Luke Whittaker, gamemaker. (South of the Circle, Lumino City).
Luke Whittaker, gamemaker. (South of the Circle, Lumino City).  
Podcast: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin
Published On: Tue Jun 30 2026
Description: Luke Whittaker is a British game designer and creative director. With a background in animation and games design, he co-founded the BAFTA-winning indie studio State of Play in 2008, helping establish a reputation for meticulous, hands-on craft and playful experimentation. He was the creator and lead designer of Lumino City, the puzzle adventure built entirely from hand-made paper and card models, which won a BAFTA for Artistic Achievement.Since then he has worked on a string of distinctive projects including the Apple Award-winning pinball painting game INKS and the paper-crafted puzzle games KAMI and its sequel. As writer, director, and lead artist on South of the Circle, he even travelled to Antarctica to research a deeply human Cold War love story. Now, with Spycraft, a 1960s spy adventure that blends a physical board with video game mechanics—and comeswith a physical gadget built to play it—he continues to blur the boundaries between digital play and physical craft.Relevant Links:Luke Whittaker & State of PlayState of Play Games – official siteState of Play – about the studioSpycraft & the Board deviceSpycraft – State of Play Games pageSpycraft – on the Board storeBoard – the gaming device Spycraft runs onSouth of the CircleSouth of the Circle – State of Play Games pageSouth of the Circle – SteamSouth of the Circle – Apple App StoreLuke's Perfect ConsoleNorth & South (1989) – WikipediaIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure – WikipediaSega Rally Championship – WikipediaICO – WikipediaFirewatch – official siteFirewatch – WikipediaOther games and references mentionedLumino City – State of Play Games pageSamorost – Amanita DesignMachinarium – Amanita DesignKAMI 2 – State of Play Games pageShadow of the Colossus – WikipediaOxenfree – Night School StudioRetroPie – retro gaming on Raspberry PiThe Turner Contemporary – MargateSupport My Perfect Console on Patreon Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake 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.