Mind Controllers

Everyone say Hi to Nico! I’m joined by a long time friend for her first time on the podcast as we chat about video games as a form of performance instead of narrative? And later we try to process how we feel about a game Brandon enjoyed that was influenced by something that was created by Generative AI. It’s a doozy!If you leave a review of the podcast on an app, screenshot it and send it to me via DM on any of the socials, I’ll enter your name into the Pizza Raffle! One lucky winner every month will get sent a digital gift card to a pizza spot of their choice!Nico’s First Game - 01:14Article of the Week - 04:21Phoenix Wright Justice for All - 24:23Angel Engine - 43:06Wrapping Up and Thank You - 1:05:04Games we talked about this week: Olli Olli World, Phoenix Wright and Justice for All, Angel EngineCheck out https://www.startmenu.co.uk/ , an awesome site Brandon is now writing for! And check out his latest impressions on Demon Tides!Article of the Week: What is the Form of Play? Ludic Form and the Development of Movement in Virtual SpaceDoc Burford Articles found hereIf you are experiencing any sort of mental health distress, or just need someone to talk to, please call 988 contact some of these resources gathered on https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Feel free to message us with suggestions for games or questions at our socials and we’ll respond to your question on the upcoming pod! Be sure to follow us on socials like Youtube, Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Twitch. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app!Support our Patreon at patreon.com/MindControllers and get a thank you sticker!Tracks are: "We Decide" by TatamiPodcast Art by @_forza_art on Instagram

Slight Spoilers for: Silent Hill fIt’s the Brandon and Tim show this week as we dive deep into Horror! What makes us drawn to horror? Why do we like being scared? All of this and more, plus we chat a bit about Resident Evil Requiem at the end!Also, new idea: If you leave a review on an app, screenshot it and send it to me via DM on any of the socials, I’ll enter your name into the Pizza Raffle! One lucky winner every month will get sent a digital gift card to a pizza spot of their choice!Article of the Week/Heavy Horror Convo - 04:23Why Fear? - 10:42What is a Phobia? - 21:23Why Do We Turn to Horror? - 23:44Horror Games - 29:32First Scary Game - 30:46Tim’s First Horror - 36:38Moments in Games That Have Caused Fear - 44:10Resident Evil Requiem - 55:54Pokemon Pokopia - 1:06:31Wrapping Up and Thank You - 1:10:35Games we talked about this week: Silent Hill f, Resident Evil Requiem, Monster BashListen to Tim’s great album here!Check out https://www.startmenu.co.uk/ , an awesome site Brandon is now writing for! And check out his latest impressions on Demon Tides!Article of the Week: A Sense of Fear and Anxiety in Digital Games: An Analysis of Cognitive Stimuli in Slender -- The Eight PagesIf you are experiencing any sort of mental health distress, or just need someone to talk to, please call 988 contact some of these resources gathered on https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Feel free to message us with suggestions for games or questions at our socials and we’ll respond to your question on the upcoming pod! Be sure to follow us on socials like Youtube, Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Twitch. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app!Support our Patreon at patreon.com/MindControllers and get a thank you sticker!Tracks are: "We Decide" by TatamiPodcast Art by @_forza_art on Instagram

Jordan returns to chat with Brandon, Courture, and Tim as we digest all the insanity going on in the gaming industry now. Then we do a quick Mewgenics chat before a rapid fire Steam Next Fest discussion.Article of the Week - 01:02Xbox - 12:27Discord and Moderation - 21:24Steam - 27:43Pokemon - 35:32Yearly Releases - 39:46Bluepoint RIP - 46:40All These Closures - 51:12Games Industry Compared to Others - 55:49Mewgenics - 1:00:52Steam Next Fest - 1:07:35Wrapping Up and Thank You - 1:16:22Games we talked about this week: Mewgenics, Menace, Dobbel Dungeon, Titanium Court, Airframe Ultra, Deep Dish Dungeon, Far Far West, DenshattackCheck out NerveLabs, an awesome indie game studio! And join their discord here!Listen to Tim’s great album here!Check out https://www.startmenu.co.uk/ , an awesome site Brandon is now writing for! And check out his latest review on Nocturnal 2 Demo here at this link!Article of the Week: Level Design Processes and Challenges: A Cross Section of Game DevelopmentIf you are experiencing any sort of mental health distress, or just need someone to talk to, please call 988 contact some of these resources gathered on https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Feel free to message us with suggestions for games or questions at our socials and we’ll respond to your question on the upcoming pod! Be sure to follow us on socials like Youtube, Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Twitch. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app!Support our Patreon at patreon.com/MindControllers and get a thank you sticker!Tracks are: "We Decide" by TatamiPodcast Art by @_forza_art on Instagram

WARNING: This episode deals heavily with loss, and mentions of death, grief, and suicide ideation. Please take care of yourselves as you are listening through.Slight Spoilers for: Ghost of YoteiWe get fully in our feels this week as Tim joins us to chat about grief in video games! We go for a full mask off discussion of how video games have affected our lives, in both good and bad. I’d love for you to join us as we share some of the defining moments of our lives that surround video games. Also, this is a heavy episode. Please take care while listening, and don’t be worried to take a break if needed.Games we talked about this week: Ghost of YoteiCheck out https://www.startmenu.co.uk/ , an awesome site Brandon is now writing for! And check out his latest review on Nocturnal 2 Demo here at this link!Article of the Week: Unraveling Grief: Design Space Analysis of Death-themed GamesIf you are experiencing any sort of mental health distress, or just need someone to talk to, please call 988 contact some of these resources gathered on https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Feel free to message us with suggestions for games or questions at our socials and we’ll respond to your question on the upcoming pod! Be sure to follow us on socials like Youtube, Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Twitch. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app!Support our Patreon at patreon.com/MindControllers and get a thank you sticker!Tracks are: "We Decide" by TatamiPodcast Art by @_forza_art on Instagram

We have a new guest this week, so please welcome Jordan Fanaris! Jordan tells us all about how he became a level designer, his previous work making the popular Black Mesa mod, his time at Heart Machine (makers of Hyper Light Breaker), and the state of the industry now! We then close it with a bit of Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator, a new game by Strange Scaffold and Xalavier Nelson Jr.Games we talked about this week: Metaphor Refantazio, Space Warlord Baby Trading SimulatorCheck out Jordan’s indie studio, NerveLabs, on SteamCheck out https://www.startmenu.co.uk/ , an awesome site Brandon is now writing for! And check out his latest review on Nocturnal 2 Demo here at this link!If you are experiencing any sort of mental health distress, or just need someone to talk to, please call 988 contact some of these resources gathered on https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Feel free to message us with suggestions for games or questions at our socials and we’ll respond to your question on the upcoming pod! Be sure to follow us on socials like Youtube, Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Twitch. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app!Support our Patreon at patreon.com/MindControllers and get a thank you sticker!Tracks are: "We Decide" by TatamiPodcast Art by @_forza_art on Instagram

It’s the Brandons again! Here with the article of the week about co-op gameplay, hot takes on Highguard, a fusion of SCP and Half-Life, and an interesting new Metroidvania. It’s been wild out there, so come have a seat with us.Games we talked about this week: Popucom, Highguard, Abiotic Factor, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, Nocturnal 2Check out https://www.startmenu.co.uk/ , an awesome site Brandon is now writing for! And check out his latest review on Nocturnal 2 Demo here at this link!Article of the Week: Exploring Compatible Interaction Preferences with a Puzzle Video GameIf you are experiencing any sort of mental health distress, or just need someone to talk to, please call 988 contact some of these resources gathered on https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Feel free to message us with suggestions for games or questions at our socials and we’ll respond to your question on the upcoming pod! Be sure to follow us on socials like Youtube, Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Twitch. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app!Support our Patreon at patreon.com/MindControllers and get a thank you sticker!Tracks are: "We Decide" by TatamiPodcast Art by @_forza_art on Instagram

Tim joins us for his first pod of the year as we chat about an interesting game study on the use of touch and smell in VR, Tim’s obsession with Battletech, and more! It was a great pod, so I hope you hang out with us as we go down this weird rabbit hole!Games we talked about this week: Battletech, Ghost of YoteiCheck out https://www.startmenu.co.uk/ , an awesome site Brandon is now writing for! And check out his latest review on Goodnight Universe here at this link!Article of the Week: Research on the interaction design of VR plant installation under the perspective of embodimentIf you are experiencing any sort of mental health distress, or just need someone to talk to, please call 988 contact some of these resources gathered on https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Feel free to message us with suggestions for games or questions at our socials and we’ll respond to your question on the upcoming pod! Be sure to follow us on socials like Youtube, Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Twitch. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app!Support our Patreon at patreon.com/MindControllers and get a thank you sticker!Tracks are: "We Decide" by TatamiPodcast Art by @_forza_art on Instagram

Sorry, it's been a busy week. There are a lot of exciting things coming up with us, so please stay tuned! I appreciate you all!