My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin

Latest Episodes:

Becky Chambers, science-fiction author (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, As You Wake, Break the Shell). Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

Becky Chambers is an American science-fiction writer whose work combines imaginative worlds with an unusual warmth and generosity toward the people who inhabit them. Raised in California in a family heavily involved in space science, she initially trained in the performing arts before turning to writing, and eventually self-published her debut novel, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, following a successful crowdfunding campaign. It became the first book in her Wayfarers series and established her as one of contemporary science fiction’s most distinctive voices.

Her fiction has won Hugo and Locus awards, and been nominated for the Women’s Prize, the Nebula Award, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award.It is often described as “cosy sci-fi” or “hopepunk”, although she has characterised it more evocatively as holding up “both a mirror and a blanket to the world”. Her new novel, As You Wake, Break the Shell, which arrived this October, begins a new duology set on a hostile alien world but centred on a love story between a pilot and a reclusive botanist, and on questions of community and dependence.

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Matthew Seiji Burns, writer, designer, musician (Call of Duty, Halo, Eliza). Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

Matthew Seiji Burns is an American writer, director, composer, and game designer whose career has moved between some of the biggest studios in the industry and much smaller, more personal experiments in interactive storytelling. He worked as a producer at Treyarch, Bungie, and 343 Industries on franchises including Call of Duty and Halo, before spending time at the University of Washington’s Center for Game Science, exploring how games might be used for research and scientific discovery.

He later joined Zachtronics, contributing writing and music to games including Opus Magnum and EXAPUNKS, while also creating his own interactive fiction. In 2019, he created Eliza, a visual novel about an AI-assisted counselling service that explored automation and the boundaries between human empathy and technology years before those questions became unavoidable. His latest work has takenthose concerns into a different medium: Process, his debut novel, is a darkly comic and psychologically intense story set inside Seattle’s startup culture.

LINKS

Matthew Seiji Burns – website & socials

Matthew Seiji Burns – official website

Matthew Seiji Burns – Bluesky (@matthewseiji.com)

Matthew Seiji Burns – itch.io (game experiments and back catalogue)

Process – the novel

Process – hardcover edition (Tune & Fairweather)

Process – softcover edition (Tune & Fairweather)

Process – audiobook (read by the author, Audible)

Process – free digital sampler (Tune & Fairweather)

Eliza – the visual novel (2019)

Eliza – Steam

Eliza – itch.io

Joseph Weizenbaum – creator of the original ELIZA chatbot, Wikipedia

ELIZA (chatbot, 1966) – Wikipedia

The Writer Will Do Something (2015)

The Writer Will Do Something – co-written with Tom Bissell, itch.io

Tom Bissell – author of Extra Lives, previous My Perfect Console guest

Matthew’s Perfect Console

Of Monks and Max (HyperCard stack, 1988) – by Brian Thomas

HyperCard – Wikipedia

Loom – LucasArts (1990), Wikipedia

ICO (PS2, 2001) – Fumito Ueda / Team Ico, Wikipedia

Rez (Dreamcast, 2001) – Tetsuya Mizuguchi / United Game Artists, Wikipedia

Rez Infinite – Steam (modern version)

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon – Steam

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon – Wikipedia

Other games and references mentioned

Opus Magnum – Zachtronics (Steam)

Exapunks – Zachtronics (Steam)

Dark Castle – remaster (Steam)

Cosmic Osmo – Cyan (HyperCard, 1989), Wikipedia

Myst – Cyan (1993), Wikipedia

Call of Duty: United Offensive (expansion, 2004) – Wikipedia

Call of Duty 3 – Wikipedia

Halo 3 – Wikipedia

Halo 3: ODST – Wikipedia

Halo: Reach – Wikipedia

Star Trek: Armada II – Wikipedia

Medieval: Total War – Wikipedia

University of Washington Center for Game Science

Mark Wynne – graphic designer of Process (Edge magazine)

Tune & Fairweather – publisher

Jason Killingsworth – founder of Tune & Fairweather

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive and data

My Perfect Console on Patreon – early access, video episodes and monthly bonus episodes

Email the show: myperfectconsole@gmail.com

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

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Replay: Dr Greg Zeschuk, co-founder BioWare. Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Yesterday came the news that EA plans to close BioWare, the Edmonton studio behind Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. I thought it was a good moment to revisit my conversation with Dr Greg Zeschuk, one of BioWare’s co-founders. We talk about the games that shaped him, and the long, remarkable journey of a studio that defined computer and console role-playing games for millions of people. Here’s my conversation with Greg Zeschuk.

[Original description] Greg Zeschuk is the co-founder of Bioware. While a medical student at the University of Alberta he told his future wife that, if he could, he’d make video games for a living. After he graduated, the dream came true when, in 1995, he and two friends y founded Bioware in his basement. The following year the trio released Shattered Steel and, two years after that, Baldur’s Gate, which revolutionised the world of computer role-playing games.

In the years that followed Bioware released a string of blockbuster hits, including Mass Effect, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In 2007, just 12 years after its founding, the companywas sold to Electronic Arts as part of a deal worth $860 million. In recent years, my guest started a brewing company, Blind Enthusiasm, and today runs two microbreweries and a restaurant in Edmunton, where he has spent most of his life.

NOTES

Greg Zeschuk – BioWare & brewery

Greg Zeschuk – Wikipedia

Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company – official site

Blind Enthusiasm – The Monolith taproom, Edmonton

Greg Zeschuk on BioWare’s closure – Wired

BioWare

BioWare – Wikipedia

Ray Muzyka – BioWare co-founder, Wikipedia

Augustine Yip – BioWare co-founder, Wikipedia

Greg’s Perfect Console

Adventure (Atari 2600, 1980) – Wikipedia

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (Apple II, 1981) – Wikipedia

Dungeon Master (Atari ST, 1987) – Wikipedia

Diablo (1996) – Wikipedia

Elden Ring (2022) – official site

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC – Wikipedia

BioWare games discussed

Baldur’s Gate (1998) – Wikipedia

Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) – Wikipedia

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) – Wikipedia

Star Wars: The Old Republic (MMO) – official site

Jade Empire (2005) – Wikipedia

Mass Effect trilogy – Wikipedia

Dragon Age: Origins – Wikipedia

Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Wikipedia

MDK2 (2000) – Wikipedia

Shattered Steel (1996) – Wikipedia

Anthem (2019) – Wikipedia

Other games mentioned

Baldur’s Gate 3 – Larian Studios

Elden Ring – Wikipedia

Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo

Pool of Radiance (1988) – Wikipedia

Lords of the Fallen (2023) – Steam

Context and references mentioned

EA Spouse – the 2004 open letter that sparked the games industry crunch debate

Elevation Partners – Wikipedia (private equity firm that invested in BioWare)

Interplay Entertainment – Wikipedia (early publisher partner)

Blizzard North – Wikipedia (developers of Diablo)

Order of Canada – Wikipedia (Greg was appointed in 2018)

TSR, Inc. – Wikipedia (original owners of Dungeons & Dragons)

Ian M. Banks – Culture series author, Wikipedia

Alastair Reynolds – science fiction author, Wikipedia

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

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Daryl Baxter, author and journalist (The Making of Tomb Raider). Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

Daryl Baxter is a British writer and podcaster from Lincoln whose work has ranged across games, technology, and the history of the medium. He has written for outlets including WIRED, TechRadar, Den of Geek, and the Radio Times, and now publishes Springboard, a free newsletter about gaming, technology, and mental health that deliberately avoids chasing SEO or relying on AI. Growing up with series including Sonic, Metal Gear and, especially, Tomb Raider, he eventually turned that fascination into his first book, The Making of Tomb Raider, published in 2021 and based on extensive interviews with the original Core Design team.

His new book, The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000, picks up the story as a new team took control of the series, tracing the creation of Tomb Raider III, The Last Revelation, Chronicles and the expansions, while exploring the punishing annual release cycle and the pressure of sustaining one of gaming’s biggest phenomena.

LINKS

Daryl Baxter – website & newsletter

Daryl Baxter – official website

Springboard – Daryl’s newsletter on games, tech and mental health (free to subscribe)

The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000 (out 30 October 2026)

The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000 – Waterstones

The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000 – Pen & Sword Books

The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000 – Amazon UK

Daryl’s earlier books

The Making of Tomb Raider (2021) – Pen & Sword Books

50 Years of Boss Fights – Pen & Sword Books

Daryl’s Perfect Console

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Mega Drive, 1994) – Wikipedia

Sonic 3 & Knuckles – Wikipedia

PlayStation Demo One disc (1995) – Wikipedia

Tomb Raider II (1997) – Wikipedia

Metal Gear Solid (1998) – Wikipedia

Metal Gear Solid – Steam

Half-Life 2 (2004) – Wikipedia

Half-Life 2 – Steam

Also mentioned

TR30 Tomb Raider Day – Derby Quad, 24 October 2026

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis – Crystal Dynamics & Flying Wild Hog (out 12 February 2027)

Tomb Raider: Catalyst – Wikipedia

Alix Wilton Regan – the new voice of Lara Croft (Wikipedia)

Peter Connelly – Tomb Raider 4 & 5 composer (Wikipedia)

Judith Gibbons – Lara Croft’s voice in Tomb Raider II, Wikipedia

Shelley Blond – Lara Croft’s voice in Tomb Raider I

Keeley Hawes – Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Underworld

Half-Life 2 source code leak – Wikipedia

Games Master magazine – Wikipedia

GamesRadar – Rosalie Newcombe

Death by Video Game – Simon Parkin (buy via Bookshop.org UK)

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive and data

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

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Will de Renzy-Martin, actor (The Blood of Dawnwalker, 007 First Light, Crimson Desert). Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Will de Renzy-Martin is a British actor and voice performer whose career has increasingly become intertwined with video games. As a child, he was fascinated by storytelling and by watching his older brothers play Ocarina of Time, but initially followed a rather different path, reading Computing at Imperial College London. Before long, however, he changed direction, training as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he discovered voiceover shortly before graduating in 2017.

Since then, he has built an extensive career in games, with roles in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, Zenless Zone Zero, Warframe: The Old Peace, 007 First Light, Nioh 3, and many more. His biggest role to date, however, is Coen, the lead character in Rebel Wolves’ dark fantasy RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, a performance that’s put him at the centre of one of 2026’s most ambitious new games.

NOTES

Will de Renzy-Martin – website & socials

Will de Renzy-Martin – official website (WillVoice.it)

Will de Renzy-Martin – Bluesky (@willvoiceit.bsky.social)

Will de Renzy-Martin – Instagram (@willvoiceit)

The Blood of Dawnwalker

The Blood of Dawnwalker – official site

The Blood of Dawnwalker – Steam

Rebel Wolves – the studio behind the game

Will’s Perfect Console

Breath of Fire II (SNES/GBA, 1994) – Wikipedia

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64, 2000) – Wikipedia

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) – Wikipedia

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered – Steam

Devil May Cry 4 (2008) – Wikipedia

Devil May Cry 5 – Steam

Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009) – Wikipedia

Other games and references mentioned

Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases – Wikipedia (Will’s first major game role)

Zenless Zone Zero – Wikipedia (Will voices Von Lycaon)

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – Steam

007: First Light – official site

Leonie Schliesing – voice actor who first encouraged Will into games VO (Cyberpunk 2077, AC Valhalla)

Big Mouth Audio – the Glasgow audio studio where Will auditioned for Dawnwalker

Guildhall School of Music and Drama – where Will trained

Imperial College London – where Will studied Computing

Darksiders – Wikipedia

Meat Machine – the AI voice acting experiment Will references

Ninja Theory – British studio (DMC reboot, Hellblade)

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Steam

A Game of Birds and Wolves – Simon Parkin’s book (optioned for film)

My Perfect Console website

myperfectconsole.com – the new searchable episode archive and data site

Support the show

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Úna-Minh Kavanagh, writer, producer and Irish-language game localiser (Among Us, VVVVVV). Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

My guest today is an Irish writer, producer, and multimedia creator whose work spans journalism, video games, language, and digital culture. Born in Vietnam, she was adopted at three days old by a primary school teacher from County Kerry, and brought to Ireland at six weeks of age. Irish became one of her spoken languages, and it would go on to shape both her education and her career: she later studied Irish and Journalism at Dublin City University, building a body of work that moves across reporting, video games, and digital culture.

She has written books and essays on video games, migration, identity, and food, and has become a leading voice in Irish-language digital media through her localisation work on games including Among Us and VVVVVV. In 2026, she was recognised with the Emerging Talent award at the Irish Games Awards.

NOTES

Úna-Minh Kavanagh – website & socials

Úna-Minh Kavanagh – Bluesky (@unaminh.bsky.social)

Organic Matters – Úna-Minh's new Irish indie studio

Organic Matters – itch.io

CTRL: Essays on Video Games (the book featuring Úna-Minh's essay)

CTRL: Essays on Video Games – Lilliput Press (Waterstones)

Lilliput Press – publisher

Among Us – Irish language localisation

Among Us – official site (Innersloth)

Among Us on Steam

VVVVVV – Irish language localisation

VVVVVV – Terry Cavanagh, official site

VVVVVV – Steam

Úna-Minh's Perfect Console

Final Fantasy IX (2000) – Wikipedia

Final Fantasy IX – Steam

Nobuo Uematsu – composer, Wikipedia

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (Nintendo DS, 2007) – Wikipedia

Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita, 2012) – Wikipedia

Persona 4 Golden – Steam

This War of Mine (2014) – official site

This War of Mine – Steam

Saltsea Chronicles (2023) – Die Gute Fabrik

Saltsea Chronicles – Steam

Also mentioned

Die Gute Fabrik – studio behind Saltsea Chronicles

Hannah Nicklin – studio lead and creative director, Die Gute Fabrik

Citizen Sleeper – Gareth Damian Martin / Jump Over The Age

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – Steam

Limit Break – mentorship programme for marginalised game developers

IMIRT – Irish Game Makers association (Irish Games Awards)

Global Game Jam

itch.io – indie games platform

Dublin City University – where Úna-Minh studied Irish and journalism

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

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Paolo Pedercini, founder MolleIndustria (McDonald's Videogame, The New York Times Simulator, Future? No Thanks!) Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Paolo Pedercini is an Italian game designer, artist, educator, and activist whose work has spent more than two decades challenging assumptions about what video games are for, and what they are allowed to say. In 2003, he founded Molleindustria as a project dedicated to the "reappropriation of video games and the radicalisation of popular culture."

Since then, he has created a remarkable body of short, provocative games about labour, capitalism, religion, technology, and political power, including McDonald’s Videogame, Oiligarchy, Every Day the Same Dream, Phone Story, and Democratic Socialism Simulator. His games have often been satirical, often controversial, and always interested in using play as a way of thinking through systems and ideology. Now he is working on his most ambitious project yet: Future? No Thanks!, an open-world comedy adventure about a grumpy old man completing his bucket list in a solarpunk future.

NOTES:

Paolo Pedercini / Molleindustria

Molleindustria – official site (all Paolo's games)

Paolo Pedercini – Wikipedia

Paolo Pedercini – Bluesky (@molleindustria.org)

Future? No Thanks! (out now)

Future? No Thanks! – Steam

Future? No Thanks! – official site

Other Molleindustria games mentioned

McDonald's Video Game – play free in browser

Oiligarchy – play free in browser

Every Day the Same Dream – play free in browser

Phone Story – Wikipedia

Democratic Socialism Simulator – itch.io

Faith Fighter – play free in browser

Sweatshop (as mentioned by Simon)

Sweatshop – play in browser

The New Yorker piece (as mentioned by Simon)

The Division 2 and the Severing of Politics from Video Games – The New Yorker

Paolo's Perfect Console

Cannon Fodder (Sensible Software, 1993) – Wikipedia

Sensible Software – Wikipedia

Shadow of the Colossus (2005) – Wikipedia

Grand Theft Auto V – Rockstar Games

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – Wikipedia

Push Me Pull You – House House (Steam)

House House – developer of Untitled Goose Game and Big Walk

Radiator Forever – Robert Yang (itch.io)

Robert Yang – game designer

Other games and references mentioned

Theme Park – Bullfrog Productions (1994), Wikipedia

Postal 2 – Wikipedia

GTA San Andreas Hot Coffee mod – Wikipedia

The Yes Men – activist/prankster duo

Foxconn suicides – Wikipedia

itch.io – indie games platform

Aftermath – independent games journalism

Tom Bissell – My Perfect Console episode

Untitled Goose Game – House House

Next week's guest

Úna Míng Kavanagh – IMIRT emerging talent award 2026

Úna Míng Kavanagh – TikTok (@unamingkavanagh)

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Donlon, head of Valorant Studios (Valorant, League of Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops) Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

My guest today is an American game producer and studio leader whose career has been shaped by a deep love of competitive shooters and more than two decades spent building some of the genre’s major titles. She began at Treyarch, where she worked as a senior producer on Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II, before joining Riot Games in 2015. There, she first helped lead League of Legends’ cosmetic content and in-game events.

She later moved into leading a new tactical shooter project, becoming Executive Producer of VALORANT and guiding the game to its launch in 2020. Today, as Head of VALORANT Studios, she oversees the franchise’s wider creative and strategic direction, while also championing initiatives such as VCT Game Changers, Riot’s programme supporting women and marginalised genders in competitive play.

LINKS

Anna Donlon – Valorant & Riot Games

Valorant – official site (free to play)

VCT Game Changers – Riot's programme supporting women and marginalised genders in competitive play

Riot Games – official site

Anna's Perfect Console

Silent Hill 2 (PS2, 2001) – Wikipedia

Silent Hill 2 Remake (2024) – Steam

Grand Theft Auto III (PS2, 2001) – Wikipedia

Shadow of the Colossus (PS2, 2005) – Wikipedia

Shadow of the Colossus Remake (2018) – PlayStation

BioShock (2007) – Wikipedia

Ghost of Tsushima – official site

Ghost of Tsushima – PlayStation

Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island – Wikipedia

Also mentioned

Kaboom! (Atari 2600) – Wikipedia

ICO (PS2, 2001) – Wikipedia

Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games

Arc Raiders – Steam

Call of Duty: Black Ops – Wikipedia

Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Wikipedia

Treyarch – Wikipedia

JumpStart – educational games series, Wikipedia

University of California, Santa Cruz

Next week's guest

Paolo Pedercini / Molleindustria – official site

Future? No Thanks! – Steam (out now)

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Correspondence Special #9: Which games should have been on the podcast by now (and much more) Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

In this special correspondence edition, Simon reads out your letters and answers your questions.

Is there a cut-off point for working in games journalism? Which video game does Simon think should surely have been picked by now but hasn't? Who decides how long guests talk about their game choices? How does Simon actually make the show — from bookings to post-production to those musical stingers? What is Simon's new book about, and how did he uncover the untold legal battle thxat changed the shape of the video game industry? And did you know the UK government has a Head of Video Games and Esports who listens to the show? Us neither! All this and much more.

And congratulations to letter-writer Chris Law, who wins a signed copy of Blood Echoes: A Bloodborne Anthology.

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

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Chris Cantrill, comedian, writer Saturday Night Live UK. Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Chris Cantrill is a British comedian, writer, and actor from West Yorkshire whose work combines rapid-fire jokes with an off-kilter view of everyday life. He first came to prominence as one half of the acclaimed sketch duo The Delightful Sausage, alongside Amy Gledhill, earning Edinburgh Comedy Award nominations for Best Show in both 2019 and 2022. As a solo performer, he added another nomination in 2024, before returning to Edinburgh this summer and finally winning the Comedy Award for Best Show in 2026.

Alongside stand-up, he has appeared in programmes including Alma’s Not Normal, Daddy Issues, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, and Avoidance, while his writing credits stretch across television and radio. Most recently, he joined the writing team of Saturday Night Live UK, which returns for its second season this week.

LINKS

Chris Cantrill

Website

Instagram

The Delightful Sausage

Saturday Night Live UK

SNL UK on Sky

Simon's Observer Features

How Saturday Night Live Landed in the UK

Jack Shep on That Princess Di Impression

Chris's Perfect Console

Duke Nukem: Time to Kill