Recorded at MCM Comic-Con. Join us as we verse-jump through the multiverse of the deeply profound masterpiece, ‘Everything, Everywhere, All At Once’! Jason, Hammy and Sarah journey into directors the Daniels’ exploration of the beautiful mess o

World of Horror and “sanity meters”

Nov 29th, 2023 43m 38s

We take a look at World of Horror, which has now left Steam Early Access! This stark black-and-white horror RPG is inspired by Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft. Otherworldly horrors promise to test the sanity of Shiokawa, Japan. In the game, your c

Suzume and grief following disasters

Oct 3rd, 2023 1h 21m

We have another “anime takeover” for our podcast, as we cover Makoto Shinkai’s latest film: Suzume! Though it’s an animation, Suzume covers traumatic disaster events that are very real and recent in history. We discuss what the film has to say

Resident Evil 4 Remake and PTSD

Jun 11th, 2023 1h 4m

Capcom’s refreshed look at Resident Evil 4 adds a wealth of depth to characters such as Leon, Ashley, Luis and Ada. So what can we now understand about the mental health of these characters who are going through such a harrowing experience? How

Virtual suicide in games

Apr 5th, 2023 55m 29s

(Content warning: this podcast describes suicidality and suicide in media, including non-detailed descriptions of suicide methods). We know there are guidelines around the depiction of suicide in media, but now there are games in which the play

Live panel: “Soulsborne: Mythology and Mental Health”

Jan 29th, 2023 39m 40s

FromSoftware’s games have had profound effects on the lives of players, especially those going through their own real challenges. And the games, such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, allude to mental health struggles within th

Kirby and the healing power of cuteness!

May 20th, 2022 1h 6m

What makes Kirby so cute, and why does he make us so happy? In this episode of the podcast, Hammy, Sachin and Marcus discuss Kirby (and other cute characters, besides), to discover the healing power of cuteness. We consider what makes something

Elden Ring and impostor syndrome

Mar 30th, 2022 1h 24m

We’re discussing the game of the moment, and probably game of the year, Elden Ring, in our latest podcast. FromSoftware superfan Hammy is joined by Sachin, Donald, and Marcus as we talk about what makes Soulsbourne games so fun, and how difficu

Belle: coping with grief and anxiety in the online world

Feb 4th, 2022 1h 19m

In the latest episode of the podcast we are having an “anime takeover”, as we cover Mamoru Hosoda’s new film Belle! It’s a contemporary take on the tale-as-old-as-time: Beauty and the Beast, partly set in a vast online universe. We’re joined by

Talking about Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk

Dec 21st, 2021 1h 11m

In the latest episode of the podcast we discuss the game Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk. It’s a relatively short visual novel in which you help a girl face the challenge of going out to buy milk. It’s worth playing through, so g

Goliath: Playing with Reality – speaking to the directors

Nov 9th, 2021 46m 28s

In the latest episode of our podcast we chat to Barry Gene Murphy and May Abdalla, about their VR experience, Goliath: Playing with Reality, which is available for free on the Oculus store. The experience features interactive elements and takes

Ace Attorney and dependent personality disorder

Nov 1st, 2021 1h 7m

Spoiler warning: this episode contains an in-depth discussion of the final case in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All. If you don’t want to know the big twists and turns of that case, please come back after having played it! Content

Mental health stigma in games

Nov 30th, 2020 55m 39s

What is stigma, how does it apply to mental health, and what are its consequences? And how might video games perpetuate mental illness stigma? In this episode, Hamilton (doctor), and Donald and Sachin (mental health doctors) discuss ways of und

Into a Dream – interview with creator Filipe F Thomaz

Jul 24th, 2020 50m 17s

Sachin (mental health doctor) talks to Filipe F Thomaz, creator of Into a Dream. This new game tasks the player with entering the dream of a man who has severe depression, so that you can explore their mind, find out how their life has led to t

Kelvin Plomer from Jagex discusses developer mental health

Jul 6th, 2020 1h 18m

Sachin (mental health doctor) talks to Kelvin Plomer, Director of Player Experience at Jagex, to learn what the company is doing to support the mental health of their staff, and how wellness culture has evolved in the workplace. Also, he discus

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic

Mar 16th, 2020 1h 11m

COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic, and anxiety around the illness, as well as self-isolation and quarantine practices can have an impact on people’s mental health. In this episode, Hamilton (doctor), and Marcus and Sachin (mental health doc

Mental health advocacy in video games – EGX panel

Oct 25th, 2019 54m 30s

Listen to our panel at EGX 2019 about mental health advocacy in video games. There's lots of interesting talk about how games can portray mental health well, the importance of games in raising mental health awareness, and also a whole lot about

Judgement and cocaine

Sep 16th, 2019 36m 59s

The release of Sega’s Yakuza spin-off Judgement was delayed on the PS4 after one of the game’s actors was caught in a cocaine scandal. It’s notable that as a result of this, multiple projects involving the actor in Japan were shelved or edited

Blue Whale, Momo, and Doki Doki Literature Club – the myths of games compelling suicide

Sep 5th, 2019 1h 8m

[content warning - mentions of suicide] In this episode Don, Marcus and Sachin discuss "games" which have variously been reported as the cause of suicides: but is there any known truth to such claims? We look at the phenomena of Blue Whale an

Virtual violence: “sin tax” and morality

Aug 13th, 2019 1h 2m

Violence in video games: does it cause violence in real life? And how do we morally feel about it? [content warning - mentions of suicide and shootings]In this episode Don, Fai, Marcus and Sachin discuss a report of a bill in Pennsylvania tha

Mortal Kombat and PTSD

Jul 9th, 2019 48m 10s

Can people develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder following exposure to traumatic media? [content warning – trauma] In this episode Don, Fai, Marcus and Sachin discuss a Kotaku report of a Mortal Kombat 11 developer who said they we

Apex Legends – who decides if the voices are real?

Mar 12th, 2019 55m 12s

Wraith in Apex Legends hears a mysterious voice that helped her unlock her powers and tells her what will happen in the future. So is she mentally unwell? Who decides? In this episode Don, Sachin, Fai and Marcus (mental health doctors) discuss

Hikikomori and dreams in Yume Nikki

Feb 11th, 2019 45m 24s

[content warning - this episode features mentions of suicide and abuse within the context of the game Yume Nikki]In this episode Don, Fai, Andrew and Sachin (mental health doctors) and Hammy (medical student) discuss the experimental horror g

Episode 5 -“Gamer burnout”

Jan 30th, 2019 46m 17s

In this episode Sachin, Don, and Marcus (mental health doctors) discuss:– Gamer burnout: What is burnout and can you experience burnout from video games? (check out this article for more https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/mby89y/millenni

Find us on our new host

Jan 17th, 2019 43s

Hi, thanks for listening to this podcast!We're moving to a new host, so to continue to get new episodes, simply go to https://gamingthemind.org/podcast/ to find all the different ways you can keep listening.Bye for now and catch you on the