Peter is a video producer and director of photography with nearly a decade of experience at Australian free-to-air channels and as a freelancer for commercial clients. He has an extensive history in popular culture material, specifically video game-related content and is a part of the Back Pocket crew!
What’s the first game you ever remember playing?
My mother had a fascination with video games and at a very young age she introduced me to a DOS game called Pharaoh’s Tomb. I remember being so impressed by the graphics and sounds. I was transported to the belly of an Egyptian pyramid, collecting keys and coins whilst avoiding dreadful undead. Looking at screenshots now, I really did have an incredibly vivid imagination as a child. The game was released in 1990 – the same year I was born; though I dare say I wasn’t digitally spelunking until at LEAST 1994.
What is your favourite game currently?
I’m a fiend for competitive multiplayer. I have an embarrassing amount of hours logged in DOTA 2, and love a good shooter. Apparently I also love a bad shooter, because I cannot get enough of Halo Infinite. A rough launch, and six months of weak live-service offerings have seen a dramatic decline in player base which should make the game virtually unplayable in Australia. And yet… it’s all I think about; it’s all I want to play. There’s a dance to every fire-fight in Halo, and Infinite at its best is probably my favourite shooter of all time. I remain incredibly hopeful that with continued support it can become a game worthy of the amount of love I pour into it, love which could instead be going to my wife.
What’s been one of your biggest or most exciting achievements at Back Pocket?
Back Pocket has been a thrill to build alongside an audience that has supported our work for the better part of a decade, tracing back days of Good Game at the ABC. Since launching in July 2020 time has shot by, but the show is stronger than ever. As we approach the second full year of Back Pocket I’m just humbled that people still care what this old boy has to say…
Who in the video game industry inspires you?
Todd Howard and his fancy jackets.
What are your other hobbies?
Outside of games I try to busy myself with low-tech hobbies… although even as I type that I am reminded of all the equipment I own to support my videography career. Let’s see – I dabble in woodwork. There are few things more satisfying than drawing up a plan, making some cuts, gluing some joints, resulting in a practical, useful product of your efforts. Not to mention all the cool tech you can buy to assist in the process… ahhhh crap. Hiking! Hiking is actually about as luddite as I get. I don’t own a single item of activewear, but it’s a part of my life to the point that my wife and I have moved to the Blue Mountains to support the addiction.
Why is supporting cancer research important to you?
Sadly my paternal grandfather died from melanoma not long after the birth of my dad, while coincidentally my mother’s father was a skin cancer specialist. As such cancer was an openly discussed and far from taboo topic in my childhood home. The work my maternal grandfather poured into his clinic helped me understand that cancer was not always a deadly boogeyman, but a disease that can be confronted, treated, and avoided under the right circumstances. While I don’t have the skills to directly help, I’m glad to play a small part in sharing and amplifying the messages of people who do. That’s why we jumped on the opportunity to partner with Cure Cancer.
Be sure to follow Pete on Twitter to see all the awesome work he and Back Pocket do with their amazing community!
