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Technoblade Never Dies Documentary Announcement: https://youtu.be/Lj0mDrEKSmA?si=N0pV54fYQg5HlnxF
Variety Piece: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/technoblade-never-dies-documentary-minecraft-riot-games-1236850438/

Today my guest on The Examined Game Podcast is me... Steven Lake. Look life has been busy with a few projects and for the first time in 7 months I didn't line up a guest for the podcast. So I thought i'd spend a bit of time telling you what i'm up to outside of the channel (I'm making some movies!) and talk a little bit about the podcast, why I do it, what I love about it etc.

I do talk a little bit about Technoblade Never Dies, the feature documentary I am directing about the life and times of Technoblade and the upcoming film Raised By Dragons directed by Carina Nichaouchine. A Coming of age dungeons and Dragons documentary.

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 I am talking with Jon Ingold, co-founder of Inkle Studios. Inkle have brought us some incredible adventure games over the years, including 80 Days, TR-49, Heaven’s Vault, Expelled and Overboard. This discussion was part of Telltale Games’ Choices Matter Festival, which premiered on Steam back in August. They gave myself and Jon the opportunity to dive into all the potential that comes from great choice making in video games. We cover everything from The Walking Dead through to Jon’s own catalogue of games. It was such an honour to participate in this event with Telltale Games. I am such a huge fan of their work. Enjoy!

#thewalkingdeadtelltale #gaming #inklestudios #thelastexpress #80days

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 am talking with Carrie Patel, director of Avowed, who worked on the Pillars of Eternity series as well as The Outer Worlds while working at Obsidian.

I've long wanted to have a discussion around the direction that Obsidian decided to take with its RPGs by making games that actually get released! So we talk about the scope and ambition that went into making a game like Avowed, how Obsidian made an RPG that could stand on its own two legs and separate itself from the Skyrims of the world, and how crucial good writing and quest design are when you are reducing scope elsewhere, such as removing in-depth crime and murder mechanics.

Much like when I spoke with Josh Sawyer, Carrie just exuded so much love and joy for video games, both the ones she has played and the ones she works on. We also discuss the pathway she took from author, to video game writer, to directing one of the biggest RPGs of recent 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

Today I’m talking with Sean Velasco, creator of Hollow Knight and Mina the Hollower.

Mina was my first Soulslike. That might sound strange, given the genre’s reputation for brutal difficulty, but Mina came with a whole range of modifiers designed to make the game more accessible.

The funny thing is, I never ended up using them. Instead, I persevered.

So I wanted to talk to Sean about the philosophy behind Mina, the idea of making a Soulslike that could be accessible to everyone, and why that approach can be surprisingly controversial.

We also talk about the huge risk Yacht Club Games took as Mina’s ambition and scope continued to grow, and what happens when a small studio decides to aim much, much bigger.

#minathehollower #soulslike #gamingpodcast #zeldalike

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 talking with Mark Darrah, who spent over two decades at BioWare. Mark was part of the studio's early days as it took a huge risk on the original Baldur's Gate. He then helped shepherd the studio through a series of hits, including Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2, and was an integral part of helping to launch the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series.

This is such a fascinating insight into the ups and downs that come with monumental success in the games industry. Mark talks about the lessons learned from being part of one of the world's biggest AAA studios, and the lessons that newer studios, like Larian (Baldur's Gate 3), could learn from BioWare's experience.

We talk about the failed launch of Anthem and the troubled development behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Mark was so candid and generous with his insights and experience working on these huge projects. It is such a rare insight to get, and I hope you enjoy the episode.
#bioware #masseffect #dragonage #gamingpodcast #gaming #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’m talking with Cole Medeiros, who was tasked with working alongside ConcernedApe (Eric Barone), the creator of Stardew Valley, to turn one of the most beloved video games of all time into a board game.

We talk about the ups and downs, challenges and pressure of not only making a great board game, but doing it with the IP of one of the greatest video games of the 21st century. Cole tells us about the unconventional interview that got him the job, his ongoing relationship with Stardew Valley and its community, and the joy of seeing players engage with the board game he helped create.

We also discuss the constant iteration and evolution that surrounds Stardew Valley, and Cole’s excitement about what’s to come with Haunted Chocolatier.

#stardewvalley #hauntedchocolatier #gaming #boardgames

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

Doug Cockle, the voice of Geralt from The Witcher video games, believes that underneath Geralt’s cold exterior is a man who feels things deeply. So today I’m talking to Doug to discuss the beating heart beneath one of video games’ greatest protagonists: how Doug came to find Geralt’s voice, what he sees in the character, and what we can learn from Geralt, someone who is always willing to step up and leave the world a little better than they found it.

In this conversation, we explore what makes Geralt such an enduring character, and how CD Projekt Red and Doug himself have evolved the character throughout the series.

#thewitcher #thewitcher3 #gamingpodcast #cdprojektred #gaming #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 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.