A recommendation
On the podcast "My Perfect Console."
Listening: My Perfect Console, “Metal Gear Solid 2 OST | Plant Sneaking Theme [Extended]”
Playing: Valorant (losing elo)
The other day I woke up to the sound of a thunderstorm, which feels rare for this part of the country. But it is something I remember from childhood; every so often nature would batter herself against my windows as the sun would rise, and the day would feel just a little more magical. I chalk that up to decreasing humidity. But that morning I woke up feeling nostalgic, you know? The rest of the day was normal. Not a whole lot to report.
Anyway that nostalgia got me thinking about the games I used to play in those simpler1, more innocent2 days. Like, I dunno, Star Fox? Super Mario World? Older stuff now that you can play almost anywhere3.
I was thinking about all this while listening to what’s probably my new favorite podcast, Simon Parkin’s My Perfect Console4. It’s an interview show about video games, but also so much more than that. I’ve been a fan of Simon’s work for a while now — especially his turn as The New Yorker’s resident Video Games Guy — and this show packages his expertise and long career in games journalism into hourlong chunks.
Basically, the pitch is: a guest brings 5 of their favorite games to put on their perfect, imaginary console. (They’re also asked to name it at the end.) In between talking about those games, Simon interviews guests about their lives and careers — and this, I think, is where the real magic is5. He’s got a knack for getting people to open up a little bit, and it’s impressive what he managers to draw out in an hour or so.
Then there’s his choice of guest, which is phenomenal; they seem to come from what I can only imagine is a very deep Rolodex. He’s had everyone from Danny Pudi (actor, Community, Mythic Quest) to Tetsuya Mizuguchi (creator of Rez). You get to hear from people who aren’t necessarily games people (like, for example, Ronan Farrow), and people who have made some of the most well-known games of all time. Like Dylan Cuthbert, who helped create Star Fox6.
It’s very worth a listen, especially if you — like me — are interested in how games get made, but also on the impacts they have on the lives of the people who make and love them. Give it a listen!
As always,
Bijan
syn: emotionally complex
syn: for me
If you’re an iOS user like me, here’s a pair of websites that — if you add them to your home screen and download ROMs to your files — will let you emulate Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance games.
Also, all the guests have been incredible.
A brief aside: Cuthbert has a brief cameo in a piece I wrote about video games last year — the people I was profiling found an original demo of the game he made that got him working with Nintendo on Star Fox in the first place.