
Mike Diver, journalist, author (Aliens: The Video Games)
About this episode
Mike Diver is a British journalist, editor, and author whose career has moved fluidly between music criticism and video games writing, always with an eye for subculture, history, and stories beyond the mainstream. He began at the music website Drowned in Sound, where he rose to become content editor, before going on to work with Clash and contribute to publications including Kerrang! and Rock Sound.
Later, he turned increasingly to video games, writing for outlets including Edge and Kotaku - as well as heading up teams at VICE Gaming (later Waypoint) and GAMINGbible - and bringing the same curiosity and critical energy to games culture, retro hardware, and the history of the medium. Alongside his journalism, he has written six books on video games and edited several more, covering subjects from indie games and esports to Sonic the Hedgehog and Final Fantasy. His latest book, Aliens: The Video Games, continues that fascination with the way great pop-cultural worlds mutate and endure through interactive form.
LINKS
Mike Diver – website & book
Mike Diver – Aliens: The Video Games: An Unofficial Guide (Waterstones, out 30 August 2026)
Aliens: The Video Games – publisher White Owl / Pen and Sword
Alien games discussed
Aliens: Colonial Marines – Wikipedia
Aliens: Infestation (Nintendo DS) – Wikipedia
Aliens vs. Predator (Capcom, 1994 arcade) – Wikipedia
Alien: Rogue Incursion – Steam
Alien: Isolation 2 – official announcement trailer
Mike's Perfect Console
Sensible Soccer (1992) – Wikipedia
Sensible World of Soccer – Wikipedia
Streets of Rage 4 – official site
1944: The Loop Master – Wikipedia
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium (includes 1944) – Steam
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – official site
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Steam
Other games and references mentioned
Drowned in Sound – Wikipedia (music website where Mike began his career)
Vice Gaming / Waypoint – Wikipedia
Aftermath – independent games journalism site
Respec – independent games journalism site
Mina the Hollower – Yacht Club Games
Yuzo Koshiro – composer of Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack, Wikipedia
Evercade – retro gaming handheld
Next week's guest
Sarah Maria Griffin – official website
Eat the Ones You Love – Sarah Maria Griffin's latest novel (Waterstones)
Sarah Maria Griffin – writing about video games for The Guardian
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