Lore & Order: A Gaming Podcast

James Padley & Amrith Eldridge
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  • 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.

  1. Aug 17 ·  Bonus

    Announcement: That's a Wrap on Season 1!

    After 21 episodes, we're pressing pause for a very exciting reason! James and his wife are about to welcome their first child into the world, so Lore & Order is taking a short season break while we adjust to life as new parents. We can’t give you a definitive return date for Season 2 yet, but once we’ve got a grasp on what our new normal looks like, we’ll be back and better than ever! In the meantime, we'll still be active on Instagram and TikTok, continuing to share clips from Season 1, and having some great discussions. We'd love to keep chatting with you there! A huge thank you to everyone who has listened, shared an episode, left a review, or joined the conversation over the past six months. We honestly couldn't have imagined the support we've received, and we're incredibly grateful you've come along for the ride. Until then, keep playing great games, and we'll see you in Season 2! 📸 Follow us: @loreandorderpodcast

    Announcement: That's a Wrap on Season 1!

  2. Aug 10

    Perfect Playthroughs: Are We Optimising the Fun Out of Video Games?

    Modern gaming gives us more information than ever before. Build guides, tier lists, walkthroughs, and optimisation tools promise to make us better players - but are they also taking away the experimentation and genuine discovery that made us fall in love with games in the first place? In this weeks episode of Lore & Order, we explore the rise of gaming's optimisation culture. From "best builds" and spoiler-filled guides to the psychology behind why our brains crave the most efficient path, we ask whether we're still playing games, or simply following someone else's instructions. We also unpack psychological ideas including Information Foraging Theory, Loss Aversion, Maximising vs Satisficing, and the Generation Effect - and what they can teach us about protecting the joy of discovery. Whether you've ever looked up a boss strategy before fighting it, Googled the "best ending," or spent hours perfecting an overpowered build, this episode is for you, and perhaps serves as a reminder that sometimes the most memorable gaming experiences are the ones nobody told us how to have. 🎮 In this episode: Why games can feel like homework before you've even started playingThe psychology behind our obsession with optimisationWhy online communities create gaming "meta" culturesThe hidden cost of walkthroughs, tier lists and build guidesWhy discovering something yourself is more memorable than reading about itWhen optimisation genuinely improves games - and when it can get in the way📚 Episode Links: Information Foraging - Peter Pirolli & Stuart Card, 1999: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter-Pirolli/publication/229101074_Information_Foraging/links/02bfe50f098acc0ea8000000/Information-Foraging.pdf Loss Aversion, Behavioral Economics, 2024: https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/mini-encyclopedia-of-be/loss-aversion/ Maximizing versus satisficing: happiness is a matter of choice - Barry Schwartz, 2002: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12416921/ Digital bonds: A gamers’ perspective on the role of online gaming communities in fostering social interaction and identity. Kostas Zervas & Kostas Maronitis, 2025: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10126902251349297 The Generation Effect, Jamie Clark, 2026: https://newsletter.jamieleeclark.com/p/the-generation-effect

    Perfect Playthroughs: Are We Optimising the Fun Out of Video Games?

  3. Aug 3

    Digital Tourism: How Video Games Inspire Real-World Curiosity

    What if one of gaming's greatest strengths isn't helping us escape the real world - but making us more curious about it? This week on Lore & Order, we're exploring how video games transform us into digital tourists and how they invite us to wander through breathtaking worlds inspired by real history, architecture, myths, cultures and landscapes. Whether you've found yourself wondering if a castle from a fantasy RPG was based on a real place, Googling Greek and Norse mythology after playing God of War, or recognising a real-world landmark because you explored it in a game first, you're not alone. Games don't just let us explore fictional worlds, they encourage us to ask questions about the real one. 🎮 In this episode we discuss: What "digital tourism" actually meansHow Attention Restoration Theory helps explain our love of wandering virtual landscapesWhy authentic architecture, geography and culture make game worlds feel believableHow developers borrow from real-world history, myths and placesWhy games inspire us to learn more about different culturesGames that faithfully recreate historical locations and civilizationsHow games have inspired real-world tourism around the globeWhy video games may be one of the most underrated tools for cultural curiosity📚 Episode Links: Video Game-Inspired Tourism: A Synergistic Framework - Van Ha Luong & Aikaterini Manthiou (2026): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261517725001529 What is Kaplan's Attention Restoration Theory (ART)? - Courtney E. Ackerman (2018): https://positivepsychology.com/attention-restoration-theory/ Attention Restoration Theory: A Systematic Review of the Attention Restoration Potential of Exposure to Natural Environments - Heather Ohly et al. (2016): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10937404.2016.1196155 From Virtual to Physical: The Spillover Effects of Digital Games on Tourist Destinations - Shufeng Lei et al. (2026): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261517725002407 📸 Follow us on Instagram & TikTok: @loreandorderpodcast

    Digital Tourism: How Video Games Inspire Real-World Curiosity

  4. Jul 27

    The Value of Video Games: Price, Ownership & What Games Are Really Worth

    Video games have never been more expensive... or have they? This week on Lore & Order, we're asking whether games really are becoming unaffordable - or whether we're measuring value the wrong way entirely. From the looming $130 AAA release of GTA VI, to the incredible cost-per-hour that games offer compared to movies, concerts, escape rooms and other entertainment, we unpack why gaming might actually be one of the best value for money hobbies around. But value isn't just about dollars and hours anymore. As the industry moves towards an increasingly digital future, we're also asking a much bigger question: When you buy a digital game... do you actually own it? 🎮 In this episode we discuss: The difference between cost and valueWhy game prices have remained surprisingly consistent over the decadesWhy games are one of the highest-value forms of paid entertainment per hourWhy longer games aren't automatically better gamesThe hidden cost of entering gaming as a new playerAustralia's long history of paying more for games ("The Australia Tax")Why physical game sales are disappearingDigital licenses vs true ownershipWhat happens to resale, preservation and collecting in an all-digital future?Are we becoming more comfortable owning nothing?📚 Episode Links: The Entertainment Software Association - Data & Insights: https://www.theesa.com/data-insights/Newzoo - Global Games Market Report: https://newzoo.com/reports/global-games-market-reportCircana: Video Game Industry Performance & Market Research: https://www.circana.com/industries/video-gamesGST on imported services & digital products: https://softwaredevelopers.ato.gov.au/GSTintangibles?utm_source=chatgpt.comAB 2426: New California Law Requires Clear Licensing Disclosures for Digital Goods: https://www.gtlaw.com/en/insights/2024/12/ab-2426-new-california-law-requires-clear-licensing-disclosures-for-digital-goods📸 Follow us: Instagram & TikTok: @loreandorderpodcast

    The Value of Video Games: Price, Ownership & What Games Are Really Worth

  5. Jul 20

    Backlogged: The Games We’ll Never Play

    How many games are sitting in your backlog right now? Ten? Fifty? Maybe hundreds? This week on Lore & Order, we're diving into one of gaming's most relatable problems: the dreaded and ever-growing backlog. So why do we keep buying games we'll probably never have time to play? Why do unfinished games make us feel so guilty? And why does grabbing an incredible bargain often feel just as satisfying as actually playing the game? Join us as we explore: 🎮 When a collection becomes a backlog🧠 Why our brains love buying games for our "future selves"💸 The psychology behind sales, bargains, and FOMO📚 Why unfinished games create guilt (and why they linger in our minds)🕹️ Side Quest: A practical way to shrink your backlog without feeling like you're missing outSometimes the hardest part of gaming isn't choosing what to play. It's accepting that we'll never be able to play everything. 🎮 Episode Links: Your Brain Rewards You for Imagining the Future, Julia Weiler, 2026: https://neurosciencenews.com/mental-time-travel-dopamine-reward-30568/ The Joint Effect of Framing and Anchoring on Internet Buyers' Decision-Making, Chin-Shan Wu & Fei-Fei Cheng, 2011: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1567422311000032 The Zeigarnik Effect - Psychology Today, Gary Drevitch, 2025: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/zeigarnik-effect Choice Overload: A Conceptual Review and Meta-Analysis, Alexander C, Ulf B. & Joseph G. 2015: https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1016/j.jcps.2014.08.002

    Backlogged: The Games We’ll Never Play

  6. Jul 13

    100%: The Completionist's Conundrum

    Why does 99% completion somehow feel worse than 80%? Why can one missing collectible become more important than the final boss? And why do so many of us spend dozens of additional hours ticking off side quests, hunting trophies and achievements, and chasing that elusive 100%? In this episode of Lore & Order, we're exploring the psychology behind completionism in games. From tracking collectibles and platinum trophies, to the Zeigarnik Effect and our deeply human desire for closure, we unpack why games are so good at making us want to leave no stone unturned. Because maybe we're not just collecting digital items. Maybe we're collecting something much more meaningful. 🎮 Episode Links: Zeigarnik Effect - Gary Drevitch: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/zeigarnik-effect Interruption, recall and resumption: a meta-analysis of the Zeigarnik and Ovsiankina effects - R. Ghibellini & B. Meier: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-05000-w The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self-Determination Theory Approach - R. Ryan, S. Rigby, and A. Przybylski: https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2006_RyanRigbyPrzybylski_MandE.pdf

    100%: The Completionist's Conundrum

  7. Jul 6

    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

    Home Sweet Home: Why We Love Building in Games

  8. 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/

    Breaking the Rules: The Games We Invent Ourselves
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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.

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