x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind

Cute Monster Props + JMV

A panel style discussion between artists and the art they love. Each week hosts Kyle and Jorge tackle an essay-style topic to help them ascend to the status of Brain Lord and discover the answer to the ultimate question: ARE VIDEO GAMES ART?! (yeah.)

leisure video games

All Episodes

45:27

We Summon The Brain Lord

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2026/04/01

We had just finished recording our Brain Lord playthrough, when an unexpected guest arrived...This week on Brain Lords we seek an audience with non other than The BRAIN LORD. Y'know, He Who Sits On The Brain Throne. The ancient, interstellar extradimensional being that gives us all our cool takes on video games, and life advice. The Father and final form of our Podcast. Not the game, the guy. That Brain Lord. Find out where we get all our wisdom, knowledge, and more importantly, episode ideas on

en

143:14

Furry Games are "Fur" Everyone ft. Oceanity

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2026/03/18

There sure are a bunch of furry mascot characters in video games. Returning guest Oceanity helps us cover everything from platformer icons like Sonic and Sly Cooper, to modern day indies gems like Atlyss and Pseudoregalia. Are these characters just syndical cash grabs or do they appeal more to classic folklore than we often give them credit fur... err, for, excuse me. Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Izzy - Oceanity

en

152:00

What is the Gamer Aesthetic? ft. Jiikae

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2026/03/04

This week on Brainlords we attempt to solve the origins of the khaki cargo shorts/green Zelda tee combo. Special guest Jiikae helps us dive into the clash between personal aesthetic and what marketers tell us our vibe should be. Would my life actually be better if I got the Kim Kitsuragi replica jacket? Terrible example, yes actually, it would.Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Jiikae THINGS DISCUSSED Melty Blood, Virtua

en

164:19

The Best N64 Games: HARD MODE -ft Paper DawN

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2026/02/18

As the N64 nearly turns 30, it’s fully moved on from a nostalgic console to a secondhand nostalgia console. What better way to celebrate it than a list of its top games with special guest Paper Dawn! But aren’t you tired of seeing the same handful of Nintendo and Rareware titles? We’ve selected our best games with some extra challenging restrictions.Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Dawn - PaperDawN THINGS

en

127:40

Brain Lords Year One - We played Brain Lord (1993)!

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2026/02/04

Happy one year anniversary Brainlords! On this very special episode, we actually PLAYED Brainlords. What does a scrappy little Zelda-like by Enix say in 2026 and what have we learned from the past year of podcasting? We discuss our favorite episodes and our biggest mistakes as we reflect on the state of video games criticism in 2026. Thanks for sticking with us or even just being a part of our first year!Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster

en

159:56

What Even Is an Indie Game Anyways?

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2026/01/21

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Depending on who or when you ask, indie seems to be a genre, a scene, a vibe and a controversy generator for the game awards. Why can't we seem to find any common ground on a term that seemingly just means independently produced? In today's episode, we discuss the different qualifiers (and disqualifiers) for anything from one person twine games to teams of 33-400 people with a roughly

en

152:34

When More Game Made a Worse Game

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2026/01/07

This week on Brain Lords, sequels, remakes, and spiritual successors sure love to add more, but then why do we keep playing the original? We discuss the all too common additions that make their ways into flashy new games and when features like crafting, open worlds, and skill trees took an already perfect game and made it a little worse. Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV THINGS DISCUSSED Homestar Runner, Stinkoman 20X6,

en

229:50

The Backlog Games of the Year ft. Esper Quinn

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/12/24

Here it is, our 2025 games of the year…..oh crap we forgot to play any video games! This year join Kyle, Jorge, and special guest Esper Quinn (wahoo!) as your esteemed judges presenting their picks for Backlog games of the year. With so many good games, why did these must-plays just barely miss the mark for us? Enjoy such awards as “Best Game That Got Overhyped for Me and Now I’m Pushing Back on Principal”. In this extra long extravaganza we also share our actual games of the year and even a

en

163:53

It All Started with a Fan Translation ft. Bowl of...

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/12/10

This week on Brainlords we talk about our fascination with emulations from another nation. That's right, fan translations! Special guest Bowl of Lentils walks us through their work on the Sakura Wars 1&2 translation while we round robin our favorite games we could have never played without the fans doing it themselves. We talk the good the bad and the ugly, everything from selfless collaborations to petty disputes for clout in this Super Duper High School Level Episode.Questions, Comments,

en

161:52

Present Tense: PT's Influence - ft. Bobvids

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/11/26

This 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

en

139:36

Past Tense - The Legacy of P.T. ft. Super Bunnyhop

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/11/12

This week on Brain Lords we Present: Talking. In this Podcastable Teaser we bring on guest Super Bunnyhop to Parse the Terror still seen in P.T. For a game that doesn’t technically exist, Silent Hills completely reshaped the Playable Trauma of modern horror games. But was that always the case or does this Polished Take on Amnesia exist beyond its creators and controversy?Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Special guest - Super

en

170:28

The Scariest Non-Horror Games ft. Shannon Strucci

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/10/30

This 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

en

142:25

What does Game Freak deserve?

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/10/15

On the eve of the release of Pokemon ZA, fresh off a major leak, the Brianlords ask the question: does Game Freak deserve it? Your ire, your pity, and alllll of your sorrow, this company was once a shining example of an early Japanese indie and is now burning out its staff on an endless stream of Pokemon. We talk about the non-Pokemon Gamefreak games, the company’s history, and what it means to have a highly polished action game in the works. Plus a bonus mailbag sharing your Pokemon memories!What

en

130:30

Is Gaming a Financial Burden?

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/10/01

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

en

127:45

What is Switch Nostalgia?

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/09/17

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

en

133:00

Explain the Silksong Hype for Me

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/09/03

This 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

en

02:12:32

Game Theories that Kill the Vibe ft. Voidburger

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/08/20

This 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 -

en

02:19:29

Game Difficulty as an Art Form

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/08/06

This 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

en

02:14:30

Can licensed games be Art?

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/07/23

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

en

02:14:34

Game Music: 10 Years 10 Soundtracks

Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind ·

2025/07/09

This 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

en

32 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

詭哭郎嚎

郎祖筠 & FMTaiwan製作團隊

Ron en Erik Podcast

Ron en Erik

Poor Man"s Pinball Podcast

Poor Men Ian and Drew

WeAreChange on Odysee

WeAreChange