136. Taylor Swift and Stray Gods (ft. Liam Esler!)

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136. Taylor Swift and Stray Gods (ft. Liam Esler!)

FromPlay, Watch, Listen

ratings:

Length:

82 minutes

Released:

Aug 17, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

We 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.

Released:

Aug 17, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Join Alanah Pearce (game writer), Troy Baker (voice actor), 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 four unique perspectives in the games industry.

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55. What Makes "Bad" Game Design?: This week, we talk about the importance of conductors (for orchestras, though I'm sure both scientific conductors and train conductors are super important too), visiting the sets of Blockbuster films, game design, and how video games are in their... by Play, Watch, Listen
73 min listen
2. Are Game Awards Completely Pointless?: After The Game Awards (but before Rise of Skywalker), Alanah, Troy, Mike, and Austin sat down to talk about the purpose of 'Game Awards', including their perspectives as recipients and voters. by Play, Watch, Listen
65 min listen
53. This Year's BAFTA Games Nominees: This week, Alanah, Troy, Mike, and Austin talk about this year's BAFTA nominees across most of the categories. We also delve into Point and Click Adventure games and our mixed thoughts on The Queen's Gambit. by Play, Watch, Listen
51 min listen
64. The Games Industry Without E3: This week, join Austin, Mike, and Alanah to talk about the progression of E3 and how it's likely to change, and influence different facets of the games industry as it does. There's only one tangent and it's about... radio broadcast. I'm not sure why... by Play, Watch, Listen
50 min listen
70. Kotaku's Recent Headlines: A discussion of Kotaku's recent headlines that, of course, somehow ends up getting existential and profound because we can't help being who we are, okay? by Play, Watch, Listen
63 min listen
65. God of War on PS4 AND PS5?: We talk about games we haven't played and feel guilty about, and the next God of War game being on multiple platforms. I don't know what happens after that, someone please let me know. by Play, Watch, Listen
58 min listen
58. How QA Works: Apologies for the break last week, BUT WE'RE BACK! We don't have a Troy, but we do have discussions about what QA does, VR porn, and if social media is needed to get into the games industry. by Play, Watch, Listen
81 min listen
87. What NTFs Actually Mean For Gaming: On this week's episode, we share an animated clip (that will be on YouTube when this publishes, if you'd like to go see it!), before jumping right into NFTs, and ending with some talk of Arcane. by Play, Watch, Listen
83 min listen
3. Why Games REALLY Get Delayed: Austin, Mike, Troy, and Alanah talk about bugs, delays, sequels, and, of course, Star Wars. by Play, Watch, Listen
61 min listen
60. Mortal Kombat (but not the movie): We celebrate 60 episodes with a discussion of everything except for the actually trending Mortal Kombat topic. by Play, Watch, Listen
63 min listen
1. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is ALMOST a good game.: For our very first episode of this actually not Star Wars-themed podcast, Alanah, Troy, Austin, and Mike dive into Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and The Mandolorian. by Play, Watch, Listen
71 min listen
71. Tencent, Censorship & Elaborate Setups: Also: we're taking a break. It's not you, it's me. No, really. by Play, Watch, Listen
77 min listen
61. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?: Honestly, I'm not going to lie to you, we mostly talk about a movie that came out in 1988. by Play, Watch, Listen
61 min listen
54. Video Game Languages and Star Trek: I have had so many problems getting the audio for this episode to publish that I give up on re-writing the description again. by Play, Watch, Listen
69 min listen
69. When Writing Is Too Videogamey: We didn't make a single joke about the episode number, but we did speak at length about the future of video game storytelling and narrative design! by Play, Watch, Listen
82 min listen
57. How to Audition for Voice Acting Roles: This week's episode covers multiple perspectives on the audition process, specifically for voice acting in games. And that's pretty much it. No, really, we stayed on topic almost the entire time. This will never happen again. 57 will be spoken about... by Play, Watch, Listen
69 min listen
68. The Future of Indie Games (plus Mike & Troy use too many towels): This week, we talk about indie studios being bought up all over the place, and discuss how feasible it is to exist without a publisher. Also, more hotel etiquette, including an excessive use of towels. by Play, Watch, Listen
76 min listen
52. Why Games Use Motion Blur: gib nice review on aplpy podcast pls by Play, Watch, Listen
69 min listen
72. The Boyfriend Dungeon Controversy: We're back! Troy got a cool mask, there's some controversy surrounding a game called Boyfriend Dungeon, and what does "consent" mean in video games? by Play, Watch, Listen
66 min listen
62. Troy Baker, Austin Wintory, & Mike Bithell Interview Each Other by Play, Watch, Listen
56 min listen
84. IGN's "Call Of Duty Fans Reveal Why They Aren't Buying Vanguard": This week, Troy joins us from an airport and I am very sorry about it. But also, we discuss a headline choice (and subsequent article) regarding Call of Duty fans and their purchasing decisions, before diving into a discussion about if playing games... by Play, Watch, Listen
87 min listen
56. Are Game Devs Lazy?: This week, we're dressed very fancy. You can't see that if you're listening to the audio version, but I felt you should know. by Play, Watch, Listen
53 min listen
76. I Just Want to Talk About Deathloop: Instead we talk about 9/11 and social responsibility. But there is a TINY bit of Deathloop, I really tried. by Play, Watch, Listen
59 min listen
74. The Cost of Voice Acting in Video Games: This week, we talk about how actors view good acting, why we like the performances we do, and the 'cost' of voice acting, for the actor and indie and AAA studios. It's an almost entirely on-topic episode - you're welcome. by Play, Watch, Listen
70 min listen
75. Games Need Trailers Like The Matrix: Austin and I saw John Williams live, and Troy is very excited about The Matrix. by Play, Watch, Listen
53 min listen
67. Can Gameplay Out-Do Bad Writing?: The headlining topic is at around 45 minutes, and there are some spoilers for RE8 from this point onward. Otherwise, standing desks, dogs, and player agency! by Play, Watch, Listen
70 min listen
66. Troy Moved House: E3 is briefly mentioned but this week's episode of your #1 video game podcast mostly talks about absolutely anything and everything else. by Play, Watch, Listen
100 min listen
89. Let's Talk About The Matrix Resurrections: This week, we do such a good job of staying on topic. Wow. Amazing. Iconic. Flawless. We talk about The Matrix Resurrections, mostly. This isn't a prank! We really did! by Play, Watch, Listen
53 min listen
59. What Makes a Good Performer: This week, we talk about YouTube, performances, what to look for in a job, and Jeff Kaplan leaving Blizzard. Surprising nobody, it's a real grab bag. Also, next week's episode will be live-streamed on YouTube! by Play, Watch, Listen
72 min listen
79. We Really Love Midnight Mass: Please refer to the title. by Play, Watch, Listen
68 min listen

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153. Games Journalism is Very, Very Broken: This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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152. The Fallout TV Show ft. Tim Cain (the creator of Fallout!): This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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151. From Actor to Game Director!: This week, we talk to Abubakar Salim about his transition from actor to full-blown game director. How did he do it!? by Play, Watch, Listen
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150. WE TURN ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY!: Featuring Rahul Kohli, and the return of Troy, AND we're all in the same room!? by Play, Watch, Listen
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149. This year's GDC: This week, Mike and Alanah chat about GDC, LinkedIn, business cards, and give great life advice. by Play, Watch, Listen
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148. TikTok Ban, Kate Middleton, Dune 2 & More!: A LOT OF TOPICS THIS WEEK, WE SIMPLY CAN'T BE CONTAINED. by Play, Watch, Listen
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146. Games We Wish We Could Play Again for the First Time: It'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 Play, Watch, Listen
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145. Zoom of Theseus: The title says it all, I don't understand what more context you could possibly need? by Play, Watch, Listen
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144. The Gang Has an Existential Crisis: Apologies 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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142. The Lay-Offs (& Our Favourite Things of the Year): You can't talk about good games this year without also talking about lay-offs, so hey, let's do both! by Play, Watch, Listen
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141. The Fall of the House of Usher ft. Rahul Kohli & Andy Grush!: This 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... by Play, Watch, Listen
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140. Unity's CEO Resigned: An update on the Unity system, and an important question: do you own any baskets? Why? by Play, Watch, Listen
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139. We Have Questions About Starfield's Design: This week, Mike and Alanah go over some of the biggest question's about Starfield. by Play, Watch, Listen
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138. Explaining the Unity Engine drama ft. Rami Ismail: We'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 Play, Watch, Listen
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137. The Games Industry and Communication: This week, Mike and Alanah discuss some of the responses to Baldur's Gate 3's exceptional quality. by Play, Watch, Listen
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135. Austin talks Stray Gods: 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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134. Who is the Apple Vision Pro for?: 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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133. Zelda and When Players Over-Think Puzzles: This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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132. Tron: Identity and Stray Gods: 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... by Play, Watch, Listen
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131. Physics in Zelda and E3 got Cancelled: This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
53 min listen
130. Troy on playing James in The Last of Us: This week, Alanah and Mike aggressively interrogate Troy about his experience playing Joel in The Last of Us (spoilers). by Play, Watch, Listen
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129. Games Industry Networking & Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Alanah 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 Play, Watch, Listen
30 min listen
128. Austin on Why Assassin's Creed Won at the Grammys: This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
51 min listen
127. The Last of Us TV Show Episode 3: 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 Play, Watch, Listen
54 min listen
126. The Menu (again), Fine Dining, and The Last of Us Ep. 2: This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
63 min listen
125. Programming, The Menu (a little), & The Last of Us ep. 1: This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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124. The Last of Us TV Show Premiere, Reviews, and Games as Movies: This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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123. AI Art (Again) & The Last of US TV Show: This 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 Play, Watch, Listen
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136. Taylor Swift and Stray Gods (ft. Liam Esler!)

136. Taylor Swift and Stray Gods (ft. Liam Esler!)

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Play, Watch, Listen

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