Shows
Brainlords: Video Games of the MindPresent Tense: P.T.'s Influence ft. BobvidsThis week on Brainlords special guest Bobvids helps us on Part Two of our P.T. series discussing the current era of liminal spaces in games. Even Baby Steps and 1000xResist have looping hallways, so are the lessons learned from this ludonarrative only limited to scares? We discuss our hopes for the future of spooky games in this raucous conclusion to our horror retrospective.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
Kyle - Cute Monster Props
Jorge - JMV
Special guest - BobVids
THINGS DISCUSSED
...
2025-11-262h 41Brainlords: Video Games of the MindThe Scariest Non-Horror Games ft. Shannon StrucciThis week on Brainlords we have a Halloween episode about drowning, being hunted, the dark, and the undead, all the hallmarks of our favorite…children’s platformers? Special guest Shannon Strucci scares us silly with stories of Spyro and Sonic being just as spooky as Silent Hill! How scary can a game be before it’s considered horror and why do so many games from our childhood leave us so traumatized?
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
Kyle - Cute Monster Props
Jorge - JMV
Special guest - Shanno...
2025-10-302h 50Brainlords: Video Games of the MindIs Gaming a Financial Burden?This week on Brainlords we complain about the price of games nowadays. But then why did the games of yesteryear feel like a better deal despite being $80 well before Mario Kart 8? Is there anything you can do to appreciate an artform that seems so designed to take most of your paycheck? And yet somehow indie games should honestly cost more! Find out why as we release this episode for the same price as some of the best video games ever, free!
Kyle - Cute Monster Props
Jorge - JMV
THINGS DISCUSSED
2025-10-012h 10Brainlords: Video Games of the MindWhat is Switch Nostalgia?This week on Brainlords we look back on the 8 years we’ve had the Nintendo Switch to determine what we'll be looking back on even later! We take a ~nostalgic~ tour through the final days of the WiiU, getting the console in its early years, the peak years of its greatest hits, playing during the pandemic, and the twilight years that preceded the Switch 2. Are these just rose (and blue) tinted glasses or was there truly something special about the first merger of Nintendo’s handheld and console hardware that truly can’t be replicated again?
Questions, Commen...
2025-09-172h 07Brainlords: Video Games of the MindExplain the Silksong Hype for MeThis week on Brainlords we celebrate the final moments before Silksong can no longer be delayed. Jorge doesn’t get what the deal is with Silkposting while Kyle is removing the clown makeup as we speak. We go over the humble origins of Hollow Knight to discuss if it really is that good (yes) and how we got here with eight years of hype and memes. How has the Metroidvania genre fared since then and what do we do now that Silksong, a game made with the opposite of crunch is finally out?
THINGS DISCUSSED
Ba...
2025-09-032h 13Brainlords: Video Games of the MindGame Theories that Kill the Vibe ft. VoidburgerThis Week on Brainlords, special guest Voidburger takes us on a scenic tour through Silent Hill. Some game theories seem to have a life of their own but what happens when that becomes the death of your enjoyment? Jorge discusses being secretly dead the whole time while Kyle explains why Pokémon is actually dark and twisted. Will this episode be a dream all along or a nightmare of fan theories?!
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
Kyle - Cute Monster Props
Jorge - JMV
Special Guest - V...
2025-08-202h 12Brainlords: Video Games of the MindGame Difficulty as an Art FormThis week on Brainlords we’re upping the difficulty to Legendary! Why do we keep coming back to the only medium that you might not even be good enough to experience? We share our histories with Gamer Rage (tm) and discuss some games that are better for having all the hardest parts in the beginning in order to conclude which game is *perfectly* difficult.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
Kyle - Cute Monster Props
Jorge - JMV
THINGS DISCUSSED
Death Stranding 2
How...
2025-08-062h 19Brainlords: Video Games of the MindCan licensed games be Art?
This week on Brainlords we are living in a Nightmare…Bart’s Nightmare! Or is it Buster’s Bad Dream? We discuss the wonderful world of Licensed games, advertisement games, and video game product placements to ask the question: Are they even art? Kyle compares a good Disney game that has nothing to do with its license to a bad Simpsons game that gave him an emotional response. Jorge discusses how to find validation as a working class artist when you don’t get to choose what you work on. The one thing we can agree on? The amazi...
2025-07-232h 14Brainlords: Video Games of the MindGame Music: 10 Years 10 SoundtracksThis week on Brainlords, we discuss our favorite genre of music, SOUNDTRACK: VIDEO GAME. Kyle and Jorge each pick their OSTs of the year from 2015 to 2024 and guess each other's lists for some friendly competition. Is game music less memorable than the squarewaves of yesteryear or are we actually in a golden age?
Spoiler warning: Extremely mild spoilers for Death Stranding 2, Undertale, Deltarune, and Signs of the Sojourner. (Mostly just minor moments and describing the context around interesting songs.)
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
Kyle - Cute Monster Props
2025-07-092h 14Brainlords: Video Games of the MindShould Games Be Fun?On today’s episode of Brainlords we explain why games might be better if they were a little “worse”! Jorge gives a history lesson on The Flow State while Kyle explains how it recently became synonymous with the addiction loop of a slot machine. Is fun the only emotion gameplay should strive for or should we want a bit more friction in an interactive art form?
CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
Kyle - Cute Monster Props
Jorge - JMV
Edited by Kyle
THINGS DISCUSSED:
Should...
2025-05-142h 19Brainlords: Video Games of the MindBONUS APRIL EPISODE: If I See the Akira Bike Slide One More Time I Will Cry and Then Throw UpBievenedos a Brainlords! In today's bonus April Episode, Kyle and Jorge are replaced with alter egos Jorge and Kyle for an anime themed episode brought to you by our sister podcast Robot Carnival. We process our grief in seeing that the Akira Bike Slide got referenced in yet another piece of media. Does referencing this iconic shot in 2025 make you a poser? Yes Billy. Yes it does.
THINGS DISCUSSED:
Anime.
2025-04-0119 minBrainlords: Video Games of the MindWhat *Should* A Character Look Like? "If Chun-Li's Thighs are too big it's not going to be good for the meta." Welcome to Brainlords! This week Kyle and Jorge discuss what can go wrong with a character design according to artists and more importantly (and loudly) according to fans. We wrestle with the fact that new versions of a character are caught between our expectation and brand management and talk about what its like adapting a licensed character to 2d, 3d, and real life! It's Brainlords vs our favorite crossovers and the only winner is you, the listener!
Kyle - Cute M...
2025-03-191h 50Brainlords: Video Games of the MindEP0 - What Do We Look For in a Video Game?
"People don't want Zelda 2, they want Zelda 1-Plus."
Our pilot episode! Come get to know us as we ask the question - What do you look for in a game? Meet your hosts Jorge, an Illustrator working on product design at Fangamer, and Kyle, an SFX artist working on video game statues and eSports trophies at Volpin Props. Together they discuss games as an art form and a culture. Topics can cover any aspect to help us appreciate video games new, retro, popular, or indie (but like, the weird indie not just the popular indie t...
2025-02-051h 35