Playscape: Los Angeles

Idle Thumbs
  • 4.1 (14)
  • VIDEO GAMES

Join game maker Teddy Dief (Hyper Light Drifter) for a tour through Los Angeles’ vibrant video game scene. Episodes feature one-on-one conversations with developers, actors, writers, hosts—creators from all walks of life discussing their inspirations, lives, and processes.

Episodes

  1. 06/13/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 10: Tyler J Hutchison

    In final episode of the series, Teddy talks with comic artist and programmer Tyler J Hutchison, about art and code mindsets, choosing constraints, getting off the computer, and more. Teddy talks about burnout and protecting your time, and says a reluctant goodbye from his new home in Montreal.

    1h 33m

  2. 05/20/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 9: Austin Wintory

    Composer Austin Wintory explains his outlook on success, craft, and endlessly challenging oneself to innovate, and responds to what it’s like to win a BAFTA Award for his work on Journey. Teddy takes a vacation and wonders what it takes to be able to “turn it off, and back on”.

    1h 36m

  3. 05/05/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 8: Rachel Sala

    Mysterious co-creator of Frog Fractions, Rachel Sala apparates into the studio to talk to Teddy about keeping secrets, creating weird things, and what it’s really like to be a woman in the games industry. Teddy is leaving LA, and talks about what matters - what remains after the hype subsides from a big event.

    1h 15m

  4. 04/30/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 7: Patrick Miller

    Game designer and writer Patrick Miller drops wisdom on Teddy about fighting games, eSports, and weird career paths. Teddy tries to rest, now that Hyper Light Drifter support is slowing down, but what does rest mean??

    1h 14m

  5. 04/18/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 6: Zoë Quinn

    Teddy is joined by game maker, writer, and FMV connoisseur Zoe Quinn. Listen as they discuss comedy, failure, and of course, Neopets. Teddy muses about reviews - what they mean to a creator, what he expected them to feel like, and what they contribute to feelings of closure after releasing Hyper Light Drifter.

    1h 24m

  6. 04/08/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 5: Alx Preston

    Teddy speaks with the person he has spoken most to over the last couple years. Alx Preston, the creator of Hyper Light Drifter, sits down with his old pal to talk about fine art, running a company, and being forever unsatisfied. Teddy opens up about his career-long impatience and unrealistic goals, and how he likes it that way.

    1h 37m

  7. 04/05/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 4: Sarah Elmaleh

    Teddy mixes coffee and wine with guest Sarah Elmaleh, prolific voiceover artist in indie games and beyond, as they chat about the language of voice acting, physicality, and social lives. Teddy draws a questionable simile between releasing a game and witnessing a nuclear blast, and takes questions from Twitter.

    1h 21m

  8. 04/01/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 3: Vernon Shaw

    Master of the Internet Vernon Shaw leaps out of the virtual world to talk about making people laugh, the psychology of internet culture, and what it means to work in and around YouTube. Teddy tries to process yesterday’s release of his team’s game. (Teddy rambles about next week, when he'll talk with the Hyper Light Drifter team members who live in LA - Alex Preston, Beau Blyth, Sean Ward, Cosimo Galluzzi)

    1h 21m

  9. 03/28/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 2: Brendon Chung

    Teddy gets serious with Brendon Chung (aka Blendo Games) about working solo, how he keeps a routine, and pushing to push out of his comfort zone. After a weekend of crunch work, Teddy attempts to summarize all of Los Angeles in five minutes.

    1h 10m

  10. 03/24/2016

    Playscape: Los Angeles 1: Ashly Burch

    A shining guest for a shiny first episode - Teddy talks with writer, director, and voice actor Ashly Burch about her path to acting, putting passion behind work, and social change through media. On the verge of releasing Hyper Light Drifter, Teddy describes what it’s like to hunger for an audience.

    1h 9m
  • 10 Episodes

4.1
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Join game maker Teddy Dief (Hyper Light Drifter) for a tour through Los Angeles’ vibrant video game scene. Episodes feature one-on-one conversations with developers, actors, writers, hosts—creators from all walks of life discussing their inspirations, lives, and processes.

Information

  • Creator
    Idle Thumbs
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Idle Thumbs
  • Show Website
    Playscape: Los Angeles

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