Runescape might be old enough to drink in the UK, but there are no signs that it's set to stop growing up at any point.

But how did the free MMORPG become one of the biggest online games in the world? How has it evolved over the past two decades as the industry has changed? And what comes next for the ever popular title?

We chatted with Mike Ogilvie and Dave Osborne from the team to find out.

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You can listen to the 30 Years of Play podcast on Soundcloud, Acast, iTunes and Spotify. Make sure to subscribe and leave a five star rating if you've enjoyed the show.

You can check out the 30 Years of Play blog for more content about he past, present and future of the UK interactive entertainment industry at www.30yearsofplay.uk.

And you can keep up with us on Twitter @30YearsOfPlay and via our social media hashtag #30YearsOfPlay.

Runescape: from live to living game

Thomas Was Alone released in 2012 and went on to become one of the biggest independent hits of the past decade. It even secured a BAFTA for Danny Wallace, the creator of Yes Man and narrator of the experience. But how did it come to life?

In this episode of the podcast, George catches up with Mike Bithell to find out how. They talk about Mike's career path at Blitz and it's eerie similarities to the plot of God of War. They discuss the democratising effect of Unity. And they chat about Mike's voice over day fears, while also attempting to say the word anthropomorphised confidently.

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You can listen to the 30 Years of Play podcast on Soundcloud, Acast,  iTunes and Spotify.

Make sure to subscribe and leave a five star rating if you've enjoyed the show.

You can check out the 30 Years of Play blog for more content about he past, present and future of the UK interactive entertainment industry at www.30yearsofplay.uk.

And you can keep up with us on Twitter @30YearsOfPlay and via our social media hashtag #30YearsOfPlay.

Thomas Was Alone

We interview Mike Dailly, one of DMA Design's leading lights, to find out about his time working on iconic games like Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto.

We look back to the start of his career, find out what made Lemmings work, take a brief look into the controversy surrounding GTA's release and get his thoughts on the developing state of the UK industry.

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You can listen to the 30 Years of Play podcast on Soundcloud, Acast,  iTunes and Spotify.

Make sure to subscribe and leave a five star rating if you've enjoyed the show.

You can check out the 30 Years of Play blog for more content about he past, present and future of the UK interactive entertainment industry at www.30yearsofplay.uk.

And you can keep up with us on Twitter @30YearsOfPlay and via our social media hashtag #30YearsOfPlay.

Lemmings and GTA: Mike Dailly on Dundee, DMA Design and his development career

Manhunt 2 became one of only two games to be denied an age rating by the BBFC when it attempted to release in 2007. 

Denying it an age rating for "sustained and cumulative casual sadism" amongst other reasons, it led to a notable court case between Take Two and the BBFC in what's been called the video games industry's Lady Chatterley's lover moment.

But what precisely led to the initial decision to deny the game an age rating? And why, in the end, was Manhunt 2 able to receive a rating nearly a year later after lengthy back and forth in the courts?

Vincent Scheurer, a long serving video game lawyer and current COO at Payload Studios, attended the court case. He explained the ins and outs of the case to us in the Ukie studio to help us answer those questions and much more.

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You can listen to the 30 Years of Play podcast on Soundcloud, Acast,  iTunes and Spotify.

Make sure to subscribe and leave a five star rating if you've enjoyed the show.

You can check out the 30 Years of Play blog for more content about he past, present and future of the UK interactive entertainment industry at www.30yearsofplay.uk.

And you can keep up with us on Twitter @30YearsOfPlay and via our social media hashtag #30YearsOfPlay.

Manhunt 2: Banned by the BBFC

The 30 years of play podcast explores the stories behind some of the most influential video games (and people) throughout the history of the UK's video games industry.

The podcast - which will release roughly once a fortnight - is part of Ukie's 30 years of play campaign, which seeks to celebrate the past, present and future of UK interactive entertainment to coincide with the trade body's 30th birthday.

30 Years Of Play

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