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Today I'm talking with Nate Purkeypile, the former Bethesda artist behind some of the studio's most iconic environments.

Nate is a 22 year game industry veteran who worked on Fallout 3, Skyrim, Fallout 4, Fallout 76 and Starfield during his time at Bethesda Game Studios. He was Lead Artist on Fallout 76, as well as Lead Lighting Artist and Senior World Artist during the early development of Starfield.

Across those games, Nate helped create some of Bethesda's most memorable locations, including Little Lamplight in Fallout 3, Blackreach in Skyrim and Diamond City in Fallout 4.

In recent years, he has moved into indie development, releasing his first solo project, The Axis Unseen, and is currently working on the upcoming multiplayer game Gone Feral.

We dive deep into his early days at Bethesda, the lightning in a bottle moment of Fallout 3, his ambition to make Skyrim's caves genuinely interesting, and what it was like stepping into the Lead Artist role on Fallout 76. We also discuss how Bethesda evolved over the years, why recreating the magic of games like Fallout 3 became increasingly difficult, and what those changes mean for the studio today.

#fallout #fallout3 #fallout4 #bethesda #skyrim #starfield #gaming #gamingpodcast

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.

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Today on The Examined Game I am speaking with Stephen Kick, Studio Head at Nightdive Studios.

Stephen is responsible for some of the greatest video game remasters, remakes and re-releases of the last decade, including System Shock, System Shock 2, The Thing: Remastered, Turok, Quake, DOOM + DOOM II, STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster, Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, Blood, Outlaws and many more.

This was an extremely personal deep dive into his childhood and the influence his dad had on him, bringing the video game adventures they played together to life through the painstaking journals he created, and his mum's strong desire for him to study video game design.

We also discuss the adventure in South America that led to Stephen striking gold with Nightdive's first official re-release, System Shock 2. Stephen is dedicated to making sure some of the greatest video games of all time are not lost to history, putting them into the hands of both new and returning players alike.

#NightdiveStudios #SystemShock #SystemShock2 #Gaming #GamingPodcast #GamePreservation #retrogaming

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.

Send us Fan Mail

Today I'm speaking with actor Doug Cockle. Doug is best known as the voice of Geralt in The Witcher series, but has also voiced Bhaal in Baldur's Gate 3, Victor Vran in Victor Vran, and the Narrator in Tails of Iron.

This is Part One of a two-part interview.

This is probably the most open and honest conversation i've had to date on the podcast. When I sat down with Doug, I had no idea we'd end up spending so much time talking about one of the biggest decisions of his life: leaving his career as a university lecturer to become a full-time actor. Even after the success of The Witcher, Doug continued teaching because he genuinely loved it. But over time, the growing demands of his acting career, combined with the changing landscape of higher education, began to take a serious toll on his health.

This conversation explores the importance of having people around you who can support you through difficult periods, knowing when it's time to make a life-changing decision, and why looking after both your physical and mental health should never be an afterthought.

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.

Send us Fan Mail

Today I'm talking with indie game designer Edmund McMillen (The Binding of Isaac, Mewgenics, Super Meat Boy) about the way he approaches making games. Edmund has a pretty simple philosophy when it comes to game design, even if the games themselves are extremely complex and multilayered. He designs games to please himself, and so far that's worked remarkably well as a business model because it turns out there are millions of other players who want to play the kinds of games he wants to make.

We discuss everything from the twisted idea behind Mewgenics, the resurgence in popularity of The Binding of Isaac, and what he's learned about the mindset of players. We also talk about why you'd lose your mind trying to please everyone, and the importance of understanding what players are really asking for when they give feedback on his games.

#thebindingofisaac #mewgenics #gamingpodcast #gaming

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.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Part 2 of my two part interview with Obsidian's Josh Sawyer. The first episode can be found here:
WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HDXqBgMxy0&t=1448s
LISTEN HERE: https://www.theexaminedgame.com/from-icewind-dale-to-fallout-new-vegas-josh-sawyer-obsidian-part-1/

In today's episode we dive into Pillars of Eternity, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire and Pentiment, what it took to get Pentiment made, and the act of defiance that came from making a game that does not allow the player to become all powerful, but instead asks them to make mistakes and live with the consequences of their actions within a role playing game. Josh talks about the lessons he learned from not giving players the ability to kill Eothas in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, the fact that this almost certainly frustrated much of the player base, and his insistence that it's important to limit the influence a player can have on the world they inhabit.

We also talk about the portrayal of grief in video games, and how he went about achieving this in Pentiment.

I'm really excited to bring this second part of my interview with Josh to you. The first interview, where we discussed Fallout: New Vegas and Icewind Dale, had such a strong response and I loved the engagement from you all. Enjoy!

#pentiment #obsidian #falloutnewvegas #pillarsofeternity #gamingpodcast #rpg

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.

Send us Fan Mail

Today on The Examined Game I am talking with the writer, developer and designer of The Drifter, one of my absolute favourite point and click adventure games of the last few years.

I am in a constant pursuit of a great point and click adventure to scratch an itch that's been bothering me since childhood, after being exposed to the classic LucasArts (Sam & Max, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, Monkey Island) and Sierra (King's Quest, Police Quest, Gabriel Knight) games. Of course, the realisation is that nothing can truly scratch that itch, but modern indie developers can take what worked about those games and breathe new life into the genre. That is exactly what Dave Lloyd of Powerhoof has done with The Drifter, alongside art director Barney Cumming.

I talk with Dave about how he designed The Drifter, reinvented the point and click adventure interface, wrote a gripping mystery, and why launching his indie game after six years of development was more terrifying than he ever expected.

#Thedrifter #pointandclick #adventuregame #gaming #gamingpodcast

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.

Send us Fan Mail

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.

Send us Fan Mail

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.