Meghna Jayanth, narrative designer (80 Days, Sunless Seas, Thirsty Suitors).

My guest today is an award-winning writer and narrative designer for video games. As a child she split her time between Bangalore, London, and Saudi Arabia before settling in the UK to study English Literature at University. After a stint commissioning games for the BBC , she wrote the script for 2014’s BAFTA-nominated narrative adventure game, 80 Days , then contributed to the hit indie titles Sunless Seas and Boyfriend Dungeon , as well as the Sony blockbuster Horizon: Zero Dawn . My guest has won two Writers' Guild Awards for Best Writing in a Video Game, hosted the Independent Games Festival , and become a sought-after speaker, known for her sharp critiques of game mechanics that, as she describes it, promote colonialist values. Her latest project, Thirsty Suitors , a stylish, story-driven adventure that unfolds through turn-based battles, skateboarding, and cooking, is set for release later this week. Welcome Meghna Jayanth. Theme Park Princess Maker 3 PernMUSH Savoir-Faire Persona 4 Golden 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 ( Photo by Darren Salanson for EGM) 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.