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.
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
10 Aug 2026
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 playing
The psychology behind our obsession with optimisation
Why online communities create gaming "meta" cultures
The hidden cost of walkthroughs, tier lists and build guides
Why discovering something yourself is more memorable than reading about it
When 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 (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/ (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/ (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 (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10126902251349297)
The Generation Effect, Jamie Clark, 2026:
https://newsletter.jamieleeclark.com/p/the-generation-effect (https://newsletter.jamieleeclark.com/p/the-generation-effect)
3 Aug 2026
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 means
How Attention Restoration Theory helps explain our love of wandering virtual landscapes
Why authentic architecture, geography and culture make game worlds feel believable
How developers borrow from real-world history, myths and places
Why games inspire us to learn more about different cultures
Games that faithfully recreate historical locations and civilizations
How games have inspired real-world tourism around the globe
Why 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 (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/ (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 (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 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261517725002407)
📸 Follow us on Instagram & TikTok: @loreandorderpodcast
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
38 ratings
Contact Lore & Order: A Gaming Podcast
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Lore & Order: A Gaming Podcast?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
