Play, Watch, Listen
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.
Episodes
184. Clavicular, Human Nature, and 007: First Light
This week, Mike, Austin, and Alanah mostly talk about human nature. No, really. The new James Bond game is also spoken about for about 10 minutes at the end.
183. Bithell Games Presents: AMBERSPIRE
Alanah and Mike chat to game director Nic Tringali about science-fantasy city-builder "Amberspire".
182. Surviving in Freelance Game Dev
Mike and Alanah chat about the pit-falls of working for yourself, and how to manage your time as a freelance (or self-funded indie) game developer.
181. Finally Talking About Xbox & Asha Sharma
SORRY AUDIO LISTENERS: podcast services briefly put a hold on our uploads, so you'll get a few in a row as we catch up! This episode features Austin, Mike, and Alanah talking about the changes at Xbox, among other things.
180. We're Scared of Early Access
This week, Mike and Alanah discuss Bithell games, whether Mike is a Golden Retriever Boyfriend, the new era of the cosplay community, collaboration among indie game devs, and our fear of Early Access.
179. This Episode is About Sex (in Video Games)
Alanah, Mike, and Austin discuss sex (or the lack thereof) in video games, and how video game writing and film/TV do and do not compare. Also, happy new year!
178. Where are Video Games Headed in 2026?
Apologies for the late upload! On this episode, Mike & Austin chat about the success of Dispatch, changes to video game dev structures, and where the industry seems to be headed.
177. Dispatch Writer Pierre Shorette Talks CHOICES!
This week, Austin, Mike, and Alanah are joined by Adhoc Studios' Pierre Shorette to talk about Dispatch - the latest narrative driven game made by a group of Telltale alumni.
176. How to Market an Indie Game (& Undertale's Terrible Code)
Alanah and Mike discuss indie game marketing, and the fact that getting past being worried about something sucking is the best way to start... making something!
175. Hollow Knight: Silksong's Difficulty, and Alanah's ChatGPT Video
This week, Alanah, Mike, and Austin chat about Hollow Knight: Silksong (yes, it's hard) and how media seems to prefer difficult games, Alanah's recent ChatGPT video (though this was recorded before it was published), and the Freewrite Traveler.
174. Wave Tech in Sword of the Sea!
This week, we sat down to chat with Matt Nava from Giant Squid, all about the studio's latest game - Sword of the Sea.
173. IP Rights & Stop Killing Games
Austin, Mike, and Alanah chat about IP Rights and our (very early, uniformed lol) thoughts on the "Stop Killing Games" petition.
172. Mike talks TRON: Catalyst! (& Alanah learns to code)
This week, Mike and Alanah talk about learning to use game engine Godot, the brilliant lighting in TRON: Catalyst, and ethics in genitalia shown in film.
171. A Chat to the Creator of Blue Prince!
This week, Alanah, Mike, and Austin sat down to chat to Tonda Ros - the director of Blue Prince. Apologies for Tonda's echo!
170. We love Blue Prince (but maybe won't finish it, is that okay?)
Alanah and Austin chat Blue Prince, addictive video games, and Satisfactory.
169. From The Banner Saga to Towerborne (ft. Arnie Jorgensen)
This week, Mike, Alanah, and Austin chat to co-founder of Stoic, the creators of The Banner Saga and, more recently, Towerborne!
168. Our Nintendo Switch 2 Reactions!
This week, Alanah and Mike discuss the Switch 2 presentation!
167. Lay-Offs, Microsoft's new AI (sorry, Phil), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit
This week, Alanah and Mike start out by talking about the lay-offs across WB Games, then jump into talking about Microsoft's newly announced AI "Muse", and then we - finally - get Alanah's thoughts on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
166. Talking to Eternal Strands director Mike Laidlaw!
This 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.
165. The Studio Making Four Games A YEAR!? (ft. Xalavier Nelson)
Apologies 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.
164. The State of Video Games in 2025
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!
163. Game Design Challenges & the Indiana Jones Game!
Happy four years of PWL! Sorry about Mike's audio here, we don't know what happened.
162. Can Indies Save The Games Industry?
Alanah 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.
161. Should DLC Be Nominated for Game of the Year?
We'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!
160. We Love 11 Bit Studios
This week, FROSTPUNK 2!
159. Star Wars: Outlaws and Bugs in Video Games
This 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.
158. Should Games Cost More?
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.
157. This Episode is Mostly About The Expanse
After 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?
156. GamePass gets a Price Increase
Austin, 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.
155. Alanah is Suddenly Obsessed with 1993's Myst
Alanah and Mike discuss OLD game development! And Myst!
154. Our thoughts on Summer Game Fest... & Music Licensing
This week we talk about Summer Game Fest and, because we never stay on topic, music licensing! Also featuring Rahul.
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.
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.
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!?
150. WE TURN ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY!
Featuring Rahul Kohli, and the return of Troy, AND we're all in the same room!?
149. This year's GDC
This week, Mike and Alanah chat about GDC, LinkedIn, business cards, and give great life advice.
148. TikTok Ban, Kate Middleton, Dune 2 & More!
A LOT OF TOPICS THIS WEEK, WE SIMPLY CAN'T BE CONTAINED.
147. Even More Games Industry Lay-Offs
This week Mike and Alanah chat about the continued lay-offs impacting the games industry.
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.
145. Zoom of Theseus
The title says it all, I don't understand what more context you could possibly need?
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.
143. What is "game direction", anyway?
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!
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!
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 for the audio levels.
140. Unity's CEO Resigned
An update on the Unity system, and an important question: do you own any baskets? Why?
139. We Have Questions About Starfield's Design
This week, Mike and Alanah go over some of the biggest question's about Starfield.
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.
137. The Games Industry and Communication
This week, Mike and Alanah discuss some of the responses to Baldur's Gate 3's exceptional quality.
136. Taylor Swift and Stray Gods (ft. Liam Esler!)
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.
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.
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?
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.
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 excell in player choice. Neat. Did I mention Canvas?
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!
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
122. Game Awards & The Mick Gordon Doom Eternal Situation
This 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.
121. Why You Can't Pause/Rewind Video Game Cutscenes
This 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.
120. This is an Episode of This Show
You'll see.
119. God of War Ragnarok Review Scores
This 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.
118. Halloween Special ft. Andor
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE! This week, Alanah, Austin, Mike, and Troy discuss Andor, what TV shows to watch, and eventually... ghosts. Spooky.
117. A Mike and Austin Special
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.
116. Austin Scored Thai Cave Rescue
This week, we chat about South Park, and then Austin talks about his experience in scoring the new Netflix show, Thai Cave Rescue.
115. Wishlist Tron: Identity from Bithell Games
This week, we get to publicly ask Mike about something we've been privately asking him about for FOREVER! Also, it wouldn't be an episode of Play, Watch, Listen without a philosophical discussion, so: can AI create art?
114. Three Men Talking About Nothing
For this week's episode, I did my best to scrub through and find a topic of any kind but I am not convinced one exists. Here's Austin, Troy, and Mike talking about nothing.
113. Pentiment's Text and Accessibility, plus GamesCom News
This week, Alanah found out some more details about Obsidian's Pentiment, plus we talk about GamesCom News and House of Dragons.
112. Batgirl's Cancellation Happens in Games, too
This episode got caught in a processing error loop, so apologies for the delay! We chat about Batgirl's cancellation and what's happening at HBO, plus the reality of late-stage cancellations in game development.
111. Let's talk about Prey
This week, Alanah and Mike talk about the new Predator movie: Prey! And then briefly about a new Forspoken trailer, but mostly about Prey.
110. The Offer, and Knowing if your Work is Good
This week, we talk about Troy lying about riding a horse, the TV show The Offer (for some reason?), and if any of us have ever known ahead of release if what we're working on is "good".
109. The Boys Season 3!
This week, we are excited to GET TO MAKIN' MORE CREATIVE STUFF WITH PATREON! Plus, we stay shockingly on topic with discussions on The Boys season 3, completely spoiler-free.
108. God of War Ragnarok Got a Release Date
This week, we spoke about fake leakers, swatting, and video game writing that feels like pandering.
107. BioShock Infinite, Floppy Disks, and Actors
This week, the whole squad is here to discuss good vs bad game design, floppy disks, games being saved on cartridges, and actors.
106. TMNT: Shredder's Revenge and the cost of Pixel Art
Also, cows and fireflies, or something.
105. Fort Solis, Summer Game Fest, and Alanah's Directing Debut
This was a difficult episode to title because we spoke about 1,000 different things, so note that the title was an attempt but is not really a large focus of the episode. SORRY. I'M BAD AT PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
