Brian Gibson is a musician, artist, and game designer best known for blurring the lines between sound, movement, and chaos. As the bassist for the legendary noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt, he’s released seven studio albums and played countless ferocious, high-velocity live shows. But he’s also spent much of his life working on video games, first as an artist for the music-game developer Harmonix, which he joined in 2001, and more recently as the co-designer of Thumper—a rhythm-violence game that marries kinetic speed and hypnotic visuals.

Since its release, Thumper has become a cult classic, earning acclaim for its singular aesthetic and for redefining what a rhythm game could be. A follow-up, Thrasher, originally released for Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro is now out on Steam.

LINKS

Brian's personal site: https://laserbeast.com/

Wishlist Thrasher

Lightning Bolt - Dead Cowboy @ TAICOCLUB'14

Thrasher OST on Bandcamp

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Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

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In this special correspondence edition, Simon reads out your letters and answers your questions.

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Ralph Panebianco is an Australian video game reviewer and YouTube creator known for his sharp insights, no-nonsense delivery, and deep love of the medium. His reviews have been watched more than three hundred million times, and since 2015 his channel, Skill-Up, has become one of the most popular destinations for game criticism, both in Australia and around the world.

He has built a loyal following with his in-depth reviews, industry commentary, and honest takes on everything from blockbuster releases to cult indie gems. With a growing reputation as one of the most thoughtful voices in games criticism online, he’s earned the trust of viewers looking for substance over spectacle.

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