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Deco-Stop 006: The Deep-Sea in Video Games
September 4th 2026
SOMA
SOMA
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The Deep-Sea in Video Games
The Deep-Sea in Video Games
The Deco-Stop: a deeper look into the humans behind deep sea science and technology.
The Deco-Stop: a deeper look into the humans behind deep sea science and technology.
"The human element in deep-sea stories" - Alan
The Deep-Sea in Video Games
The Deep-Sea in Video Games
In our sixth installment of the Deco-Stop series we go deep into the gaming verse with video games that focus on the deep-sea. This second episode in our two part Pop Culture series features interviews with the creators behind SubROV and SOMA. Both of these games are perennial favorites on our Discord chat server, and are often the focus of much discussion and even playthroughs.
SubROV with Jose Castro
SubROV with Jose Castro
First we chat with Jose Castro of SubROV, a fascinating remote operated vehicle game that really captures the essence of flying an ROV. A perfect follow-up to our last episode 070: How to Pilot an ROV with JRod !
We dive deep into Jose's history composing scores as a sound designer for video games and his delight in discovering the "symphony of sounds" present in his first Divestream experience. Hear how his fascination for all audio aspects of a divestream; the surface, the machines, the sea, the control room, culminated in the creation of SubROV. A game initially birthed from a love of soundscapes which eventually grew into a dynamically evolving project that evolves collaboratively with input from scientists and deep-sea science institutes.
This deeply authentic game is utterly focused on attention to detail and accuracy, resulting in creative tension between making the experience as realistic as possible while still keeping the game functional and playable.
Hear all about how Jose became an unexpected expert on many of the organisms depicted, connected with scientists to depict their cutting edge bespoke tools within the game, and how building SubROV has become a frame work for his creative process.
We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did, Jose's passion for game design and our favorite ocean habitat is infectious, the deep-sea is lucky to have such an authentic and creative advocate!
“Titanic is now more animal than machine” - Jose Castro
SOMA with Thomas Grip
SOMA with Thomas Grip
In our second interview for this packed Deco-stop episode, Thom is thrilled to interview a member of the creative team behind one of his favorite games; SOMA.
Thomas Grip is the creative lead for SOMA and the co-founder and creative director of Frictional Games. SOMA is an absolute FAVORITE on our patreon Discord and we received many questions from our chat community for this interview.
Please be advised that this interview may contain game spoilers, and may not be suitable for children under the age of 18 due to the horror content in the storyline. Parental Guidance is advised.
We also offer a trigger warning for the content of this interview and webpage.
Our much anticipated interview gets right into SOMA's underwater first person exploration of what it is like to be conscious, how the game is a philosophical thought experiment and contains subtle design elements that emulate real life tech. Hear about the origins of SOMA, its long road to creation and how a flip ship article read years ago culminated in the videogame played today.
We really investigate how SOMA plays on human experience, allows philosophical exploration, and emotional connection all within the context of the deep-sea and the human experience of consciousness. Enjoy details on how how the descent was made more accurate with jellyfish, a surprise anglerfish taking half a year to create, and how deep-sea videos inspired the location.
Our fascinating chat between two philosophy fans probes into using themes of self, human bodies being an icky inspiration, and investigating the sanctity and physicality of the bodies we inhabit. We hope you enjoy this chat that reveals a video game with deep substance, and powerful philosophical roots that has a vast array of play experience for every player.
"Both a void and lonely but also crushing and claustrophobic" - Dr. Thom
We would love to hear about your love for deep-sea pop-culture
We would love to hear about your love for deep-sea pop-culture
Is there a deep-sea inspired game you love? Have you played either of the boardgames and want to share your thoughts?
Tell us all about it in a short 90 second recording:
We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us.
Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!
Podcast Merchandise: Show your LOVE for the DSP
Podcast Merchandise: Show your LOVE for the DSP
Follow us on social media
Follow us on social media
Keep up with the team on social media
Keep up with the team on social media
Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke | Thom - @ThomLinley
Instagram: Thom - @thom.linley
Bluesky: Thom - @deepseapod.com
FURTHUR RESOURCES
FURTHUR RESOURCES
Looking for our customary list of excellent reading resources? While we don't feature news articles on a Deco-Stop episode we will have extra for you next month!
Tagged: deep sea, deep ocean, marine science, marine biology, marine bio, podcast, sci comm
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own comments on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
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