After footage of an abandoned routine resurfaced online, comedian Alfie Brown found himself navigating public condemnation while mourning the deaths of his closest friend and his father. He fled London for Liverpool to imagine a different future: observer.co.uk/culture/inte...

A real joy to speak to Rob, and learn about how his time writing for Stephen Colbert has nourished his game design work.

My Perfect Console podcast@myperfectconsole.bsky.social · last mo.

Welcome to the pod, Emmy-winning comedy writer and game designer, @Robdubbin.bsky.social. Rob’s work spans late-night television, journalism, and interactive storytelling. He's become a thoughtful advocate for clarity and economy in writing, particularly in games. Available now: bit.ly/4eLTh8u

🎟️ TICKETS ON SALE NOW 🎟️ Early bird tickets at £35, on sale until the end of June. Join us for the launch of The Cambridge Companion to Martin Amis, with a panel discussion, intimate presentation on the arduous and electrifying task of Editing Amis, and more! BOOK NOW: trybooking.com/uk/GQIT

I went on @simonparkin.bsky.social’s wonderful @myperfectconsole.bsky.social to pick my favourite games for my own perfect home made console. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...

George Osborn, strategist, author (Power Play: Video Games, Politics, and the Battle for Global Influence.)

Podcast Episode · My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin · 16 June · 1hr 30min

podcasts.apple.com

Polar has been praised for its vast, glacial beauty — but did you know the orchestral album was inspired by open-world video games? In this week’s episode, the Icelandic composer Gabriel Olafs joins host @simonparkin.bsky.social. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: bit.ly/4g9npg5

Trial of the Space Invaders: The Case that Changed Video Games The true story of Nintendo’s years-long legal battle to establish who invented video games, and the secret, never-before-revealed settlement that profoundly shaped today’s industry. I cannot wait to share it with you. Coming: Jan 2027

Trial of the Space Invaders: The Case that Changed Video Games The true story of Nintendo’s years-long legal battle to establish who invented video games, and the secret, never-before-revealed settlement that profoundly shaped today’s industry. I cannot wait to share it with you. Coming: Jan 2027

Car fox, Brighton station.

This was a lot of fun. The five games I picked for my own dream console were: - The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask - WarioWare Twisted - Red Dead Redemption 2 - Assassin’s Creed Valhalla - WarioWare Move It I explain why throughout the episode (these are not exactly my five favorite games, FYI)

My Perfect Console podcast@myperfectconsole.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Our next guest helped redefine how games are reported and understood. From MTV News to Kotaku, to Axios, and now his Substack Game File, @StephenTotilo.bsky.social has consistently pushed for deeper, more thoughtful coverage of the medium. Available now: bit.ly/4djXGjt

So excited to have edited and contributed to this beautiful collection of new and published pieces about The Last of Us. Includes stories from the New Yorker, the New York Times, Time, and GQ, as well as two intimate and never-before-published interviews with director, @druckmann.bsky.social.

Tune & Fairweather@tuneandfairweather.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Announcing Look for the Light: The Last of Us Anthology This wide-ranging collection of essays and interviews explores how The Last of Us became one of the defining stories of modern games, TV and popular culture. @naughtydog.com @druckmann.bsky.social www.tuneandfairweather.com/products/loo...

In the weeks leading up to SNL UK’s debut, there was an almost giddy sense of anticipatory schadenfreude among many onlookers in Britain. Then, after the premiere, wary praise turned into genuine excitement. How did they prove the naysayers wrong? observer.co.uk/style/featur...

After more than half a century, Saturday Night Live, the great American comedy institution, has launched a British version (which sounds like an SNL sketch in itself). Employing 300 people and costing over £2m an episode, it’s a huge gamble. Simon Park asks: has it worked? https://bit.ly/48RGVtg

Look who’s laughing now: how Saturday Night Live landed i...

After more than half a century, Saturday Night Live, the great American comedy institution, has launched a British version (which sounds like an SNL sketch in itself). Employing 300 people and costing...

bit.ly

LOVED this interview :D

My Perfect Console podcast@myperfectconsole.bsky.social · 4mo ago

It’s a real pleasure to welcome @Felicia.Day to the show this week. Actor, writer, and creator of The Guild, Felicia has been at the forefront of online storytelling and games culture from early web video to founding Geek & Sundry. Don’t miss this one: bit.ly/4m1Gvpu

Loved chatting with @felicia.day, whose story is so closely entwined with the evolution of the modern internet, in all its joyous and terrifying forms.

My Perfect Console podcast@myperfectconsole.bsky.social · 4mo ago

It’s a real pleasure to welcome @Felicia.Day to the show this week. Actor, writer, and creator of The Guild, Felicia has been at the forefront of online storytelling and games culture from early web video to founding Geek & Sundry. Don’t miss this one: bit.ly/4m1Gvpu

From Wakanda to Harlem. This week, @evnarc.bsky.social, comic writer, journalist, and narrative designer, joins Simon to discuss storytelling across Black Panther and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and the cultural threads that run through his work. Listen now: bit.ly/4tak4AR

After he sold Wordle to the New York Times, Josh Wardle felt lost. He found refuge in an unlikely place: the cryptic crossword. Now he wants to teach the world how to solve them. For @newyorker I spoke to Wardle about his new project, Parseword, out today: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

The Next Game from the Creator of Wordle Is Here

Josh Wardle, the creator of Wordle, has a new game that aims to introduce players to the joys and agonies of the cryptic crossword.

newyorker.com

After he sold Wordle to the New York Times, Josh Wardle felt lost. He found refuge in an unlikely place: the cryptic crossword. Now he wants to teach the world how to solve them. For @newyorker I spoke to Wardle about his new project, Parseword, out today: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

The Next Game from the Creator of Wordle Is Here

Josh Wardle, the creator of Wordle, has a new game that aims to introduce players to the joys and agonies of the cryptic crossword.

newyorker.com

Which well-known video game voice actor is difficult to work with? Join @SimonParkin.bsky.social in conversation with legendary performance director Tom Keegan, who has pioneered the evolution of acting in video games such as Resident Evil 2, Wolfenstein and Battlefield. Listen now: bit.ly/4lk41h9

Did a chance encounter with Demon’s Souls in Japan help bring FromSoftware’s games to the West? In today's episode, Scottish journalist and Guardian Games Editor @mackeza.bsky.social talks about chronicling the video game industry, and her new book covering Nintendo. Available now: bit.ly/3OMBODk

Enjoyed appearing on Jacob Watson-Howland's podcast, talking about The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad: open.spotify.com/episode/1yAT...

#75: WW2's Secret Story: The Scientists Who Starved for the Future - Simon Parkin

Spotify video

open.spotify.com

Joining us for our first episode of 2026 is the mathmetician and narrative designer, @jon.inkle.co. In 2011, Jon co-founded the independent studio Inkle, and has since worked on titles such as 80 Days, A Highland Song, and now a game set in a wartime computer: TR-49. Listen now: apple.co/45JM19p

I love listening to this podcast and I’ve been looking forward to doing this episode for ages - hear our countdowns of our favourite games of 2025, right here!

My Perfect Console podcast@myperfectconsole.bsky.social · 8mo ago

It’s time for @SimonParkin.bsky.social and @TheNewsAtGlenn.bsky.social to reveal their five favourite games of 2025. Which titles from this year will they choose to construct their consoles? Find out in this special episode: bit.ly/4pY2JtM

The Guardian picked THE FORBIDDEN GARDEN by Simon Parkin as one of the Best Science Books of 2025! https://bit.ly/3MoIE0x

The best science and nature books of 2025

From the threat of superintelligent AI to the dangers of overdiagnosis; plus the evolution of language and the restless genius of Francis Crick

bit.ly

This week's episode––our last interview of 2025––features @harvey1966.bsky.social, co-designer of Deus Ex and Dishonored, in a profoundly reflective mood, exploring a life spent at the bleeding edge of immersive sim design. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

My Perfect Console podcast@myperfectconsole.bsky.social · 8mo ago

For our final interview of 2025, a wide-ranging, intimate conversation with acclaimed game designer @harvey1966.bsky.social. Harvey discusses his long, storied career, and opens up about how the success of Deux Ex enabled him to finally confront his demons... Subscribe now: bit.ly/43RMgx9

Critics once wielded savage pens. Now, audiences crave cheer. As the age of the vicious restaurant review fades, have we lost our appetite for honesty along with our taste for cruelty? In today's @observeruk.bsky.social: observer.co.uk/style/featur...

How we lost our taste for the vicious restaurant review | The Observer

observer.co.uk

Great read, and can’t help but make parallels to other reviews

Simon Parkin@simonparkin.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Critics once wielded savage pens. Now, audiences crave cheer. As the age of the vicious restaurant review fades, have we lost our appetite for honesty along with our taste for cruelty? In today's @observeruk.bsky.social: observer.co.uk/style/featur...

Critics once wielded savage pens. Now, audiences crave cheer. As the age of the vicious restaurant review fades, have we lost our appetite for honesty along with our taste for cruelty? In today's @observeruk.bsky.social: observer.co.uk/style/featur...

How we lost our taste for the vicious restaurant review | The Observer

observer.co.uk

Join Simon live in Chicago as he chats with pioneering American video game developer Alex Seropian. Find out how Alex founded Bungie while a student at University, and why, after Apple's Steve Jobs revealed the game on stage, they took Halo to Microsoft. Listen now: bit.ly/48DkCGz

My book about Nintendo is out soon! Early readers have said incredibly nice things about it! Pre-order here for US/UK: linktr.ee/super_nintendo