Shows
Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedFrom Fortnite To Baldur's Gate in Less Than an Hour With LightforgeIt's been a busy year for gaming, as the billion dollar industry's undergone transformative mergers and acquisitions and unnerving scandals. You've seen the stories and the reports, but how does someone on the inside see these changes?In the latest episode of Visionaries, Lightforge Games co-founder and CEO Matt Schembari breaks down the intricate layers of his career, from his roots at Blizzard to his time at Epic Games and the departure to create his own studio.Matt shared his insight on game design principles and how Lightforge is attempting to bend gaming's programming rules...
2023-11-301h 17Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe CEO that Saved Europe’s Biggest Esports TeamAlban Dechelotte became Chief Executive Officer of G2 Esports in a critical moment of the organization's history after the controversial resignation of G2 Founder, Carlos 'ocelote' Rodriguez. Less than a year later, he joins Jacob on Visionaries to dive into G2's past problems and future obstacles. Explore G2 Esports' evolution from an up and coming Spanish brand to a global esports powerhouse, and understand how Alban handles hard questions about the future of esports at large."The fans give us their passion and attention. We should pay them for that." You can follow Alban...
2023-10-131h 06Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Marvel Went from Zero to Hero with the MCUGet ready for a Marvel-ous treat with the latest episode of Visionaries! Joanna Robinson, the co-author of the upcoming book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" joins Jacob Wolf to discuss the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its profound impact on the entertainment industry.Diving into the unique challenge of crafting an ending for a narrative constantly evolving within the expansive Marvel Universe, Joanna shares how she and her co-authors captured Marvel's journey, from its triumphant highs to its occasional stumbles. With Jacob, Joanna explore the hurdles of reporting on nerd culture, shedding light on...
2023-10-061h 10Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedShopify’s Esports Playbook: Innovating in Heavy TurbulenceOn September 20, the LCS waved goodbye to TSM, once the most popular name in the North American league, and rolled out the welcome mat for Shopify Rebellion. This unexpected move had everyone buzzing: What's Shopify Rebellion's game plan? Dario "TLO" Wünsch, ex-StarCraft pro turned esports leader at Shopify, joined Jacob this week to discuss how the e-commerce platform will be different and whether the current storm in the esports industry.TLO and Jacob discuss how to build fandom in an environment that over indexes on winning—by shelling out million-dollar player salaries—and sees fans traditionally move...
2023-09-291h 09Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedPatreon Exclusive 9/20: The ‘Esports Reckoning’Listen to the full episode by subscribing to the Jacob Wolf & Mikhail Klimentov Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JacobWolfMikhailKlimentovIn our first Patreon exclusive episode, Jacob is joined by former Riot Games and Loaded executive Avi Bhuiyan and attorney Bryce Blum to discuss their new set of essays entitled, "The Esports Reckoning." Long-time veterans of the esports industry, Bryce and Avi discuss their motivations behind publishing the most comprehensive writing of why the industry that many analysts praised as being worth billions is now struggling to become stable. You can follow Bryce on Twitter at...
2023-09-2019 min
Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedFatherhood's Mark on GrandPooBear's Approach to Creating ContentDavid "GrandPooBear" Hunt is one of Twitch's fastest-growing stars, but he is, by no means, new to the art of content creation. After a snowboarding accident left him severely injured in early 2013, GrandPooBear found a new way to compete: Speedrunning — the art of competing for the fastest completion time in a certain game. In his time as a speedrunner, Poo's broken multiple world records at some of speedrunning's biggest events.In this episode, Poo and Jacob talk about how Poo found his competitive drive (09:05) and what it means to represent Red Bull, one of the most iconic br...
2023-09-0153 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy Two Riot Games Alums are Straying Away from Competitive GamesAfter a combined span of 13 years at Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, Andrea Sepenzis and Michael Chu have embarked on a new venture: Codename Islands. Taking inspiration from games like Minecraft, Roblox, and other cooperative multiplayer titles, the duo is deliberately veering from their origins of crafting competitive, player-versus-player experiences in their latest project.Andrea and Michael delve into the apprehensions linked with leading a game startup following their tenure at the prosperous Riot Games (10:26). They also explore the reasons behind League of Legends' unfavorable reputation among gamers, attributed to its toxic and fiercely...
2023-08-251h 03Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedA ‘Fallout’ and ‘Skyrim’ Dev’s Journey of Entrepreneurship and Mental Health'Visionaries' is back and Prem and Jacob are joined by Jeff Gardiner, an award-winning game developer who worked on some of gaming's highest-grossing titles, including Fallout 3, Fallout 4, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 76. Jeff is now on a new journey: Building a game studio and learning how to transition from full-time game development to the C suite. Jeff is the founder and CEO of Something Wicked Games, whose employees include veterans from Bethesda Game Studios, Obsidian Entertainment, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft. The studio is creating a new role-playing game Wyrdsong. In this episode, Jeff talks about the...
2023-08-181h 25Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWe're Moving to Patreon!We have some exciting news! We're moving to Patreon. Starting Monday, August 14, you can find new content from Jacob Wolf and Mikhail Klimentov, the former editor of The Washington Post's Launcher video game vertical, on our new Patreon. Subscribe today to get exclusive content from The Jacob Wolf Report, ReaderGrev and the 'Visionaires' podcast.Subscribe: patreon.com/JacobWolfMikhailKlimentov
2023-08-1445 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedTaylor Lorenz on the Difficulty of Online HarassmentIf you've spent any time on the Internet, chances are, you know who Taylor Lorenz is. The blogger turned New York Times and later Washington Post reporter is arguably the most relevant journalist on the Internet — sometimes for better or worst. A fascination of the American MAGA conservative movement, Lorenz's reporting and her bombastic personality's drawn the ire of the world's richest man and Twitter owner Elon Musk, as well as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. And when those fires start, Lorenz can sometimes fan the flames on social media, putting her at odds with her more cautious past...
2023-08-041h 06Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Game Publishers are Addressing ExtremismAs the social Internet begins to fracture, gaming faces a pressing new challenge: the emergence of extremist havens within some of its communities. From Discord to Roblox, even the most beloved games and apps must now forge innovative systems to confront this growing risk. Join Jacob in an insightful conversation with Stanley Pierre-Louis, the head of the Entertainment Software Association, which oversees prominent events like the E3 Expo and the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Together, they delve into this critical topic and explore the measures being taken to address it.
2023-07-2859 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedMotion City Soundtrack, Mental Health, and Rock'n'RollThe founding members of pop punk band Motion City Soundtrack, Justin Courtney Pierre and Joshua Cain, open up about their careers and how addiction, grief, and mental health shaped their journeys both in music and life. Reflecting on the power of music as a tool for healing and self-discovery, the band’s members share an insightful look at how their personal struggles reached their fans through music. “People started sending me messages about like, 'oh, hey, I have OCD and anxiety too.' It took me like another 10 years, but then I realized like, oh. I actually have...
2023-07-211h 54Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWar Games and the Harsh Realities of WarfareWar games have revolutionized the gaming industry, captivating millions with their immersive experiences. But have you ever wondered about the real-life consequences and their portrayal of warfare? John Phipps, a U.S. Marine Corps and Iraq War veteran and host of the Super Deluxe GamesCast, joins Jacob on the pod to discuss Six Days in Fallujah, a new war title controversially attempting to replicate the real-life battle in Iraq. In the show, John and Jacob delve into the fascinating evolution of war games and their divergence from unrealistic cartoon depictions to the harsh realities of actual conflicts. Discover how...
2023-07-141h 01Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedUnraveling the Threads: Reddit's Descent into ChaosIn a hunt for profitability, Reddit's begun limiting access to its API behind a paywall, functionally killing extremely popular third-party apps like Apollo and Infinity. The policy change's started an entire revolt, with volunteer moderators on the site taking some of their subreddits private, ensnaring the website in a battle between its administrators and its community. So how did this all begin? And how is it demonstrative of a larger issue with the Internet and access to free information?Journalist Alex Pareene, the former editor-in-chief at Gawker and a writer at Salon, joined Jacob to discuss how...
2023-06-231h 04Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy Starfield’s Success is a Do-or-Die Scenario for XboxFresh from Summer Games Fest, Jacob and Prem handpick their top three thrilling game announcements and delve into the whirlwind of Xbox's extravagant marketing campaign for Starfield, which is fueling astronomical expectations. Will Xbox finally deliver a groundbreaking title following its acquisition of Bethesda Softworks, the creators of blockbusters Skyrim and Fallout? Join Jacob and Prem as they also tackle the recent controversy surrounding bigotry sparked by comments made by Twitch streamer Nick "Nickmercs" Kolcheff and explore gaming's expanding influence on the cultural and political zeitgeist.
2023-06-171h 03Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Twitch is Losing its WayOn Tuesday, Amazon-owned livestreaming platform Twitch announced controversial new advertising changes, severely prohibiting streamers from the ways they can promote sponsors. The change would affect nearly all of Twitch's top earners. The platform walked it back on Wednesday after much backlash, but there's still some concern the same rules will be enforced. Twitch is also now restricting all broadcasters regardless of partnership status from multistreaming on other longform video platforms like Facebook and YouTube.This week OTK chief strategy officer and former Twitch staffer Zachary Diaz and Novo co-founder and content creator Devin Nash join the show...
2023-06-091h 54Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Impending Existential Crisis of North American EsportsThe League of Legends North American esports scene braces for what could be a full-scale crisis. The financial problems in the scene kicked off a chain reaction that is leading the sector towards a downward spiral. Is there a way to avoid it? The New York Times' reporter Kellen Browning joins Jacob Wolf on ‘Visionaries’ to discuss the current challenges the esports scene in North America is facing.“If esports wants to be a mature, mainstream industry, it's going to face the same kind of scrutiny as any television or film industries or any sort of entertainment indust...
2023-05-261h 04Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedInside the Writer’s Strike Shaking Up HollywoodFor the past few weeks, one of Hollywood's biggest unions, the Writers Guild of America, has been on strike, disrupting the TV and film industries in mass. Late night programs on CBS, ABC, NBC and HBO all halted production and other shows, like "Abbott Elementary" and "Stranger Things," have also been affected. Comedian, actor, former YouTuber and Hollywood writer Akilah Hughes joins Jacob and Prem to discuss the strikes and give a read on the temperature in the entertainment industry.
2023-05-2055 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe 'Tears of the Kingdom' Kotaku Controversy & Jacob's Contentious Substack ArticleKotaku is in hot water with gamers after first discussing why the publication didn't receive a review code for 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' and then reporting on leaks of that game ahead of its Friday release. Host Jacob Wolf and producer Prem Thottumkara discuss why the narrative against the publication is wrong. They also dive into Jacob's recent Substack article outlining why he's distancing himself from the esports industry as it starts to fail.
2023-05-1259 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedBest Of: Anthony FantanoKnown as the "Internet's busiest music nerd", Anthony Fantano, aka The Needle Drop, is the web's most popular music critic. His takes on Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and Kanye West have garnered him hundreds of millions of views, and in 2020, The New York Times called him, "The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You’re Under 25)." Recently, he got into a feud with Drake after giving Drizzy's latest album a bad rating. He joins Jacob to discuss how his work is affecting the music culture and how he's remained relevant for more than 13 years."I'm in a ve...
2023-05-0553 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy the U.K. is Blocking Gaming's Biggest Deal EverOn April 26, the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority announced its intent to block the $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, the largest merger and acquisition deal ever in gaming. The regulating body argues that with franchises like Call of Duty in tow, Microsoft will take over the small-but-growing cloud gaming market. The deal's not dead, but how will the challenge in the U.K. affect its ability to close by July? Will Microsoft and Activision Blizzard push forward and dare regulators to sue them? Axios' reporter Stephen Totilo joins Jacob to discuss the monumental deal and the hurdles...
2023-04-291h 03Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedLet’s-a Go: An Inside Look at the Making of 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'The new 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' became the highest-grossing animated film of all time at the box office in less than a month from its release. Ed Skudder, the head of story at Illumination Entertainment, helped transform the script into the storyboards as the film prepared to be brought to the big screen. He joins Jacob to share the world behind the production of Illumination’s latest hit.
"I think Mario is maybe the best looking animated film I've ever seen in my life. And I know I worked on it, but I didn't animate it. But my God, it's li...
2023-04-2158 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy Counter-Strike 2 May Bring the FPS Franchise to New Heights feat. fl0mThe announcement of Counter-Strike 2 surprised its most popular streamer Erik “fl0m” Flom as much as the rest of the 20-year-old franchise’s player base. After more than two decades of successful game titles, Seattle-based Valve Software is making major changes to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, despite its popularity being close to an all-time peak. Can it take the already-popular game and push it to new heights? Fl0m joins Visionaries to discuss.
“Counter-Strike has just always grown and as long as they make the gameplay feel close to the same, and they really iron out what people are complaining about right no...
2023-03-311h 04Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedGoing from Public Health Expert to Twitch’s Rising Star of the Year feat. Frogan26-year-old Twitch streamer Frogan recently won Rising Star at the 2023 Streamer Awards. But what sets her apart from other streamers is her unique background in public health.
Frogan gained popularity in 2021 after a clip of her went viral on the subreddit LivestreamFail. Since then she quit her job as a public health expert and now uses her platform to educate her viewers on public health issues.
You can follow Frogan here
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2023-03-2454 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet Explained‘The Last of Us’ Star Troy Baker on Why Video Games are Revolutionizing StorytellingTroy Baker is the voice behind some of the most iconic characters is more than a dozen video games. From Joker to Batman to starring as ‘The Last of Us’ main character Joel Miller, Baker’s life’s work has featured one through line: immersive storytelling.
Hot off appearing as James in HBO’s adaptation of ‘The Last of Us’, he joins ‘Visionaries’ to discuss how video games are revolutionizing the way stories are told and break down some of his most renowned characters.
“Regardless of what function you’re going to perform, whether you’re an actor, a director, a writer, a cinematograp...
2023-03-171h 18Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Danger of Saudi Arabia's Monopolization of EsportsAs traditional investors turn their eyes away from esports, Saudi Arabia is continuing its aggressive acquisition of esports companies. In January 2022, Savvy Gaming Group, a subsidiary of the state-backed Public Investment Fund, acquired independent tournament organizers ESL and FACEIT for $1.5 billion, merging the two competitors into one and forming a super group. Now, just over a year later, that company's purchased Vindex, who are the owners of one of their competitors, Esports Engine. With that acquisition, the Saudi government holds a near monopoly on esports that aren't run by the game developers and publishers. This week on the pod, veteran...
2023-03-111h 54Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow This Opera Singer is Becoming One of Twitch's Next Big StreamersJonas "AverageJonas" Navarsete is one of the fastest-growing streamers on Twitch, but before his newfound life as a content creator, he performed live on cruise ships as an opera singer. Now beloved by the 'VALORANT' community, he joins the show to discuss his rise, if 'VALORANT' will stand the test of time and how co-streaming is impacting esports and whether that is a net negative or positive.
You can follow Jonas here.
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2023-02-2557 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy Aphromoo is Retiring from 'League of Legends' After More than a DecadeZaqueri 'Aphromoo' Black is one of the longest tenured players in League of Legends professional play, with his career spanning almost 13 years and two championship runs. He is also the League Championship Series' only Black player in its decade-long history. But in mid-January, he announced his retirement, hanging up the mouse and keyboard and assessing what's next in his career. He joins Prem, who guest hosted this episode, to discuss his legacy and the impact he left on the world's most-watched esports game.
"When your favorite player stops playing, or whatever might happens, moves teams, either you follow or you...
2023-02-1048 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Creator Ovilee May is Changing 'League of Legends' Through ContentOvilee May started her career young, creating content about professional 'League of Legends' in her late teens. She's had a meteoric rise, becoming a host at Comcast's G4 network and at Riot Games' official League of Legends Championship Series. Her content, known for its humor and intentional cringe, is a standard bearer in an esports industry that's struggling to retain viewership. In January, she returned from freelance work to go full time with FlyQuest, one of the LCS' teams and get back to where her career started, while still pushing it forward in a new and meaningful way.
You can...
2023-02-0858 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedIs 'The Last of Us' Finally Breaking the Video Game Adaptation Curse?'The Last of Us' recorded HBO's second-most watched premiere of the past 13 years, behind only 'Game of Thrones' spin-off 'House of the Dragon.' An adaptation of the 2013 video game of the same title, the $100 million post-apocalyptic zombie drama may just be breaking the video game curse of bad translation from small screen to big screen. What's so different about it? And why are video games the hottest new thing in Hollywood? Emmy award-winning podcast host Jason Concepcion joins the show to share his thoughts.
"The technology got to the point where you can make this stuff look good on...
2023-01-2849 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy Microsoft, Google and Others are Laying off Tens of Thousands of PeopleSo far in 2023, the likes of Google, Microsoft and others have laid off tens of thousands of employees, with some in the gaming industry. Each day there's new news of layoffs and on this episode of 'Visionaries', Washington Post reporter Shannon Liao joins Jacob to discuss the layoffs and what they mean for the tech, entertainment and gaming industries at large.
"A lot of this is due to the pending recession that hasn't happened yet that people are worried about and they're thinking the market is going to contract. To correct for that, as the prices of milk and everything...
2023-01-2057 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Riot Games Built a Genre-Defining Game In Less Than Six MonthsIf you're into games, chances are you've played—or at least heard of—League of Legends and its developer Riot Games. Despite League's success, though, Riot famously didn't publish any other titles for the first 10 years of its company's existence. That is, until it got inspired by a group who created a mod for one of its competitors, Dota. In less than six months, a small scrappy team at the California developer built Teamfight Tactics, a spinoff digital board game that mixes chess with slot machines and inspiration from card games. Now it's one of the studio's most successful titles. It's...
2023-01-191h 05Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedEmbattled Panda CEO Alan Bunney Faults Nintendo for 'Super Smash Bros.' CancellationsIn November, the community-organized 'Super Smash Bros.' esports circuit Smash World Tour canceled its finale event just two weeks before its kickoff date, citing legal concerns stemming from conversations with the game's publisher Nintendo. But the organizers behind the event also made another accusation: the CEO of their biggest competitor, Panda's Alan Bunney, had threatened 'Melee' and 'Ultimate' grassroots organizers on behalf of Nintendo, who his organization partnered with in 2022. In an intense set of events, Bunney resigned in fear in December and issued a statement scolding the Smash World Tour organizers and tournament broadcaster Beyond the Summit. Now...
2023-01-101h 27Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedFTX's Sam Bankman-Fried Won't Go to Prison & Other 2023 PredictionsVisionaries is back! 2022 capped off as one of the biggest year's ever for gaming entertainment, but for esports, the year was less than kind. What will happen in 2023? Award-winning investigative journalist Jacob Wolf and producer Prem Thottumkara sit down to dole out their big predictions for 2023. After allegedly stealing millions of dollars in customer funds, will 30-year-old notorious crypto count Sam Bankman-Fried actually see prison time? Will FaZe Clan, amid financial uncertainty, make it until the end of the year without additional financing? All this and more in Visionaries 2023 prediction episode.
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2023-01-0457 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy the General Manager of Esports' Most Valuable Team Left to Start a Consulting FirmParth Naidu is the former general manager of esports organization TSM, which Forbes estimated in May is worth $540 million. After nearly a decade with the team, Parth decided to move on last fall and now, he's launched a consulting firm, Sido, focusing on tackling some of esports' most challenging issues.
You can follow Parth here and Sido here.
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2022-12-2354 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedBest Of: How 'Among Us' Nearly Died Before It Made MillionsMarcus Bromander is the co-founder of Innersloth and the co-creator of 'Among Us', the online multiplayer titles that became one of the most popular video games in 2020. But before its smash success, 'Among Us' nearly died, as it struggled to maintain a player base and Marcus and his team looked to move on. Yet thanks to the pandemic, 'Among Us' became a favorite of gamers isolated away from their friends. Now, 'Among Us' has made more than $100 million in sales and gone from life support to thriving with new development.
"We were basically done with it at the start of 2019...
2022-12-2151 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy 1.5 Million People Watched Chessboxing This Weekend feat. Matt ThomasThis past weekend, YouTube star Ludwig Ahgren hosted the Mogul Chessboxing Championship, an exhibition event featuring chessboxing. What is chessboxing, you might ask? It's exactly as it sounds: chess and boxing. Competitors compete in both, alternating between the board game and the combat sport every round until there's a winner in one or the either. 2018 chessboxing world champion Matt Thomas, who helped organize the Mogul event, joined Jacob to discuss the history of the niche sport and how it's growing beyond its small community.
You can follow Matt here.
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2022-12-171h 06Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Twitch Creator Who Livestreams Almost Exclusively as a 3D Avatar feat. CodeMikoAfter she got laid off in 2020, 32-year-old professional animator Youna had an idea: start a Twitch channel and stream almost exclusively using a 3D avatar. She invested nearly all her savings and went $20,000 into depth to purchase a motion capture suit. The result? CodeMiko, a 3D character full of dry wit and dirty humor. Within a year, she became a hit sensation on Twitch. Now, almost two years into her success, she's trying to make VTubing—the act of livestreaming as a 3D model—more accessible with her company MikoVerse.
"I was like, this is the only chance I got beca...
2022-12-1557 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow This Marvel Game Became Mobile's Hottest New App feat. Ben BrodeThere's something incredibly satisfying about games that let you command the superheroes, and Second Dinner co-founder Ben Brode and his team have perfected the process in 'Marvel SNAP'. He joins the podcast to talk about his time at Blizzard, his departure, and how Second Dinner became the developers of the 2022 Game Awards Mobile Game of the Year Winner, Marvel SNAP!
Follow Ben and Second Dinner here!
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2022-12-091h 03Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy Nintendo is Finally Cracking Down on 'Super Smash Bros.' feat. The Yard's Aiden & SlimeIt's been a long week in 'Super Smash Bros.' and we can only explain with a long episode. The Yard's Anthony "Slime" Bruno and Aiden McCaig, long-time tournament organizers and now staff at Ludwig Ahgren's Mogul Moves, join the podcast to discuss the nuance behind why Nintendo is enforcing its copyright rights on the 21-year-old title.
You can follow Slime and Aiden here.
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2022-12-071h 47Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Internet's Most Popular Music Critic Anthony Fantano on His Drake Feud & Viral SuccessKnown as the "Internet's busiest music nerd", Anthony Fantano, aka The Needle Drop, is the web's most popular music critic. His takes on Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean and Kanye West have garnered him hundreds of millions of views and in 2020, The New York Times called him, "The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You’re Under 25)." Recently, he got in a feud with Drake after giving Drizzy's latest album a bad rating. He joins Jacob to discuss how his work is affecting the music culture and how he's remained relevant for more than 13 years.
"I'm in a very unique position th...
2022-12-0256 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedNo One Gives a Fuck About EsportsIt's been four months since we launched 'Visionaries' and there's been one reoccurring theme: No one gives a fuck about esports. With a recent report from Deloitte that esports engagement decreased by nearly half in 2022 versus 2021 in Europe, Jacob and Prem take some time to review past interviews, answer audience questions and discuss critically why fewer and fewer people are engaging with competitive game.
You can follow Jacob here and Prem here.
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2022-12-011h 10Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Former Investment Banker Building the PG-13 OnlyFans AlternativeRosie "jasminericegirl" Nguyen is a content creator and the co-founder of Fanhouse, a PG-13 creator platform helping influencers better monetize their content. Rosie's Twitter first became famous for openly speaking about her thoughts on sex and her sex life. She founded the company after losing a work-study job while in college at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business amid frustrations with harassment on the likes of OnlyFans and other platforms. Now, Fanhouse is home to more than 1,200 monthly creators.
"I'm a person with very strong convictions. I have a strong moral code that I live by and I...
2022-11-231h 02Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy Esports Startups are FailingAfter just three years, beloved esports social media startup Juked is shutting its doors after failing to find funding and gain product momentum. Why is that esports startups continue to fail? Why aren't there deeply engaged esports fans? And are all the data reports out there about esports being "the next big thing" just absolute bull$!%&? Juked's founder Ben "Fishstix" Goldhaber joins the show to discuss what went wrong and the dismal trend the industry is experiencing, but continues to ignore.
"A lot of the industry doesn't listen to some of the problems that we've discussed in this, whether that...
2022-11-191h 10Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Creator of the Year Nominee QTCinderella is Building An EmpireQTCinderella has become one of the most recognizable women on Twitch in the past few years. Her regular streams have built her a loving community, but her events have built her a fanbase of millions. After being nominated for Content Creator of the Year 2022 by The Game Awards on Dec. 8, she's not sure if she truly deserved the nod. After a year with TSM, she is excited about her potential to find her definition of success with her new sponsor, Misfits.
"I am not successful on my own...And so without that community, I don't think I'm successful. I realize...
2022-11-171h 04Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedAward-Winning Journalist Ahmed Ali Akbar on "Radiolingo" and The Culture of EverythingAhmed Ali Akbar is a James Beard Award-winning food journalist, the former host of Vox Media's "Delivery Wars" and now, the host of Crooked Media and Duolingo's "Radiolingo" podcast, which releases Nov. 15. Prior to becoming a journalist, Ahmed competed in and commentated "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" mod Project M and its successor Project+.
"Everybody can understand through food. It's a basic, fundamental human need that we all share. And you also get exposed to so many different things as a result of food."
You can follow Ahmed here and "Radiolingo" here.
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2022-11-1258 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedShould We Be Concerned About How Gaming is Affecting Players' Well-Being?Gaming may seem just like a passive activity. But as more research around its effects on mental and physical health is studied, how concerned should we be about its bigger picture impacts on players' well-being? Doctors Rachel Kowert, a psychologist who is the research director at Take This, and Cait McGee, a physical therapist who is the co-founder of 1HP, join Jacob to discuss their findings.
"It's not so much about the games themselves, although I think there is a conversation to be had about content. We do know that hate is normalized to a certain extent, gaming communities. When...
2022-11-0955 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Alpharad is Continually Reinventing Himself and His ContentJacob "Alpharad" Rabon IV is a YouTuber, a musician known professionally as Ace of Hearts and an event organizer. Over the past seven years, he's become the most relevant content creator in the Super Smash Bros. community—but as he explains to Jacob, that's not enough. The 27-year-old creator is constantly looking to reinvent himself, push new boundaries with his content and remain steadfast in exploring his creative passions.
"The longer you do YouTube, the harder it gets because the more times you have to flip your style, you have to adapt, and then you have to make these conscious de...
2022-11-041h 08Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedRichard Lewis on How He's Managing His Grief | Part 2In 2019, veteran esports journalist Richard Lewis lost his closest friend and roommate, Remilia, the first ever female professional League of Legends player. In part two of this interview, he discusses how he's gone on a journey over the past three years, fighting with depression and looking for motivation to continue on in his career.
"I'm in the process of getting past the depression and self-loathing and negative thoughts, and I'm getting to a place where maybe there's a possibility at some point I could feel like happy. Joy is like @!#%^*$ miles away."
You can follow Richard here.
Find Part 1 of...
2022-11-031h 20Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedRichard Lewis is Tired of Being a Public Figure | Part 1Richard Lewis is a veteran esports journalist, the former host of ELEAGUE and the editor-at-large at Dexerto.
"I don't need the spotlight, I don't need the attention. My ego comes from the work I do. Like by the time it goes out, I am proud of it. If somebody says he's lied or that's not true or you've put misinformation in it, nah, I'm not gonna tolerate it cause I know I wouldn't do those things."
You can follow Richard here.
Part 2 of this interview will release tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 3. Subscribe to 'Visionaries' to hear more.
Learn more about your...
2022-11-0253 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy One of Silicon Valley's Wealthiest Investment Firms is Betting on Internet CreatorsLester Chen is the former global head of gaming creators at YouTube and a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley's most wealthy investment firms. This week, YouTube's fifth-most subscribed creator MrBeast announced he is raising $150 million on a $1.5 billion valuation, a massive amount of capital for an Internet creator. Lester joins the show to discuss the shift happening in the creator industry and how creators are formalizing their businesses.
"There are ton of creators that are making tens of millions of dollars just through ad [revenue], but very few of them wanna expand their businesses to actually build...
2022-10-291h 06Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedConnorEatsPants and Jacob Discuss Becoming a Public Figure at Such A Young AgeThis week, we're changing things up. Overcome's Prem Thottumkara joins Jacob at the top of the show to discuss the recent closure of gaming network G4, as well as the recent accusations levied by Twitch's most watched female streamer Amouranth against her husband of emotional abuse. Then, Jacob's joined by ConnorEatsPants, the successful variety YouTube and Twitch creator. The two discuss recent changes at Twitch, how Connor works through his diagnosed OCD to create compelling content and the trends of where gaming and content are headed.
"Our brains literally just aren't built for streaming or public figure facing in general...
2022-10-191h 15Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedBroken Backs and Parasocial Mobs: How TwitchCon 2022 Became a DisasterTwitch hosted its first TwitchCon in America in three years last weekend. The results? A streamer breaking her back, mobs flooding some of the biggest creators and an unruly experience for streamers, security and administrators alike. Washington Post reporter Nathan Grayson, who covers livestreaming and the creator economy, joins the podcast to discuss what went wrong at the event and how it's changed since it last took place in 2019.
"Previous TwitchCons have felt, despite their size, kind of small and chill. But this year, very large crowds could be hard to move sometimes. Lots of people getting stuck in hallways...
2022-10-1559 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedT1's CEO Joe Marsh on Running Esports' Most Dominant DynastyJoe Marsh is the CEO of T1 Entertainment and Sports, the group behind South Korea's most successful esports team. Prior to running T1, Joe worked at Comcast Spectacor, the owners of the Philadelphia Flyers, and became a part of its initial esports group, who now own the Overwatch League's Philadelphia Fusion, have relaunched gaming TV network G4 and are co-owners of T1, alongside South Korea's SK Telecom.
"The issue is the people that had bloated valuations a couple years ago and now they have no revenue to show for it. They can't raise new capital because everyone's taking a down...
2022-10-1355 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedCan Overwatch 2 Reinvigorate the Franchise? feat. SeagullBrandon "Seagull" Larned is a former Overwatch professional player and a content creator on YouTube. This week, Blizzard released Overwatch 2, the sequel to one of 2016's Games of the Year. But so far, the reception's been mixed—with many, including Seagull, saying the sequel isn't actually a sequel at all. From minor iterations on gameplay to just three new characters, one new game mode, and a few maps, Overwatch 2 isn't "redefining a sequel" as it was once pitched. Or at least not yet.
"Going back historically over the past couple years, it's been a pretty steep and steady decline in in...
2022-10-0653 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhat's Next for Twitch and YouTube's Biggest Creators? feat. StanzNathan Stanz is a livestreamer on Twitch and the co-founder of Offbrand, a new creative agency he started with creators Ludwig Ahgren and Atrioc and long-time gaming executive Nick Allen. The company's first show is "Juiced", a game show hosted by xQc, the most watched individual streamer on Twitch.
"It is easy for us and we also bear the burden of the cost. We believe in our ability to go out there and secure sponsors. To go against this using things like the ability to fall back on Ludwig to help out with his brand-friendly face. So I'm confident in...
2022-10-0457 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedWhy Twitch is Slashing Creator Pay and Becoming Closer to AmazonCecilia D'Anastasio is a reporter covering video games at Bloomberg and Zachary Diaz is the former director of emerging content at Twitch. Over the past 10 days, Twitch has been under fire. The Amazon-owned livestreaming platform banned unregulated gambling content, but then said it will reduce creator pay. It is reportedly struggling to curb child predation.
"It's absolutely true that the investments or the lack of prioritization from the start really put Twitch into the position where it is today. If Twitch had taken its understanding of monetization at the time and where it needed to be profitability wise from the...
2022-09-281h 30Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow NBA 2K is Teaching New Players About Old Legends with Ronnie2KRonnie "Ronnie2K" Singh is the digital marketing director and face of the NBA 2K franchise. Over the past decade, he's become the scapegoat for some of the most high-profile NBA players—the likes of Kevin Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns and others—frustrated with their in-game ranking not matching their self-assessed, real-life skill. But he's also seen something more deep in the culture, as a new generation of basketball fans become educated through the franchise.
"2K is now an educational device on these guys' brands and we help them build collectively into bigger properties, and that's why Kevin Durant is involved in t...
2022-09-2241 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Agency Turning Gaming Creators Into MillionairesBrandon Freytag is the co-founder of and chief of creator monetization at Loaded, a management agency that represents high-profile content creators such as DrLupo, Shroud, CouRage, QTCinderella, Doublelift, and more. He previously represented Ninja. As companies like Microsoft's now-defunct livestreaming platform Mixer, YouTube and Facebook have vied to take market share from Twitch, Loaded's been on the precipice of multi-million dollar creators deals.
"Competition's good cause it breeds innovation. Not only does Twitch have to make changes to their platform cause they see what YouTube is doing, then YouTube does the same thing. Ultimately we're getting to an end point...
2022-09-2049 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedCompassionately Making Team Liquid into a Half Billion Dollar Esports Organization feat. Steve ArhancetIn May, Forbes named Team Liquid the third most valuable organization in all of esports at a whopping $440 million valuation. With new investment, its co-CEO Steve "Liquid112" Arhancet built the most expensive roster in Western "League of Legends" history. But it didn't work out—and now the team is figuring out what's next.
"It’s human nature to crumble. It’s okay. It didn’t work out. I put that together. I decided to put that roster together. ... And unfortunately, it didn’t work out and there’s no one to blame."
You can follow Steve and Team Liquid here.
Go to https...
2022-09-1650 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Developers Behind the Next Big Battle RoyaleAdam Boyes is the co-CEO of Iron Galaxy Studios and a former PlayStation executive. In August, his studio launched 'Rumbleverse', a professional wrestling-inspired battle royale game published by 'Fortnite' creator Epic Games. So far, it's seen millions of engagements and is inspiring a new level of creativity in the crowded video game genre.
"Chelsea, my co-CEO, said, 'we should do wrasslin.' And that word, how she said it, so perfectly encapsulated it. What if you could do an elbow drop off a 40-story building? Then that night, we just sort of jammed for five hours. What would that be...
2022-09-1356 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedSonicFox Doesn’t Care Who They OffendDominique 'SonicFox' McLean is a multi-time Evolution Championship Series winner, a content creator, and the best fighting game player in the world. Over the past decade, they've won dozens of titles in games like Mortal Kombat, Skullgirls, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Injustice. Now, they're using their success to be a role model for other queer and Black influencers everywhere.
"The way I try to present any content creation I do is ultimately being myself. That's what I want to express to other people—to be your authentic self. I want people to learn that whenever they're doing what they're doing th...
2022-09-0851 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedBest Of: Brandon 'Atrioc' EwingSince Labor Day occurred Monday, our usual recording day, we're highlighting a previous episode, our interview with Brandon 'Atrioc' Ewing, that's relevant to our recent discussion with Ludwig Ahgren. We'll be back with new episodes starting Thursday, September 8.
"In this world, especially in the past few years, loneliness is at an all-time high. I think of Twitch as the hamburger of human connection. Twitch is the fast food of human connection. It's not that big of a deal. You shouldn't shame someone for having fast food now and then. The only problem is if it's the only thing you ever...
2022-09-061h 04Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Ludwig Ahgren is Planning for His Future After Content CreationLudwig Ahgren is a content creator, the founder and CEO of Mogul Moves and the host of "The Yard".
"I know I'm going to fall off. Every m'fer on the website is going to fall off at some point. I'm ready for that. If you're not thinking about how this could be the last day that you will have the followers and viewers you have, you're too cocky. You're too comfortable in your own britches."
You can follow Ludwig here.
Go to https://betterhelp.com/visionaries for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a...
2022-09-0241 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedFlipping the Script on Gaming’s Most Powerful Journalist with Jason SchreierJason Schreier is a reporter covering video games at Bloomberg, host of the Triple Click Podcast, and the author of New York Times Best Seller "Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry" and "Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made."
Jason's work spans labor issues in the video game industry to mergers and acquisitions among the biggest companies in the world such as Microsoft, Sony, Amazon, Activision Blizzard and others. He previously wrote for Kotaku and WIRED and is one of the gaming's most seasoned journalists.
You can follow Jason...
2022-09-0159 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Hutch Became YouTube’s First Gaming SuperstarSean "Hutch" Hutchinson once held the title as the most popular gamer on all of YouTube. A Call of Duty commentator, Machinima recruited him to co-host skit shows with Scott 'Mr Sark' Matthew Robison and Adam 'SeaNanners' Montoya for their channel in early 2009 and it wasn't long before millions of people viewed his work in any given month. Then, in April 2012, he walked away, leaving behind the fame and glory to focus on himself and find a new balance between content creation and life.
"There were a lot of reasons why I was not happy at the time. My mental...
2022-08-251h 02Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Million-Viewer Esports Event You've Never Heard Of with Max 'Maximum' SmithMax 'Maximum' Smith is a co-owner of Team Liquid and the guild master of Liquid Guild. Twice a year, he and others organize the Race to World First, a World of Warcraft esports event that garners millions of viewers on Twitch.
"I don't think Blizzard has the best track record of esports in general. If Blizzard is going to come in, put their own rules to it and try to maneuver around how it works, it could end up being a worse product than it is as it stands."
You can follow Max and Liquid Guild here.
Go to https...
2022-08-231h 06Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedAre Esports Viewers on Twitch Actually Watching? with Devin Nash and Harris Peskin (Part 2)Former Counter Logic Gaming CEO Devin Nash and ESG Law partner Harris Peskin continue their conversation with Jacob to discuss how esports teams sell on shaky viewership data to advertisers and the lack of accountability around measuring those viewers on Twitch.
"If we don't know what a real viewer is, we can't price it. CPM is basically cost per 1000 viewers. If it turns out 500 of those impressions aren't really watching, we have a real problem. We're cutting the price in half."
Listen to Part 1 of this episode: https://link.chtbl.com/Visionaries
You can follow Devin, Harris and ESG on...
2022-08-221h 07Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedCan Esports Survive a Recession? with Devin Nash and Harris Peskin (Part 1)Harris Peskin, partner at Esports Law Group and Devin Nash, founding partner of Novo and former CEO of Counter Logic Gaming, talk about the economics and longevity of esports and why we might be at the start of a period of stagnation as an industry.
"You need those people to be engaged in video games in a competitive sense and it's just not there right now. It might be, it could be in the future and I think it will be in the future, to be clear. The main problem I have right now is the engagement and the engagement...
2022-08-191h 04Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedThe Music Label That Flipped Gaming Content On Its Head feat. Monstercat's Mike DarlingtonMike Darlington co-founded Monstercat during his time in college. A few years later, the record label held a spot as one of the most popular music channels on all of YouTube. It quickly became a staple of gaming culture, being used in videos across all of content, on Twitch and YouTube, at esports tournaments, and more. Mike joins Jacob to talk about the label's growth and its connection to the gaming industry.
"From a content creator standpoint, it really made its way through the ecosystem, because of the fact that the licensing frameworks are much simpler in dance music than...
2022-08-161h 00Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedBecoming a Successful Content Creator with StoneMountain64 and Stephen EllisThe co-founders of Pipeline, David "StoneMountain64" Steinberg and Stephen "Snoopeh" Ellis, join Jacob to discuss about how to build a successful career in content creation. The three discuss finding an audience on platforms other than Twitch, like Facebook, where Stone's found much of his success over the past few years. They also discuss entrepreneurship and the difficulty of the current economy for founders.
“For me, I’ve been so ******* lucky to do what I’ve done over the last decade and I feel extremely humbled by that. The opportunity to go help a thousand, 10,000, 100,000 people to do the same thing that’s...
2022-08-091h 15Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow James Bardolph Got Started in Esports and His Hopes for Its GrowthFew people have been in esports since close to the beginning. James Bardolph, a professional 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive' and 'Apex Legends' commentator, is one of them. He joins Visionaries to discuss the financial woes of the competitive game industry and not when, but if, it will recover in a post-COVID world.
"We're in a transitional period, that much is clear. We still have serious problems out there. It's hurt, but maybe next year we can measure the damage COVID's done. That's not just true for esports, but for everything."
Show Notes:
@jamesbardolph
1:24: How James got his start in esports.
10:14: When...
2022-08-051h 01Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedTurning Conservation into Conversation with Twitch's Maya HigaMaya Higa is a content creator, founder of the Alveus Sanctuary, and co-host of the "Wine About It" podcast.
"At the start of my journey into this industry, I was cool with everybody. It took me years to realize that every relationship I have if it's within the industry I'm in, it has layers. Does that mean that they're bad people? Does that mean that they don't like me and they don't care about me? No, not necessarily. But is there a layer that they want to be my friend because I'm successful on Twitch? Yes and vice versa."
Show...
2022-08-021h 02Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedHow Gaming Content is Evolving with Creator Brandon 'Atrioc' EwingBrandon 'Atrioc' Ewing is a content creator on YouTube and Twitch and member of the global marketing team at Nvidia.
"In this world, especially in the past few years, loneliness is at an all-time high. I think of Twitch as the hamburger of human connection. Twitch is the fast food of human connection. It's not that big of a deal. You shouldn't shame someone for having fast food now and then. The only problem is if it's the only thing you ever eat. It's never going to be filling, it's never going to give you the nourishment that you really...
2022-07-281h 04Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedCreating an Indie Game Success with 'Among Us' Co-Creator Marcus BromanderMarcus Bromander is the co-founder of Innersloth and a co-creator of the wildly-successful multiplayer game 'Among Us'.
"We were basically done with it at the start of 2019. We had put out our third map. We had done enough bug fixes that the game functioned. We were like, 'alright, that's it.' Forest and Amy started prototyping other game ideas that got decently far along, but when 'Among Us' took off again, we were like what do we do? We should ride the wave."
Show Notes:
@PuffballsUnited
2:13: What Innersloth is working on now.
3:15: How 'Among Us' found success organically on Twitch...
2022-07-2643 minVisionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet ExplainedComing July 26: Visionaries with Jacob WolfGaming has a problem. No one asks the hard questions. "Visionaries" is a new twice-weekly interview show hosted by former ESPN, award-winning investigative journalist Jacob Wolf. Wolf will welcome on the most powerful in gaming, from executives atop multi-billion dollar companies, influencers with millions of followers, and athletes and musicians who are integrating gaming further into consumer culture. No question is off the table. Live every Monday and Wednesday on Twitter at @overcome, with audio-on-demand available the next day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Starting July 25.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...
2022-07-1802 min
Mind GamesRobots, 2019, and HAUNT - MG Winter with Bonesaw577Mind Games is back with a 1-on-1 discussion with Bonesaw577.
Though probably best known for his Jak and Daxter run at SGDQ2016, Bonesaw577 is an avid speedrunner of many games, most notably the Siren series. This Christmas, he released a trailer for a game he has been working on for the past several years called HAUNT. We discuss the process of making a game as well as his plans for 2019.
You can follow Bonesaw on Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube - @Bonesaw577
HAUNT Game Intro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjeZ...
2019-01-0552 minMind GamesMind Games Update - End of 2018 and the Start of 2019A brief update on Mind Games and what's happening in 2019 as well as why the end of 2018 was met with radio silence.
Keep your eyes peeled for great content in 2019!
2018-12-2310 minMind GamesJustin Wharton and SPIFSpace - Mind GamesWe were joined by Justin Wharton and SPIF to talk about developing their own brand, and developing their niche in the community.
Having these two on was an absolute treat and if you're interested in rocking any of their swag...
https://spif.space/
http://justwhartonart.com/
If you like our content and want to support the show, follow us on your favorite podcast platform, share us with your friends, and if you're feelin' extra generous, subscribe on Anchor!
Our theme music is an unreleased track from Approaching Aphelion, and our editing is done by Fuel The Masses Media.
2018-10-221h 51Mind GamesMind Games SEASON 2 PREMIEREThe boys are back at it and we got some new tricks up our sleeves.
For the first episode of Season 2, we are joined by Flourish Esports founder and ARMS commentator, personality, and general superstar, Schkrimps!
We had Schkrimps on during the summer mini-season. He recently reached out and offered to sponsor Mind Games as well as sign Estarion as a member of the Flourish Staff for audio content creation.
In this episode, we talk about the Flourish Esports platform, MG Season 2, Estarion's new projects, and go on a lot of tangents with Schkrimps. The rest of season 2 is going...
2018-09-301h 42Mind GamesMind Games Summer #5 - AndroidThis episode was recorded a few weeks ago. I was going to transcribe and do a written piece but people would likely rather hear it for themselves! This was recorded before I was using bots in Discord and the format is different from what you might be used to, but the interview is still fun and we hit some great points.
We discuss the FIFA World Cup Final as well as some of the other matches in the tournament, then talk about our brothers and finding a niche for ourselves, and end talking about Melee, Android's new found focus on...
2018-08-231h 08Mind GamesMind Games Summer #4 - D1 and VikkiKittyDisciple returns to cohost with me and we have D1 and VikkiKitty on to talk about SmashCon, gaming demographics, Ultimate and more!
Mini break next week so I can take care of some stuff, but we'll be back at the end of August!
2018-08-161h 49Mind GamesMind Games Summer #3 - Chuck "mudkyp" VigusThis week, I was joined by Mudkyp from Stop Your Friendlies. If you've been Genesis, TBH, or SNS, you've probably heard his voice at least a few times over the loudspeaker!
We talk about the Ultimate Direct on Aug 8, the ruleset options for Ultimate, EVO 2018, and the Melee scene and community as a whole - what we can do and how can we improve.
It was a super fun episode and Chuck is an absolute treat to have on! You can expect to hear more from him in future episodes because he is a treasure trove of insight and unique...
2018-08-091h 17Mind GamesMind Games Summer #2 - Defur and SchkrimpsThis week I'm joined by ARMS commentators Defur and Schkrimps to talk about the game, the community, and the competitive scene. That community is incredibly welcoming and the game is really complex and nuanced and I've been lucky to befriend a lot of ARMS players. We don't discuss as much mental health this episode and focus on building a welcoming and positive community.
If you like this kind of content, subscribe and leave a comment on how I can improve the show!
Follow @Schkrimps and @Defur_ on Twitter for a ton of great ARMS content!
S/O to insaneintherainmusic for...
2018-08-051h 08Mind GamesMind Games+ Ep 1 with Byron WalkerThis is the first episode of the more informal and on-the-fly Mind Games+ Podcast. I had on my closest friend and someone with whom I have countless amazing conversations about mental health, gaming, food, and everything in between. The episode is a bit long, and we definitely go on some tangents, but its all fun and we have some substantial conversation about mental health in gaming throughout.
S/O to insaneintherainmusic for allowing me to use his music for the show! Check out his channel @ www.youtube.com/insaneintherainmusic
2018-07-261h 18Mind GamesMind Games Summer with Pooch and SwannerThe first episode of a new format for Mind Games. I brought in Pooch and Swanner, PM TOs and community leaders, for a discussion of PM, working in gaming, mental health, and more!
S/O to insaneintherainmusic for allowing me to use his music for the show! Check out his channel @ www.youtube.com/insaneintherainmusic
2018-07-251h 33