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

George Osborn is a journalist, strategist, and analyst whose work explores the increasingly fraught intersection of video games, business, and politics. He has worked as a reporter, consultant, and as Head of Campaigns and Communications at **Ukie**, the UK trade body for games, developing a rare vantage point on how the medium shapes, and is shaped by, power. He is also the founder of **Half-Space Consulting** and the editor of the **Video Games Industry Memo** newsletter, where he examines the forces driving the modern games business. In his new book, **Power Play: Video Games, Politics, and the Battle for Global Influence**, he argues that games have become far more than entertainment: they are now digital third places, contested spaces in which authoritarian regimes, populists, and extremists seek to wield influence. LINKS: **George Osborn:** The book: Power Play – buy via Bookshop.org UK (supports independent booksellers)Power Play – Waterstones Power Play – Bookshop.org US  The newsletter: Video Games Industry Memo – George's newsletter (free to subscribe) **The Games:**  1. GoldenEye 007 (N64, 1997) 2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64, 2000) 3. Championship Manager 01/02 4. Mass Effect 2 5. Balatro **Also mentioned** Bellingcat – investigative journalism outlet founded by Eliot Higgins  Support My Perfect Console on Patreon 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.