Rob Dubbin, comedy writer, game designer (The Colbert Report, Scripto).

Rob Dubbin is a comedy writer and game designer whose work spans late-night television, journalism, and interactive storytelling. After studying History and Literature at Harvard University, he began his career in comedy, becoming an Emmy-winning writer on The Colbert Report and later The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Away from television, his writing has appeared in publications including The New Yorker and The Verge. More recently, he has moved into game design and tools, becoming the co-creator of Scripto, a collaborative writing platform for format-driven work—from television scripts to video games—where he serves as Head of Games. His current projects include co-hosting The Secret Lives of Games podcast and he recently launched the boardgame Starfriends. Across all of his work, he has become a thoughtful advocate for clarity and economy in writing—particularly in games, where he believes every word must earn its place. SHOW LINKS: Rob Dubbin Rob Dubbin – official website Rob Dubbin – work & projects Roblemsolving – Rob's blog Rob Dubbin – itch.io Brainfruit Studio / Star Friends Brainfruit Studio shop Star Friends – official site Star Friends – Kickstarter campaign Scripto Scripto – collaborative writing software Scripto – about Scripto – eight takes on game writing The Secret Lives of Games / Eggplant Eggplant – the Secret Lives of Games podcast network Eggplant – about The Secret Lives of Games – on Apple Podcasts Rob's Perfect Console ZZT – zzt.org archive and community ZZT (1991) – Internet Archive Star Control 2: The Ur-Quan Masters – open source port Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters – Steam Master of Magic Classic – Steam Master of Magic Classic – GOG Slice & Dice – developer site Slice & Dice – itch.io Slice & Dice – Steam Caves of Qud – official site Caves of Qud – Steam Caves of Qud – itch.io Other games and references discussed Letterboxd – film rating and diary app Wavelength – party game Apples to Apples – official site Game Developers Conference (GDC) Harvard University The Colbert Report – Comedy Central The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – CBS 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.