Brandon Craw

Mind Controllers

Leisure EN ↓ 95 episodes

Welcome to a podcast about shining the light behind the psychological aspects of some of our favorite video games! Host Brandon Craw (MA Clinical Psychology) and guests dive deep into video games, exploring the background behind some characters, point out which parts of their traumatic life can be attributed to their potential mental illness or explain their behavior, and discuss the human factors behind video game design. Then, we like to chat about what we're playing now. Come join us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Author

Brandon Craw

Category

Leisure

Podcast website

shows.acast.com

Latest episode

Aug 14, 2026

Where to listen?

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Episodes

Scatterbrained - Big Walk a Marathon 14.08.2026

Oh my gosh, is that Joe’s music? Joe joins Brandon to chat all about Marvel Tokon. Brandon discusses why he loves Splatoon Raiders, his time with Big Walk, and the respect for EverQuest Legends. Come hang out with the dynamic duo! 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 winne...

Scatterbrained - The Indiana Jones of Ignorance 07.08.2026

Brandon and Tim, together again! This week, we chat about interesting genre mashups in video games. Brick-breaker base building? Chess with a long board? Cheese Caves??? We discuss it all on this week’s episode. 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...

Scatterbrained- Palworld is My Dream 31.07.2026

Brandon and Courture go over the release of Palworld 1.0! Then Brandon talks all about his likes and dislikes of Adventures of Elliot! And of course, we couldn’t leave it without talking about Denshattack! Come hang out with us for a little bit :)  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...

Scatterbrained - Anime is Love, Anime is Life 24.07.2026

We are back after a long break! Brandon and Tim, together again. Brandon quickly recaps Anime Expo and all the anime inspired games he tried out. And Tim talks about his new love for one of the oldest games: Chess! We missed you all and welcome back! 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 Raf...

Break Week 26.06.2026

I'm a bit under the weather and have a flight to catch tomorrow. So wasn't able to make this episode happen this week, and I'll be in Europe next week. So I will see you all again in 2 weeks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scatterbrained - Summer Game Fest Recap 19.06.2026

Brandon is back and he is here to tell you all about Summer Game Fest! It was his first time there, so we take you behind the scenes! What does SGF look like from the press? How do you navigate it all? What’s the swag like? All of this and more in today’s episode! 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...

Gunstoppable with Salaar! 12.06.2026

Back to back interviews! I had the pleasure of speaking with Salaar, a lifetime game developer and co-founder of CAGE studios who left Sony Santa Monica Studios to pursue their dream. We chat all about Gunstoppable, CAGE Studio's upcoming FPS rogue-lite focused on breakneck speeds, gun combinations, and a strong narrative about family. You don't want to miss this one! Welcome Salaar! - 01:19 Salaa...

HAE Stack Interview 05.06.2026

I was lucky enough to sit down with Jake Rabinowitz, the solo developer of HAE Stack, a game about Surveillance Capitalism with a bold message. Join us as we chat about the inspiration behind the game, how this is game is reflective of real world technologies, and how our phones are spying on us. This chat was so fascinating so I hope you enjoy it too! Interview - 00:49 Game Summary - 07:51 Why Re...

Pragmata Spoilercast 29.05.2026

*Heavy Story Spoilers for Pragmata* Joe and Brandon reunite for the spoiler heavy discussion of Pragmata, a game both of them loved! Then we wrap it up with some discussion of what games we're next looking forward to playing. Come hang out with us as it's been a while! 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...

Scatterbrained - Mixtapology 22.05.2026

Slight Story Spoilers: Mixtape Brandon and Tim reunite to talk about the nostalgia-filled game: Mixtape ! And the past is the theme of today’s episode as we chat about all of the retro consoles/games and try to answer the question: Why do we care about nostalgia? And I have another post credit surprise, courtesy of Tim. It’s a fun one! If you leave a review of the podcast on an app, screenshot it...

Break This Week 15.05.2026

Been a busy week and we will be back next week for more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scatterbrained - Digging Roguelike Expert 08.05.2026

Slight Story Spoilers: Saros Brandon and Courture are at it again, ranting way too much about our home city! Brandon tells us all about his time with Saros, the latest bullet-hell from Housemarque. Then Courture chats about his expertise in Digging based Roguelike games. We wrap it up with a quick Star Fox trailer check-in. No Article of the Week this week. Come hang out with us! If you leave a re...

Scatterbrained - Don’t Forget to Pay the Goats 01.05.2026

Craw and Tim reunite to discuss at length the genre evolution of video games thanks to this week’s article! Then we talk about Titanium Court, the latest genre-blending game by AP Thompson. Don’t forget to pay your goats folks! 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 e...

Scatterbrained - Sea Shanties Galore 24.04.2026

Note: Listen to after the outro song for a little post credit stinger :) Craw, Courture, and Tim gather to chat about … sea shanties?! We start it off with not one but two articles of the week! Then we chat about our time with Windrose , but we kind of got sidetracked and spoke a lot about pirates throughout all of media. Come plunder the seas with us!! If you leave a review of the podcast on an a...

Scatterbrained - Fly Me to the Moon 17.04.2026

Tim and Brandon work through a dilemma that came up in Slay the Spire 2. Also, Pragmata is out and Brandon got to review it!! He talks about his thoughts on the game, what it got right, and how this genre mashup is perfect.  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...

Scatterbrained - Slay the Desert 10.04.2026

Note: Discord audio was used for Courture and Tim We are going deep into our roguelike deckbuilding love with Slay the Spire 2! Tim and Courture teach Brandon all about what it means to climb the spire, while also discussing what makes this game click so well for us. Then we do a quick Crimson Desert chat before ending the night. Come hang! If you leave a review of the podcast on an app, screensho...

Break Week 03.04.2026

Sorry for not having a new episode this week! Everyone is okay, but it's been a really challenging week. So I appreciate you and your patience! We will be back together again next week. Take care of yourself!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scatterbrained - 'Thon Song 27.03.2026

It’s Brandon and Tim, here to talk to you about video games in the classroom? We dive deep into an article that encourages teachers to use video games to help learning, then we get right back into Marathon as Tim has been really into the lore! 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! On...

Scatterbrained - No Friction 20.03.2026

Brandon is joined by Joe and Nico as they get into Capcom Cup and their experiences with fighting games, how we really feel about Marathon, and one of the hardest platformers we’ve played: Love Eternal. Note: Joe and Nico's audio is through discord, so it might sound a bit wonky at times. 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,...

Scatterbrained - Objection Engine 13.03.2026

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 v...

Scatterbrained - Back to Good 06.03.2026

Slight Spoilers for: Silent Hill f It’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!...

Scatterbrained - The World's on Fire 27.02.2026

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 - 01:02 Xbox - 12:27 Discord and Moderation - 21:24 Steam - 27:43 Pokemon - 35:32 Yearly Releases - 39:46 Bluepoint RIP - 46:40 All These Closures - 51:12 Games Industry Compar...

Scatterbrained - This Charming Demon 20.02.2026

Joe returns for another episode as Brandon finds an article about Indie Games and mental health. We chat about Mewgenics , Joes love for Kingdom Hearts 1 and the fun of diving into Helldivers 2 for the first time, and then close it with Demon Tides , a brand new 3d platformer that has a lot of charm. Come hang out with us! Article of the Week - 03:29 Mewgenics - 10:49 Kingdom Hearts - 27:16 Helldi...

Scatterbrained - Sad Human Hour 13.02.2026

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 Yotei We 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...

Scatterbrained - Short That Baby! 06.02.2026

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...

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