Lore & Order: A Gaming Podcast

James Padley & Amrith Eldridge

0.0 (0)
Video Games
Updated Weekly

A podcast about games and nerd culture, and why they matter. Each week we reflect on how the games we love shaped our expectations, insecurities, relationships, and identities - and how they support our real life quest to become the best version of ourselves.

6d ago

Home Sweet Home: Why We Love Building in Games

Why do so many of us spend hours decorating houses, planting virtual gardens, and arranging furniture in games that no one else will ever see? This week on Lore & Order, we're exploring one of gaming's most universal habits: creating virtual spaces that feel like home. From building painstakingly elaborate Minecraft bases, curating Animal Crossing islands, and transforming Stardew Valley farms into our own personal sanctuaries, players have always found ways to leave their mark on virtual worlds. But why? Why does placing a painting on a wall feel meaningful? Why do we display swords, armour sets, fossils, and collectibles long after we've earned them? And why does a digital space start to genuinely feel like home? Join us as we explore the first game homes we ever built, the psychology behind "place attachment" and how we naturally link personal spaces to our identity, and perhaps, most importantly - what virtual homes can teach us about the real ones we live in. 🎮 Episode Links: Home is where the heart is: The effect of place of residence on place attachment and community participation - Charis E. Anton, & Carmen Lawrence: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494414000954 Is it a sense of autonomy, control, or attachment? Exploring the effects of in-game customization on game enjoyment. - Keunyeong Kim, et al.: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563215001090 From Virtual Worlds to Real Places: A Journey Through Video Game Play, Flow, and Place Attachment. - Ismail Shaheer: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/7/4/99 The Beauty of Life -William Morris, 1880: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/collected-works-of-william-morris/beauty-of-life-1880/677CA3EAAD32B902F6172B65EF27F5B0

45 min
Jun 29

Breaking the Rules: The Games We Invent Ourselves

What happens when players stop asking, "How am I supposed to play this game?" and start asking, "How else could I play it?". In this episode of Lore & Order, we explore one of the gaming communities most fascinating quirks: our tendency to ignore the rules we've been given and invent entirely new ones. From Pokémon Nuzlockes, Ironman runs, pacifist playthroughs and speedrunning, some of gaming's most memorable experiences weren't created by developers - they were created by the players. Together, we unpack the psychology of self-imposed challenges. Why risk creates unforgettable stories, how gaming communities continually reinvent the experiences developers create, and why modern studios are increasingly designing games with player-created rule-sets in mind. Because one of the greatest things about games isn't simply that they're interactive. It's that they invite us to make them our own. 🎮 Episode Links Nuzlocke University - The origins, rules and community behind Pokémon's most famous fan-created challenge: https://nuzlockeuniversity.ca/nuzlocke-rules/

39 min
Jun 22

Pocket Worlds: How Gaming Escaped the Lounge Room

When was the last time you played a game outside of your house? On the train. At the airport. During your lunch break. Maybe even during a cheeky work poo. Gaming used to be something we did in a specific place. You sat down in front of a TV, turned on the console, and entered another world. Today, those worlds live inside our pockets. In this episode, we explore how gaming escaped the lounge room and became something we can access almost anywhere, anytime. From sneaking a Game Boy under the doona late at night to playing mobile games on smartphones, we unpack how portable gaming transformed not only where we play, but how we play. Along the way we discuss the rise of handheld consoles, the social magic of Pokémon battles with the link cable, the smartphone revolution that turned millions of non-gamers into gamers, and the psychology behind habit-forming game design like daily logins, streaks, and battle passes. Most importantly, we ask: When games are available everywhere, how do we make sure we're still choosing to play them intentionally?

45 min
Jun 15

Post Game Depression: The Strange Sadness of Finishing a Great Game

Have you ever finished an incredible game, and instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, you felt sadness? The music swells. The credits roll. Only to be left with this strange emptiness. You wanted to reach the ending. You spent dozens (sometimes hundreds) of hours building towards it, but when it finally arrived...you almost wish it hadn’t. In this episode of Lore & Order, we explore the curious phenomenon of post-game depression: why finishing a great game can leave us feeling unexpectedly hollow, and what that feeling reveals about stories, relationships, and the worlds we inhabit. Because we’re not just saying goodbye to a game. We’re saying goodbye to a life we briefly lived. 🎮 Articles referenced in this episode: Post-game depression scale - a new measure to capture players' experiences after finishing video games - K. Janowicz & P. Klimczyk: gamesresearchgate.net/publication/400076597_Post-game_depression_scale_-_a_new_measure_to_capture_players%27_experiences_after_finishing_video_games What is Narrative Transportation? - C. Vinney: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-narrative-transportation-5217042 What is post-game depression? A narrative enquiry - P. Klimcyzk: https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/20994

51 min
Jun 8

A Healthy Distraction: How Games Help Us Cope

When life gets overwhelming, many of us instinctively reach for a controller. Whether it's before a big job interview, during a stressful week, while recovering from an illness, or simply after a rough day, games have a unique ability to quiet the noise and give our minds somewhere else to focus. In this episode of Lore & Order, we explore why games are such powerful tools for coping with stress, anxiety, pain, and uncertainty. We discuss the psychology of attention, flow state, and distraction, uncover fascinating historical examples of games being used to endure hardship, and examine the difference between healthy escapism and unhealthy avoidance. Along the way, we share personal stories of how gaming helped us through difficult periods, from major life transitions and medical recovery to anxiety, grief, and everyday stress. So come and get distracted with us - because sometimes distraction isn't something to feel guilty about. Sometimes, it's exactly what we need. 🎮 Articles referenced in this episode: Virtual “SnowWorld” Helps Burn Victims Cope with Extreme Pain - Laura Panjawi, 2017: https://www.rdworldonline.com/virtual-snowworld-helps-burn-victims-cope-with-extreme-pain/ Preventing intrusive memories after trauma via a brief intervention involving Tetris computer game play in the emergency department - L. Iyadurai, et al. 2018: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28348380/ Histories, Herodutus, 5th Century BC. Translated by G. C. Macaulay 1890 Distraction with a hand-held video game reduces pediatric preoperative anxiety: Anuradha Patel, et al. 2006: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16972829/

42 min
Jun 1

The Hero Within: Silent vs Voiced Protagonists

When you play a game, are you supposed to feel like yourself? Or are you supposed to feel like someone else? From silent heroes like Link and Pokémon trainers to iconic voiced characters like Geralt, Lara Croft, Kratos, and Commander Shepard, video games immerse us in very different ways depending on who we're controlling. In this episode of Lore & Order, we explore one of gaming's most fascinating design questions: Why do silent and voiced protagonists create such different emotional experiences? Because whether we're projecting ourselves onto a blank slate hero or stepping into the shoes of a fully realised character, games give us a unique opportunity to explore identity, empathy, and who we are. 🎮 Articles referenced in episode: The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series - Anthony Bean Virtual self-modeling: The effects of vicarious reinforcement and identification on exercise behaviors - J. Fox and J.N. Bailenson: https://vhil.stanford.edu/publications/medical/virtual-self-modeling-effects-vicarious-reinforcement-and-identification

50 min
May 25

The Age of Answers: The Death of Mystery in Modern Gaming

Do you remember hearing rumours about secret characters, hidden endings, or Easter eggs in games, and not knowing if they were real? Before guides, datamining, YouTube breakdowns, and social media spoilers, mystery in gaming felt different. Secrets spread through school yards, fringe forums, and word of mouth. If you wanted answers, you had to explore, experiment, and get creative. In this episode of Lore & Order, we explore what happened to mystery in modern gaming, and why losing that sense of uncertainty may have changed the way we experience games forever. So join us as we reflect on why the unknown still matters in a world where we can access every answer instantly. 🎮 Articles referenced in Episode: The psychology and neuroscience of curiosity - Celeste Kidd, Benjamin Y Hayden: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4635443/ Why we Love a good Mystery - Sam Goldstein Ph.D: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/common-sense-science/202503/why-we-love-a-good-mystery? Curiousity and the Dynamics of Optimal Exploration - Franceso P, et al: https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613%2824%2900028-7 What is Intolerance of Uncertainty? - Olivia Guy-Evans: https://www.simplypsychology.org/intolerance-of-uncertainty.html

58 min
May 18

Nostalgia Therapy: Why We Replay Games

Does hearing an old game soundtrack instantly transport you back in time? Can a loading screen, menu sound, or familiar world make you feel comforted, reminiscent...or even a little sad? In this episode of Lore & Order, we explore the power of nostalgia in gaming. Why certain games stay with us for decades, why revisiting them feels so meaningful, and what those experiences reveal about who we were - and who we’ve become. So join us for a round of Nostalgia Therapy. Because nostalgia in gaming isn’t just about replaying old favourites; It’s about reconnecting with a past version of yourself. Articles referenced in the episode: The untranslatable word that connects Wales - Lily Crossley-Baxter: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210214-the-welsh-word-you-cant-translate The effect of a multi-week nostalgia intervention on well-being: Mechanisms and moderation - Layous, K., Kurtz, J. L., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2022): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-88177-001 Nostalgia in video games - Nicholas David Bowman , Tim Wulf (2023): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X22002652

48 min

A podcast about games and nerd culture, and why they matter. Each week we reflect on how the games we love shaped our expectations, insecurities, relationships, and identities - and how they support our real life quest to become the best version of ourselves.

Creator

James Padley & Amrith Eldridge
Years Active

2K
Episodes

16
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© James Padley
Show Website

Lore & Order: A Gaming Podcast