Lightmap - Conversations with video game creators

SIFTER
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  • VIDEO GAMES
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Lightmap is an Australian Podcast Award winning show that explores the creative process of making videogames and interactive media, and introduces you to the creators of some of the most exciting titles. You'll meet developers, musicians, artists, journalist and more, so come join us here and on SIFTER.com.au

  1. JUL 14

    Pulpy point and click THE DRIFTER is one of this year's most stylish games

    Dave Lloyd, co-founder of indie studio Powerhoof, returns to the show to talk about THE DRIFTER, a gritty point-and-click adventure set against a distinctly Australian backdrop. With evocative pixel art, sharp voice performances, and thriller-inspired storytelling, THE DRIFTER marks the studio’s first major narrative outing after the multiplayer chaos of 2018’s Regular Human Basketball and Crawl. We dig into the process of designing modern adventure games, how 1970s pulp fiction shaped the tone and structure, and the power of grounding stories in local context. THE DRIFTER launches on Steam 17th July 2025, with a Switch release to come. Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings  Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/ 💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discord SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou, Chris Button and Naomi Jackson. Cat Jahne is Social Producer, Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.

    33 min

  2. JUN 18

    The Sound of Indie Symphony II with Austin Wintory

    Award-winning composer Austin Wintory returns to the podcast to discuss his work on Indie Symphony II, a concert series performed by Orchestra Victoria on July 3 and 4 2025. Austin shares insights into the creative process behind scoring indie games like ABZÛ and Hades II, and how these soundtracks come to life in a live orchestral setting. We also revisit his previous appearance, where he talked about composing for Stray Gods. Tune in for a deep dive into the artistry of video game music and its impact on storytelling. Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/ 💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discord SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Cat Jahne is Social Producer, Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.

    32 min

  3. MAY 14

    TEMPOPO is the rhythm puzzle game from the makers of UNPACKING

    The UNPACKING team return with their next game, the musical puzzle game TEMPOPO and composer and sound designer Jeff Van Dyck joins Lightmap for another episode. Pick the right sequence, keep trying until you get it right and find the flowers to rebuild your garden, this puzzle game for all ages is colourful and joyful. Find out what inspires Jeff to keep creating, the challenges and what he thinks about the future for aspiring video game composers. Catch up on the last time Jeff joined us by checking out this - UNPACKING's music is a storytelling tool of colour and emotion, Jeff Van Dyck on his process. Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings  Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/ 💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discord SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Cat Jahne is Social Producer, Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.

    35 min

  4. APR 7

    LUSHFOIL PHOTOGRAPHY SIM ask you to open the lens and take in the beautiful isolation

    LUSHFOIL PHOTOGRAPHY SIM is all about the vibes and heavily inspired by developer Matt Newell's own treks around the world with camera in hand. Originally starting as a project to create some fantastic scenery it morphed into a camera sim and featuring locations like Meelup and Castle Rock Beach in Matt's home state of Western Australia and his new home in Japan, this chill game is all about opening the lens and taking it all in. Listen to Gianni and Matt talk about the joy of photography and what inspires them to take pictures. Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/ 💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discord SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.

    24 min

  5. MAR 23

    Setting your own limits: CITIZEN SLEEPER 2: STARWARD VECTOR builds on the scifi roleplaying game

    CITIZEN SLEEPER 2: STARWARD VECTOR is a special kind of game, one that builds so gently and thoroughly on its predecessor, with a bigger universe to explore for lovers of heartfelt science fiction. Developer Gareth Damian Martin joins us again, to share design intentions about expanding this world, how players narrativise every choice they make, and why this might be the last video game in this world for a little while. Listen back to our previous episode on the first game CITIZEN SLEEPER before you join us for this conversation. Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings  Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/ 💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discord SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.

    43 min

  6. JAN 23

    The best videogame soundtracks of 2024 - Meena Shamaly's top 21 tracks from 13 games

    One of my favourite things each year is when Meena Shamaly host of Game Show on ABC Classic sends me the big list of tracks that have made a massive impact. These games might not be winning massive awards, a lot of them do of course, but you know every piece of music you’re going to hear has made an impact on Meena’s heart.  Meena Shamaly who is a composer, musician, Australia’s biggest Oud fan boy really loves game soundtracks.  So much so that every year I’ve asked, and this is the third time we’ve done this I say give me a top ten, and I get no joke double or triple that and here they all are plus bonus honourable mentions. Twenty one pieces of music from thirteen different games. It's a lot of fun so take a step back through 2024's best soundtracks in this massive special episode. Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/ 💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discord SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.

    1h 2m

  7. 11/18/2024

    Valve's Steam Deck designers on the making of the groundbreaking handheld computer

    It took a couple of years but the Steam Deck is officially available today for players in Australia. The reason? Well why don't we let designers Lawrence Yang, Jay Shaw and Yazan Aldehayyat explain. Gianni sat down with Valve's handheld makers in Melbourne to learn how player behaviour has changed with the launch of the portable computer, what to expect from the next generation hardware, and what they are working on next. 256GB LCD A$649.00512GB OLED $899.001TB OLED $1049.001TB OLED White $1099.00You can add order a Steam Deck in Australia today , head to the Steam website to grab yours now. Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/ 💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discord SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.

    22 min

  8. 11/04/2024

    Making history anew with CIVILIZATION VII, the next game in the milestone series

    With a game series as long running as CIVILIZATION, how do you keep reinventing and refining when you hit the seventh title? With long campaigns and countless hours for each play through, these games take on a life of their own for each player. Recently at Melbourne International Games Week Firaxis Games developers Andrew Frederiksen (Lead Producer), John Fitzgerald (Lead Unit Artist) and Matthew Quickel (Senior Lead Environment Artist) shared their thoughts on the making of CIVILIZATION VII. We discuss how to update, add new features and maintain the features players love and how updated visuals add a new unique feel. Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/ 💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discord SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia for their support of SIFTER.

    32 min
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Lightmap is an Australian Podcast Award winning show that explores the creative process of making videogames and interactive media, and introduces you to the creators of some of the most exciting titles. You'll meet developers, musicians, artists, journalist and more, so come join us here and on SIFTER.com.au

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