Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Max Burkholder grew up with "unlimited screentime," as a busy child actor going to work and school. He fell in love with video games through Kingdom Hearts, which helped him come down from the stress of being on the set of films like The Purge, Daddy Day Care and Parenthood.
Now he somehow finds time for games while starring as the teen version of Mark Wahlberg's character on Peacock's Ted series, ploughing through long RPGs like Final Fantasy 16 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as well as playthroughs of critically acclaimed puzzlers like Blue Prince. He was excited to walk out of videogamesnewyork with a new copy of Bravely Default for the Nintendo Switch 2.
This is Shelf Quest, our monthly series exploring gaming nostalgia, and how games have impacted our lives. We'll be back next month with a brand new guest, and more stories to tell.
*IMPORTANT LINKS*
Polygon Newsletter: polygon.com/pages/newsletter
TikTok: tiktok.com/@polygon
Twitter: bit.ly/PolygonTwitter
Instagram: bit.ly/PolygonInsta
Facebook: bit.ly/PolygonFB
And for more gaming and entertainment coverage, visit polygon.com
#kingdomhearts #shelfquest #maxburkholder #tedseason2 #polygon
Max Burkholder grew up with "unlimited screentime," as a busy child actor going to work and school. He fell in love with video games through Kingdom Hearts, which helped him come down from the stress of being on the set of films like The Purge, Daddy Day Care and Parenthood.
Now he somehow finds time for games while starring as the teen version of Mark Wahlberg's character on Peacock's Ted series, ploughing through long RPGs like Final Fantasy 16 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as well as playthroughs of critically acclaimed puzzlers like Blue Prince. He was excited to walk out of videogamesnewyork with a new copy of Bravely Default for the Nintendo Switch 2.
This is Shelf Quest, our monthly series exploring gaming nostalgia, and how games have impacted our lives. We'll be back next month with a brand new guest, and more stories to tell.
*IMPORTANT LINKS*
Polygon Newsletter: polygon.com/pages/newsletter
TikTok: tiktok.com/@polygon
Twitter: bit.ly/PolygonTwitter
Instagram: bit.ly/PolygonInsta
Facebook: bit.ly/PolygonFB
And for more gaming and entertainment coverage, visit polygon.com
#kingdomhearts #shelfquest #maxburkholder #tedseason2 #polygon
