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

My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin

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

Ep. 45

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.



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