Erik Wolpaw, writer Portal 1 & 2.

Erik Wolpaw, writer Portal 1 & 2.

My guest today is Erik Wolpaw, the American writer for some of the funniest video games yet made. In the nineties he and a friend founded the website Old Man Murray, a satirical online publication that poked fun at video gaming’s sacred cows, and established a tone still prevalent across the internet today. The site was read by Gabe Newell, creator of Half-Life, who later hired both writers.


At Valve my guest collaborated on a new game in which a vindictive artificial intelligence chastises players as they solve a series of puzzle rooms using a gun that fires warp points. Portal became a smash hit; Stephen Merchant, co-creator of The Office, voiced a character in the sequel. Today my guest continues to work as a semi-retired contractor for Valve. “In defense of games, I want to point out that the writing in plays, including everything by August Strindberg and The Lion King, is 100% pure crap,” he once joked. “So, we’re doing better than they are, even though they have the benefit of mostly not being about space marines.”


Play the console:



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Episoder(181)

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Maddy Thorson, game-maker (Towerfall, Celeste).

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Holly Gramazio, curator, novelist (The Husbands).

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Listener Console Special #1

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Luke Muscat, gamemaker (Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride).

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My guest today is Luke Muscat, the Australian video game designer behind some of the best-known smart phone games yet made. After graduating from Queensland University of Technology with a degree in I...

12 Aug 20241h 20min

Tribute Episode: Brett Jones, artist (Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Guardians of the Galaxy).

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Steve Meretszky, author of interactive fiction (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; A Mind Forever Voyaging).

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Rhianna Pratchett, writer for games (Heavenly Sword, Mirror's Edge, Tomb Raider).

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My guest today is an English writer for video games, TV, film, comics, and books. Born into a literary household – her father was the celebrated fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett –– she studied journal...

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