed Won at the Grammys
50:55
50:55
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:55This week, Alanah and Austin talk about The Grammys, and why/how Assassin's Creed: Valhalla won while games like Elden Ring and God of War were not nominated.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
This week, all four of the Play, Watch, Listen horsemen are together to discuss the third episode of HBO's The Last of Us series. There are spoilers.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
126. The Menu (again), Fine Dining, and The Last of Us Ep. 2
1:02:46
1:02:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:02:46This week, Alanah and Mike discuss The Menu, then Troy joins and the group talks about the fine dining experience and food as 'art'. Then, of course, we step into talking about The Last of Us episode 2.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
125. Programming, The Menu (a little), & The Last of Us ep. 1
51:59
51:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:59This week, Alanah asks Mike an impossible question about programming, we talk a tiny bit about The Menu, and then jump into our reactions of HBO's The Last of Us episode 1.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
124. The Last of Us TV Show Premiere, Reviews, and Games as Movies
1:00:22
1:00:22
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:00:22This week, AUSTIN IS LATE! But Troy, Mike, and Alanah are there from the start to chat about The Last of Us TV show, plus successful game-to-movie adaptations.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
123. AI Art (Again) & The Last of US TV Show
1:07:42
1:07:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:07:42This week, Alanah and Mike discuss AI art and it's inevitability, and then are joined by Austin and Troy who close out with a discussion on The Last of Us TV show.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
122. Game Awards & The Mick Gordon Doom Eternal Situation
52:36
52:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
52:36This week, Alanah and Mike chat about The Game Awards, which I cut short for the public version just because it was definitely a conversation we've had numerous times. Then, Austin joins and we get to chatting about the latest update regarding Mick Gordon and Doom Eternal's music.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
121. Why You Can't Pause/Rewind Video Game Cutscenes
1:20:11
1:20:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:20:11This week, Mike and Alanah chat about Immortality, their picks for 2022's game of the year, and then get into details regarding why some oft requested features can't make it into published video games.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
You'll see.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading

1
119. God of War Ragnarok Review Scores
1:24:04
1:24:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:24:04This week, Alanah reacts live to seeing the God of War Ragnarok metacritic score, and Austin joins to chat about review embargoes, scores, and Bear McReary.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE! This week, Alanah, Austin, Mike, and Troy discuss Andor, what TV shows to watch, and eventually... ghosts. Spooky.By Alanah Pearce
…
continue reading
I'm pretty sure this is the first Mike and Austin exclusive episode, but I'll be honest, I don't remember. We've been doing this show since 2019. There are 117 episodes. I won't be held accountable for not remembering if there has been a prior Mike and Austin exclusive episode. Call the cops. I don't care.…
…
continue reading