My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin

Felicia Day is an actress, writer, producer, and entrepreneur whose work has helped define internet-era geek culture. After studying mathematics and music performance at the University of Texas at Austin, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, appearing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In 2007 she created, wrote, and starred in The Guild, the pioneering web series about a group of MMO players that became a cultural phenomenon and helped establish a new model for creator-driven digital storytelling. She later co-founded the online media company Geek & Sundry, expanding her influence across gaming, tabletop culture, and streaming entertainment. As well as starring in dozens of film and TV roles, she is the author of two New York Times-bestselling memoirs, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) and Embrace Your Weird. And now she’s bringing The Guild back, revisiting the series that helped launch a generation of internet storytelling in the form of a musical. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Evan Narcisse is an American writer, journalist, and narrative designer whose work spans comics, criticism, and video games. After graduating from New York University, he began his career as a culture and technology journalist, writing for outlets including Time, Kotaku, and The Atlantic, where he explored the intersection of race, identity, and storytelling in popular media. He left journalism to become a writer for Marvel Comics, and there helped redefine a cultural icon with Rise of the Black Panther. As a narrative designer he has contributed to several major video game projects, including Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Redfall, and Black Panther. Now, as a senior writer for Brass Lion Entertainment, he’s working on a new action title from the Wu-Tang Clan. Across mediums, his work combines sharp insight with deep empathy, expanding how, and for whom, stories are told.Recorded live at the University of Chicago. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Atkins is a British contemporary artist known for his haunting, hyperreal digital videos—works that combine computer-generated bodies, poetic monologues, and a profound sense of longing, absurdity, and decay. Since the early 2010s, his art has been exhibited at major institutions around the world, including Tate Britain and MoMA, and he’s taken part in various festivals, including the Venice Biennale, the Holland Festival, and Manchester International Festival. He’s also written a series of books of poetry and memoir, most recently ‘Flower’, which he describes as an anti-memoir. Working across video, text, and performance, he often explores what it means to be human in an age of simulation and screens, where flesh, feeling, and code are increasingly intertwined. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Keegan is one of the leading performance directors in video games, whose career spans theatre, film, animation, and interactive entertainment. After starting out in the New York theatre scene, he worked in animation on Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, and The Woody Woodpecker Show, then moved into video games at a pivotal moment in the industry’s evolution. For the past two decades he has shaped performances for Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Battlefield, Resident Evil 2, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. BAFTA-nominated for his work on Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, he now shares his experience in his new book The Complete Guide to Videogame Performance Directing. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keza Macdonald is a Scottish journalist and editor who has spent more than two decades chronicling the culture and business of video games. She started early, as a junior staff writer for GamesTM while she was still a teenager. Then, after earning a degree in German and Japanese from the University of Edinburgh—including a year studying in Japan—she became UK Games Editor at IGN, helping shape the site’s global editorial strategy. She then launched and led Kotaku UK, where her team won multiple industry awards. Since 2018 she has been Games Editor at The Guardian, where she writes the widely read “Pushing Buttons” newsletter and appears regularly on television and radio as an expert on the medium. She is the co-author of You Died: The Dark Souls Companion, and her new book, Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped the World Have Fun, explores the cultural impact of one of gaming’s most influential companies.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is a video game executive whose career spans the medium’s earliest home computers to the rise of the modern console business. He created his first games for the Atari 800 in the early 1980s, before joining Microsoft in 1986, where he spent a decade as an early developer on Excel and Word. In 1996, he left the Office team to pursue his passion for games, founding Microsoft Game Studios and laying the groundwork for the company’s entry into interactive entertainment. Over the next eight years, he grew the division from fifty people to more than twelve hundred, publishing over a hundred games—including more than a dozen million-sellers—and co-founding the original Xbox project. Since retiring from Microsoft in 2004, he has worked as an advisor, board member, and investor, and in 2019 helped launch 1Up Ventures, a fund dedicated to supporting independent game developers around the world.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prokop Jirsa is a Czech game designer whose work has helped redefine what historical realism can look like in a modern role-playing game. After completing his Master’s degree at the Prague University of Economics and Business, he joined Warhorse Studios as a designer on Kingdom Come: Deliverance. There, he helped shape the game’s uncompromising approach to first-person immersion, historically grounded combat, and player choice rooted in consequence rather than power fantasy. Following the success of the first game, he continued that work as Lead Designer on its sequel—expanding its systems, scope, and narrative ambition while holding fast to the studio’s commitment to authenticity and player agency. Across his career, his design philosophy has consistently favoured trust in the player, an approach that has earned Warhorse a devoted audience and a distinctive place in contemporary RPG design.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Elin Festøy is a Norwegian creative producer, researcher, and storyteller whose work uses interactive media to illuminate some of the most painful and overlooked histories of the 20th century. After completing a Master’s degree in 1995, she began her career as a journalist covering tech during the early emergence of digital culture. She later founded the transmedia studio Teknopilot, and in 2013 began a long-running project about the Lebensborn, children born to Norwegian mothers and Nazi soldiers during the Second World War. She co-produced the documentary Wars Don’t End, and in 2018 created the BAFTA-winning mobile game My Child Lebensborn. Last year she completed a PhD at The Norwegian Film School, where she examined the unconscious biases that shape our understanding of children born of war. Most recently, she released My Child: New Beginnings, a follow-up game that further expands this vital narrative through interactive storytelling.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jon Ingold is a British game designer and writer whose work has helped redefine how narrative, choice, and player agency function in interactive storytelling. He began making parser-based text adventures and releasing them free on the internet. After studying mathematics at Cambridge University, he moved into professional game development at Sony PlayStation, where he worked as a designer in the concept group on several unreleased titles. In 2011, he co-founded the independent studio Inkle, where he has been a driving force behind a body of critically acclaimed narrative games, including 80 Days, Heaven’s Vault, Overboard!, and A Highland Song. Alongside his studio work, he co-created the open-source scripting language Ink, now used widely across the games industry to build reactive, branching narratives. His latest project, TR-49, is a haunting narrative deduction game built around a mysterious wartime machine, and the urgent act of making meaning from archives before time runs out. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the start of My Perfect Console's fourth season, we revisit a classic early episode with the reclusive game designer, Phil Fish.Phil studied game design in Montreal and, after a brief stint working at Ubisoft, left to begin work on a game of his own, a platformer that combined the art style of the Super Nintendo classics of his youth, with perspective-shifting innovations of his own.Six years in the making, Fez launched in 2012 to near universal acclaim, part of the first wave of so-called indie games. After featuring heavily in the  film documentary Indie Game: the Movie, my guest, who is passionately outspoken, became the subject of co-ordinated online attacks, which culminated in his retreat from public platforms, nearly a decade ago.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the start of My Perfect Console's fourth season, we revisit a classic early episode with comedian, writer and podcaster, Heather Anne Campbell.My guest today is an Emmy-nominated writer, sketch comedian, voice actor and performer. As a teenager she studied improv comedy at the famous ImprovOlympic studio in her home city of Chicago, training that prepared her for when she later starred on Whose Line Is It Anyway and the sketch comedy show Key and Peele.She has worked on the writing staff of Saturday Night Live, The Twilight Zone and, most recently, the sixth season of Rick & Morty. Throughout her career she has also written and talked about video games, not least in her current role as one of the hosts of the popular games-related podcast, Get Played. “Comedy and video-games are the same thing: fantasies within set rules,” she once said. “I love both of them, equally. When I can marry the two in some future project, I'll be complete.”Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please enjoy this collection of some of our favourite clips from My Perfect Console episodes released in 2025. Featuring: Tonda Ros, Kat Abugazaleh, Nathan Brown, Adanna Nedd, Joel Morris, Basia Bulat, Andy Davidson, Bennett Foddy, Rami Ismail, Brian Gibson, Greg Jenner, Chris Plante, Tomm Hulett, Harvey Smith, Mark Cerny, Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Lorien Testard, and Alexander O. Smith.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please enjoy this collection of some of our favourite clips from My Perfect Console episodes released in 2025. Featuring: Tonda Ros, Kat Abugazaleh, Nathan Brown, Adanna Nedd, Joel Morris, Basia Bulat, Andy Davidson, Bennett Foddy, Rami Ismail, Brian Gibson, Greg Jenner, Chris Plante, Tomm Hulett, Harvey Smith, Mark Cerny, Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Lorien Testard, and Alexander O. Smith.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A special episode with the winner of the My Perfect Console of the Year award, crowning the most popular console designed by a guest on the show this year, as voted by the listeners to the show.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The year is winding down, inboxes are quietening (lol), time is about to lose all meaning, and the year’s great cultural arguments are finally ready to be settled. Perfect timing, then, for My Perfect Console: Game of the Year 2025.In this special episode, host Simon Parkin is joined by comedian Glenn Moore to build two consoles that capture what this year felt like to play. Expect games obsessed with truth and lies, long walks through beautiful ruin, and at least one adventure that asks what honour even means when the world itself seems intent on grinding you down. Somewhere in the mix: an audacious reinvention of a familiar legend, a sequel that arrived carrying enormous expectations, and a descent into a world that feels both brutally familiar and eerily transformed.As ever, the joy isn’t just in the picks, but in the why. What does it take to make a game great in 2025? Is ambition enough? Does finesse matter more than surprise? And how much should we forgive a game that utterly consumes our lives, even when it makes us a bit miserable?Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harvey Smith is a game designer and writer whose work has helped shape some of the most atmospheric and influential games of the last two decades. After serving in the U.S. Air Force he began his career in video games as a tester on the formative System Shock. Then he joined Ion Storm worked as lead designer on Deus Ex, one of the most influential immersive sims of the era. In 2008 he became a partner at Arkane Studios, where he co-directed the acclaimed Dishonored series and, most recently, Redfall. Known for championing player agency, richly layered world-building, and morally complex storytelling, his games invite players to think as much as act. And whether crafting dystopias or dark fantasies, he’s remained a guiding voice in one of the medium’s most ambitious genres. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Seropian is a pioneering American video game developer whose work helped shape some of the most iconic series in the medium. After studying mathematics at the University of Chicago, he co-founded Bungie in 1991, first developing Operation Desert Storm then titles such as Pathways Into Darkness, Marathon, and Myth.In 2001, he and his team released Halo: Combat Evolved, a landmark first-person shooter that not only revolutionised console gaming but also established Microsoft’s Xbox as a viable force in the industry. In 2004 he left Bungie and founded Wideload Games, eventually becoming head of Disney Interactive Studios. Since then, my guest has continued to establish innovative studios, most recently, Look North World.His depth of experience, from the earliest days of Macintosh design to modern cross-platform worlds, has given him a unique perspective on the craft, business, and evolution of interactive storytelling. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Cerny is an American programmer, and game designer whose career has shaped not only how we play, but the systems we play on. A San Francisco native, he dropped out of UC Berkeley at 17 after receiving an invitation to join Atari. At 18 he designed the arcade hit Marble Madness. He then moved to Japan to work with Sega, for whom he founded the Sega Technical Institute, developers of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Then played a key role in landmark titles such as Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and Resistance. He’s perhaps best known, however, as the lead system architect of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, helping to define the technical and creative possibilities of an entire generation of video games.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brandon Adler is an American game director and producer whose career has been defined by his work on some of Obsidian Entertainment’s most acclaimed role-playing games. After serving in Iraq with the U.S. Air Force, my guest studied Game Art & Design at The Art Institute of California. He joined Obsidian as a tester for Neverwinter Nights 2 before working his way up through various disciplines on games such as South Park: The Stick of Truth, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity. Known for his meticulous attention to world-building and player choice, he has helped uphold Obsidian’s reputation for crafting richly written, deeply reactive RPGs. And now, as game director on The Outer Worlds 2, he’s leading the studio’s next ambitious chapter in interstellar satire and storytelling.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special correspondence edition, Simon reads out your letters and answers your questions.Why are guests so often caught out when asked to name their console? What is the best moment in a video game? What might a My Perfect Console game jam look like? And can Simon settle a dispute between a father and his kids in the car?All this and much more.And congratulations to letter-writer Spencer Tennant, who wins a signed copy of Blood Echoes.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is a British game designer whose ingenuity and persistence turned a bedroom project into one of the most iconic multiplayer series in video games. In 1991, he took the characters from the popular Amiga game Lemmings and placed them in a game of his own, a simulation of artillery fire. At school, the game proved popular among his friends, so he worked on it further, replacing the Lemmings with worms, and calling it Total Wormage. The teenager’s project quickly captured the attention of the industry, launching a career that saw my guest move from lone coder to a key creative figure at Team17. While Worms became a global phenomenon, spawning countless sequels and spin-offs, he has remained driven by a passion for experimentation, curiosity, and the simple joy of making things that people love to play.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shuhei Yoshida is former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, and one of the most beloved figures in the video games industry. After graduating from Kyoto University with a degree in economics, he joined Sony in 1986 to coordinate the company’s PC business. Then, as one of the early members of the PlayStation project, he helped oversee the development of landmark titles across multiple generations, including Gran Truismo, Legend of Dragoon, and Ico, championing video game-based creativity and experimentation at a global scale. Earlier this year, after almost four decades, he left Sony. But he continues to work closely with independent game developers. Known for his warmth, curiosity, and deep love of the medium, he remains a true ambassador for the art of play.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny Abbasi is a musician best known as the drummer for Miniseries, the genre-blurring band whose dreamy, cinematic soundscapes have been turning heads in the indie music scene. After graduating from the University of Glasgow with a degree in English Literature, he moved to China where he worked as a professional musician. In 2023, having returned to the UK, he joined Miniseries, the band co-founded by Angie Gannon from The Magic Numbers. The band’s debut album, Pilot, is out this week. With a background in grunge-style rock and a deep love of texture and rhythm, he brings both precision and playfulness to the band’s sound. Whether in the studio or on stage, his approach is thoughtful, dynamic, and subtly virtuosic. LINKSMiniseries' websiteTickets for Launch Gig, London (9th November 2025).Simon's review of 'Invasion of the Space Invaders' for The Guardian.Arcade Archive, Chalford, Gloucestershire.Galloping Ghost, Chicago.Logan Arcade, Chicago.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rami is a developer, speaker, and global ambassador for indie games. As the co-founder of Vlambeer, he helped create a string of critically acclaimed titles—including Super Crate Box, Ridiculous Fishing, Luftrausers, and Nuclear Throne—that helped define a new era of independent game development. Beyond his work on games, he’s become one of the most visible and influential voices in the industry, advocating for accessibility, diversity, and support for developers around the world. Through his public speaking, writing, and tools like presskit() and distribute(), he’s worked tirelessly to empower smaller studios to reach broader audiences.Links:Rami Ismail WebsiteAustralia Did It trailerThe Guilt of the Indie Game Millionaires, New Yorker.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lorien Testard is a French musician and composer. He started his career as a guitar teacher, composing instrumental tracks for imaginary video games in his spare time. He began to upload them to his Soundcloud, and soon had a collection of more than fifty pieces online. His life changed when he shared one of the tracks in an indie game forum. A video game director saw the post and invited my guest to craft the entire eight-hour score for his game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.The resulting soundtrack breathes emotional life into the game. It use solo cello and saxophone themes, and weaves in accordion playing in homage to French culture. Whether working with voice, guitar, or ambient soundscapes, my guest composes with intention, infusing each track he writes with atmosphere, purpose, and identity.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Plante is a journalist, editor, and one of the sharpest voices working in video game media. After studying at New York University, he worked as freelance writer for outlets including The Guardian, Vulture, and Edge before, in 2012, co-founding Polygon, a website blending coverage of pop culture, longform storytelling, and thoughtful games criticism. Alongside his journalism, he co-wrote the story for the hit podcast series, Limetown, later adapted into a TV series starring Stanley Tucci. In 2017, after a stint overseeing the Culture desk at The Verge, he returned to Polygon as editor-in-chief. In May, after nearly a decade at the site, he left Polygon to launch Post Games, a podcast about why and how we love video games. Smart, funny, and never afraid to challenge the status quo, my guest has helped define contemporary games journalism. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire L. Evans. is an American musician, writer, and artist whose career has spanned music, technology, and cultural criticism. Best known as the co-founder and lead singer of the indie pop group YACHT, she has helped steer the group into bold experiments at the intersection of sound, performance, and digital art. She’s also the author of Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet, a widely acclaimed history that re-centres the pioneering women whose work shaped our digital world. Beyond that, her essays and criticism have appeared in VICE, Wired, and The Guardian, where she often explores the ways technology and culture collide. Most recently, she's one of the creators of Blippo+, a TV channel-surfing game for Switch, Steam, and Playdate in which players flip through a surreal lineup of alien broadcasts, lo-fi oddities, and hidden lore, uncovering the strange culture of Planet Blip one channel at a time.LINKS:YACHTClaire' websiteBlippo+Night and the City, Christian Donlan.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexander O. Smith is a translator, writer, and creative producer whose work has brought some of Japan’s most acclaimed stories to audiences around the world. After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in classical Japanese Literature, he went on to become one of the most respected voices in literary and video game translation. He is best known for his celebrated work on Final Fantasy XII, Vagrant Story, and the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorneyseries, as well as his translations of Japanese novels and manga, including those by Miyuki Miyabe and Akira Toriyama. With a rare gift for capturing cultural nuance, he has helped define how English-speaking players and readers experience modern Japanese storytelling.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie Rosen is a Grammy award-winning musician, composer, and arranger whose work sits at the intersection of jazz, pop, and video game nostalgia. As the founder and leader of The 8-bit Big Band, a 35-piece jazz-pops orchestra, he had transformed classic video game soundtracks into virtuosic symphonic showstoppers. Under his direction, the ensemble has reimagined themes from Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Sonic the Hedgehog, with flair—earning critical acclaim, viral attention, and a devoted global audience. The band’s latest album, Orchestrator Emulator, was named Jazz Album of the Week by The Sunday Times and continues my guest’s mission to build what he calls “The Great Video Game Songbook.”Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Robertson is a veteran journalist, editor, and entrepreneur who has spent his career exploring how video games can bring people together. After graduating from Brunel University with a degree in Computer Science, he worked as a freelance games critic for the BBC before launching Family Gamer TV, a YouTube channel designed to help parents and caregivers confidently navigate the increasingly complex world of games.An advocate of games in diverse spaces, including the TEDx and Greenbelt festivals, he’s now launched Ludocene, a site described as “Tinder for games”. This clever, card-based video game recommendation platform has been inspired by deck-builder mechanics, and is designed to surface hidden gems beyond algorithmic trends. With a career that sits at the crossroads of games, meaning, and joy—he is a champion of the idea that digital play can be nutritious, life-giving, and wildly fun. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lizzie Killian is the lead vocalist and guitarist of Teens in Trouble, an indie rock band known for its anthemic melodies, sharp lyrics, and emotionally charged hooks. Before taking to the stage, she started her career as a writer covering games, then moved into communications, collaborating with titans of the industry such Capcom, EA, and Riot.In 2022 she released her first E.P. with her band Teens in Trouble, which included the tracks “I’m Not Worried” and “Decomposing,” both of which have been featured in Fortnite. Last year, the band released their debut full-length album ‘What’s Mine’, described by Punk News as an “effervescent, catchy… grand way to make an entrance.”Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Jacques-Belletête is a French-Canadian creative director and artist whose work has helped shape some of the most stylish and thought-provoking contemporary video games. After graduating from Dawson College in Montreal, he worked as a commercial illustrator before joining Ubisoft as an artist on the Far Cry, Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed series. In 2007 he joined Eidos Montreal, where he helped reimagine the Deus Ex universe with the games Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, blending cyberpunk aesthetics with deeply human themes. Now, as creative director of Hell is Us, he’s led one of the most intriguing and mysterious projects in development—a game that promises to challenge how we think about conflict and identity. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is an American visual artist whose work is redefining how we think about mystery, architecture, and imagination in interactive storytelling. In 2013 he founded Dogubomb, a Los Angeles-based independent Film and Game Studio making music videos, films, and commercials for clients such as Magic the Gathering and Netflix. In 2016 my guest started work on a video game of his own. Having been selected for the interactive category at Tribeca last year, the game, Blue Prince, launched in April. It’s surreal and atmospheric, inviting players to explore an endlessly shifting mansion, where each new room builds not just the house, but the story itself. Praised for its originality and design vision, Blue Prince has placed my guest at the forefront of a new wave of experimental game-makers. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Gibson is a musician, artist, and game designer best known for blurring the lines between sound, movement, and chaos. As the bassist for the legendary noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt, he’s released seven studio albums and played countless ferocious, high-velocity live shows. But he’s also spent much of his life working on video games, first as an artist for the music-game developer Harmonix, which he joined in 2001, and more recently as the co-designer of Thumper—a rhythm-violence game that marries kinetic speed and hypnotic visuals.Since its release, Thumper has become a cult classic, earning acclaim for its singular aesthetic and for redefining what a rhythm game could be. A follow-up, Thrasher, originally released for Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro is now out on Steam. LINKSBrian's personal site: https://laserbeast.com/Wishlist ThrasherLightning Bolt - Dead Cowboy @ TAICOCLUB'14Thrasher OST on BandcampBecome a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special correspondence edition, Simon reads out your letters and answers your questions. Why has The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time never made it onto a Perfect Console? Where have in-person gaming communities gone, and can they be revived? What happened to educational games after the days of Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego? Which made-up game languages are the most memorable? And where exactly is the line between a video game and… not a video game? All this and much more.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ralph Panebianco is an Australian video game reviewer and YouTube creator known for his sharp insights, no-nonsense delivery, and deep love of the medium. His reviews have been watched more than three hundred million times, and since 2015 his channel, Skill-Up, has become one of the most popular destinations for game criticism, both in Australia and around the world. He has built a loyal following with his in-depth reviews, industry commentary, and honest takes on everything from blockbuster releases to cult indie gems. With a growing reputation as one of the most thoughtful voices in games criticism online, he’s earned the trust of viewers looking for substance over spectacle. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greg Jenner is a historian, author, and broadcaster who has made the past delightfully accessible to millions. Born in Kent, he studied Archaeology & History at the University of York, then mediaeval studies, before serving as historical advisor to the BBC’s hit children’s series Horrible Histories. He has since authored several acclaimed books that combine rigorous research with witty storytelling, including Dead Famous, Ask A Historian, and You Are History.Since 2019 he has been the host of the award-winning podcast You’re Dead To Me, bringing together comedians and academics to explore everything from ancient Rome to Victorian medicine with clarity, humour, and heart. His latest book, out now, is Totally Chaotic History: The Stone Age Runs Wild. With a rare gift for making history feel alive, urgent, and wildly entertaining, he’s helped redefine how we learn about the past.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nathan Brown is a writer, editor, and consultant with a deep well of experience in the video game industry. After starting his career in finance he switched to become a journalist, he spent more than a decade at the British publication Edge magazine, where he eventually rose to the role of editor. Since leaving traditional games media, he has carved out a unique space with Hit Points, a widely read industry newsletter offering sharp analysis and insider perspective on the ever-evolving world of games. Beyond writing, he also works as a consultant, advising developers and publishers on how to build and communicate their work effectively. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kat Abu is a journalist, influencer, and digital powerhouse who’s taken her sharp wit and political insight from the internet to the campaign trail. Best known for her viral videos dissecting right-wing media as a senior video producer at Media Matters for America, she built a vast following online by blending incisive commentary with biting humour. Now, she’s making a leap into politics as a candidate for Congress in Illinois, bringing her fierce advocacy, media savvy, and Gen Z energy to the national stage. Whether holding cable news accountable or challenging power directly, she is attempting to redefine what political engagement can look like in the 21st century. LinksKat's Campaign SiteHow 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' Fuels Extremism - New York TimesTucker Carlson interview: Fact-checking Putin's 'nonsense' history - BBC NewsLouis Theroux's Forbidden America - 'Extreme and Online''Alt-right groups are targeting young video gamers' - ABC NewsBecome a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jimi Famurewa is a British-Nigerian author, broadcaster and food critic whose writing blends cultural insight, wit, and deep empathy. As the former restaurant critic for the Evening Standard, he’s become one of the most recognisable voices in British food writing, known for capturing not just what’s on the plate, but also the people, stories, and histories behind it. A regular guest judge on the BBC One series MasterChef, he was also one of the lead judges on Channel 4’s The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver. His debut non-fiction book, Settlers, explored the lives and legacies of Black immigrants in the UK. His new book, Picky, charts his journey from being a child who refused all vegetables, to becoming a Guild of Food Writers’ Restaurant Critic of the Year.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Night is one of the sharpest and most original voices in British stand-up. He began performing comedy as a teenager and, in 2017 his debut hour at the Edinburgh Fringe, Anthem For Doomed Youth, saw him become one of the youngest ever nominees for the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. Since then, he’s established a reputation for his darkly funny, politically charged material. His writing has been featured on shows including The Mash Report, 8 out of 10 Cats, The News Quiz, Mock the Week, and Comedy Central's Roast Battle, on which he also appeared. With a style that veers from laid-back charm to blistering satire, he’s become a cult favourite on the live circuit and beyond, and is about to embark on a new tour.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cabel Sasser is a designer, developer, and co-founder of one of the most beloved indie software companies in tech. In 1999, he co-founded Panic, the Portland-based studio known for its beautifully crafted Mac software and, later, its publishing work on standout indie games like Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game. Most recently, he helped lead the creation of Playdate—a quirky handheld console that blends nostalgia, invention, and delight, to reimagine what portable gaming can be. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Whalen is a game designer and creative lead known for his work at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and competitive play. After graduating from Princeton with a degree in Mathematics, he earned his doctorate in algorithms at Georgia Tech. He then began his career in video games, first at Blizzard, where he was a senior designer on Hearthstone. He then moved to Riot Games, where he now serves as the Game Director for Teamfight Tactics, Riot’s ambitious chess-like game set in the world of League of Legends. With a deep background in systems design and a love for games that reward smart, skilful play, he’s helped shape some of the most beloved and finely tuned experiences in digital card gaming and beyond.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ray Chase is an American voice actor whose range and versatility have made him one of the most recognisable voices across anime, video games, and audiobooks. Known for bringing to life characters such as Noctis in Final Fantasy XV, Bruno Bucciarati in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Cyclops in Xmen ’97, and Zukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen, he has also voiced major titles like Genshin Impact, Persona 5, and Demon Slayer. After a career spanning everything from gritty protagonists to eccentric sidekicks, he’s now entered the director’s chair for a video game of his own. Date Everything is a romance game in which you can date 100 objects from your house, including your shower, the couch, a grand piano, even a videogame console. And each item, of course, is voiced by a beloved actor.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.