Lucas Pope, gamemaker (Papers, Please; Return of the Obra Dinn).

Lucas Pope, gamemaker (Papers, Please; Return of the Obra Dinn).

My guest today is the American designer of two of the most highly regarded experimental games yet made. He grew up in Virginia, where his interest in hobbyist robotics led him to study mechanical engineering at Virginia State University. At that time he started designing mods for Quake, which eventually led to a job at Naughty Dog where he worked on the first two games in the Uncharted series.


In 2009 he left the studio and moved with his wife to Japan. It was while travelling abroad that my guest had the idea for a game involving a passport inspector. The result, Papers, Please, sold millions of copies and won several awards, including the grand prize at the Independent Game Festival. His next game, 2018’s The Return of the Obra Dinn, cast players as an insurance adjustor for the East India Company trying to piece together the events that led to the destruction of one of its merchant ships and the crew’s deaths. In a poll of industry experts for GQ magazine the game was named one of the greatest yet made.


Play the console



Thank you for listening to My Perfect Console. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter; your small monthly subscription will help to make the podcast sustainable for the long term, and you'll receive bonus content, and access to the My Perfect Console community: https://www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

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


Take 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.

Episoder(181)

Tomm Hulett, game designer (Silent Hill series, Contra, Bloodstained, River City Girls).

Tomm Hulett, game designer (Silent Hill series, Contra, Bloodstained, River City Girls).

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 Memori...

19 Mai 20251h 16min

Grentperez, musician.

Grentperez, musician.

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 son...

12 Mai 20251h 7min

Alex Kealy, comedian.

Alex Kealy, comedian.

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 ...

6 Mai 20251h 17min

Liam Wong, photographer, director.

Liam Wong, photographer, director.

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 Cryte...

28 Apr 20251h 28min

Guillaume Provost, studio director Compulsion Games (South of Midnight, We Happy Few).

Guillaume Provost, studio director Compulsion Games (South of Midnight, We Happy Few).

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...

21 Apr 20251h 23min

Correspondence Special #6: WarioWare: Idiom Edition, The Observer's future game coverage, and more.

Correspondence Special #6: WarioWare: Idiom Edition, The Observer's future game coverage, and more.

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 ...

17 Apr 202532min

Celia Hodent, UX specialist (Ubisoft Montreal, LucasArts, Epic Games).

Celia Hodent, UX specialist (Ubisoft Montreal, LucasArts, Epic Games).

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 chi...

14 Apr 20251h 18min

Joel Morris, comedy writer (Philomena Cunk, Black Mirror, Paddington).

Joel Morris, comedy writer (Philomena Cunk, Black Mirror, Paddington).

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 wr...

7 Apr 20251h 31min

Populært innen Fritid

rss-spartsklubben
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
mil-etter-mil-en-podcast-om-bil
interiorradet
nerdelandslaget
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
jakt-og-fiskepodden
jegerpodden
rss-jegerpodden
level-backup
rss-avskiltet
0-100-med-broom-mats-og-remi
rss-gatebilpodden
fjellsportpodden
klokkepodden
hagespiren-podcast
rss-jeg-fikser-vin
strikkepodden
rss-var-forste-kaffe
villmarksliv