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 t ...