Play, Watch, Listen
Alanah Pearce
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
Mentioned books
Mar 7, 2025 • 55min
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.
Feb 26, 2025 • 1h 13min
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.
Feb 15, 2025 • 1h 27min
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.
Jan 27, 2025 • 54min
164. The State of Video Games in 2025
The conversation kicks off with the impact of recent LA fires on local musicians. A deep dive into the insights from a comprehensive report reveals the post-pandemic economic landscape of video gaming. Anticipation builds around pricing strategies for GTA 6 amidst evolving revenue models. The discussion then shifts to how gaming culture is transformed by subscription services, AI’s role, and changing consumer behavior. The competition between gaming and other digital platforms emerges as a significant theme, alongside speculations on the industry's future in 2025.
Dec 23, 2024 • 59min
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.
Dec 6, 2024 • 1h 2min
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.
Nov 24, 2024 • 56min
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!
Oct 18, 2024 • 1h 2min
160. We Love 11 Bit Studios
This week, FROSTPUNK 2!
Sep 20, 2024 • 57min
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.
Sep 7, 2024 • 1h 13min
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.
