Full Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ294E7zFoI&t=123s Outer Wilds creative director Alex Beachum breaks down the three pillars that shaped the game's design. Alex discusses how games like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker influenced his thinking around player-driven curiosity, exploration, and discovery. He also explains why the team deliberately reduced the player's…
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…
Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596612/fan_mail/new) 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…
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:…
What do Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, Maelle from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption have in common? They all have great hair. But who is the talent behind some of our favorite video game hairstyles? Today I talk with Amandeen Marest, the hair designer…
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",…
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",…
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",…
Today we're talking about my new favourite game: Mina the Hollower by Yacht Club Games. It's the game that finally got me engaged with a Soulslike for the first time in my life. Mina the Hollower is phenomenal, and I can't overstate just how bad I usually am at these…
Today we're talking about my new favourite game: Mina the Hollower by Yacht Club Games. It's the game that finally got me engaged with a Soulslike for the first time in my life. Mina the Hollower is phenomenal, and I can't overstate just how bad I usually am at these…
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",…
Today we're talking about my new favourite game: Mina the Hollower by Yacht Club Games. It's the game that finally got me engaged with a Soulslike for the first time in my life. Mina the Hollower is phenomenal, and I can't overstate just how bad I usually am at these…
Today we are talking about my new favourite game, the one that has actually gotten me engaged with a Soulslike for the first time in my life. It's Mina the Hollower by Yacht Club Games. This game is phenomenal, and I can't overstate just how bad I usually am at…
I sat down with creator of Outer Wilds Alex Beachum to discuss some of his favorite childhood video games including a 90s educational video game, Dark Souls, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Star Wars Rebel Assult. You can find the full…
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",…
Today I recount a story about my dad telling me a bold faced lie about why he won't buy me the James Bond game i've always wanted. This childhood memory came up since the release of 007 First Light which I can't wait to play. I have my parents to…
http://www.theexaminedgame.com Each week, host Steven Lake asks a single expansive question of the creators behind some of the world's most influential video games, sparking meaningful conversations about the personal and professional impact games have had on their lives and creative philosophies. From games like Outer Wilds, Life is Strange, Uncharted,…
Full Interview with Julia Minamata creator of The Crimson Diamond Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D34domaoqeI In this clip I talk with Julia about her approach to game design looking at her game environment as a dolls house. Julia Minamata is the solo developer of the text parser adventure game The Crimson Diamond, a…
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.…
What happens when a fledgling studio with a limited budget takes a gamble on one very specific element of character design? That's what the team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did with hair. Today I get to talk with Amandine Marest, Hair & Technical Character artist Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.…
Today we are talking about Main Menus in video games including Half Life 2, Final Fantasy VII, Detroit: Become Human and Life Is Strange. Menu's in video games are a strange in-between space that exist for pratacticle reasons but over the years developers have applied their own attention to detail…
LISTEN HERE: https://www.theexaminedgame.com/scope-playtesting-and-finishing-games-nina-freeman-cibele-lost-records-bloom-rage/ In today’s episode I speak with game developer Nina Freeman about mistakes, reflection, and the role personal experience can play in game design. Nina is known for her autobiographical approach to games, incorporating real moments from her own life into projects like Cibele, as well as her…
Today we’re talking about my endless pursuit of safety in video games and my attempt to beat Hollow Knight: Silksong by darting from bench to bench in a constant search for save points and moments of peace. Featuring Kelsey Beachum, writer of Outer Wilds, and Clint Hocking, Creative Director of…
