My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin

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 stor...

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 ...

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 can...

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...

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 Fring e , 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 wr...

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 th...

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 ....

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 , a...

Robbie is a studio head with one of the most unusual origin stories in the games industry. A former content creator and streamer, he fell in love with Paragon , the ambitious MOBA from Epic Games —so much so that when Epic closed the game in 2018, he refused to let it die. With no prior game development experience and no plans to enter the industry, he founded Omeda Studios and set out to rebuild...

In this special episode, five My Perfect Console supporters share the games they would like to put on their ideal, fictional games machine, and the reasons behind their choices. If you would like to share your console with the My Perfect Console audience, head to  this post  for more details. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfe...

My guest today is a Ukrainian game developer, entrepreneur, and one of the most respected community-builders in the video games industry. After graduating from East Ukrainian Volodymyr Dahl National University with a Master's in Computer Science she began her career in mobile game development. She founded initiatives such as Achievers Hub and Global Games Pitch , platforms that connect indie devel...

Simon is joined by  Glenn Moore  for today's Game Club episode discussing the game we've been playing throughout May, former guest of the show Lucas Pope's Return of the Obra Dinn . Throughout the month, Glenn, Simon, and many of you, the listeners, have been playing through the modern classic puzzle game, as chosen by comedy writer  Joel Morris  on his episode of My Perfect Co...

Bennett Foddy is a game designer, moral philosopher, and musician best known for creating challenging games that explore frustration, perseverance, and the nature of play. Originally from Australia, he played bass for the electronic group Cut Copy , then in 2008 came to global recognition with QWOP , a slapstick track-and-field simulation that became an internet sensation. He followed that success...

Tomm Hulett is a game designer and director who has spent his career championing bold, narrative-driven experiences. While at Konami, he worked on multiple Silent Hill titles, including Book of Memories , a critically acclaimed reimagining of the franchise. On the internet, however, his name became linked with the struggles of later Silent Hill games. This made him the target of intense online har...

Grentperez is a 23-year-old Filipino-Australian singer-songwriter who has captivated audiences worldwide with his soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics. Born and raised in Sydney, he began sharing song covers on YouTube at the age of 13, soon amassing more than 100 million views. His 2021 debut single, Cherry Wine ” achieved gold certification and topped Spotify's Viral 50 chart in multiple countr...

Alex Kealy is an English stand-up comedian. Born in Hampshire, he studied history at  Oxford University , where he assumed the role of music editor on the student newspaper. After graduating, he worked as a researcher for  The Institute of Art and Ideas . But the call of the stage proved strong, and in 2016 he debuted his first Edinburgh show, titled “ Alex Kealy Is An Idea Whose Time Ha...

Liam Wong is a Scottish photographer, art director, and game designer. Born in Edinburgh he began his career in the video game industry after graduating from  Abertay University . After a stint at Crytek UK, he eventually join  Ubisoft Montreal , and there became the youngest director at the company. His work on acclaimed titles like  Far Cry 4  helped sharpen his visual storyt...

Guillaume Provost is a game designer, creative director, studio founder and CEO, with a passion for building immersive, story-driven experiences. After working as a programmer for games companies such as  Pseudo Interactive  and  Arkane , in 2009 he founded his own independent studio,  Compulsion Games .  Under his leadership, the studio gained worldwide attention wit...

In this special correspondence edition, Simon reads out your correspondence and answers your questions. What's next for game coverage at The Observer newspaper following its sale to Tortoise? How can we invite fan-favourite guests back on the show? How should you respond when a dodgy man in a pub asks: "What's the damage?" All this and much more.  Become a My Perfect Console supporter and rec...

Celia Hodent is a French author and former director of user experience at  Epic Games . Born in France, she earned her doctorate in psychology in Paris, hoping to become a professional academic. Her childhood love of video games, however, drew her to the games industry, and in 2008 she joined  Ubisoft  to work on the editorial team.  In 2010 she transferred to  Ubisoft Mon...

Joel Morris is a multi-award winning comedy writer, and a contributor to the widely beloved Paddington films. One of the best regarded comedic talents in Britain, during the past two decades he has written for everyone from David Mitchell to Miranda Hart to Ronnie Corbett. A long-time collaborator with Charlie Brooker, he was a key part of the BAFTA-winning Wipe shows, and co-creator of the comedy...

Saraya is one of the biggest names in professional wrestling. Born into a successful wrestling family in Norwich, England, she left home at fifteen to forge her own path in the ring. Under the name Paige, she became the youngest WWE Divas Champion in history and was the subject of the hit 2019 film Fighting with My Family , written and directed by Stephen Merchant , in which she was portrayed by F...

Seamus Blackle is a physicist, game designer, and technology visionary best known as the originator of the Xbox . After studying physics at Tufts University , he began his career in high-energy physics before pivoting to the video game industry. He worked on titles including  System Shock  and Flight Unlimited . In the late nineties, while an employee at Microsoft , he led the developmen...

Keith Burns is an award-winning aviation artist and illustrator. As a student he dreamed of becoming a comic book artist but after his teachers at art college discouraged him from the career path, he dropped out and became a bus driver. Ten years later he received an email inviting him to submit a comic strip to a talent finding project. His submission led to a meeting with Dave Gibbons , co-creat...

Marjolein Robertson is a Scottish comedian, improviser, and storyteller. Born in Lerwick, on the Shetland Isles, she first started performing with Shetland Youth Theatre at the age of 13. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh , she was working as a town planner, saving for a mortgage, when she and her partner decided to move to Amsterdam on a whim. A series of catastrophes followed. Ma...