Shujin Academy VGM Club

It’s a whole bunch of laid-back VGM to help you relax and focus. Don’t worry if you haven’t listened to the first three episodes in the Chilly McFreeze series; you’ll still be able to follow the plot here. Because there is no plot; it’s all relaxing, calm VGM.  Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Fellow VGM podcaster Jameson of barSILENCE podcast for contributing cover art. You can and sh...

These songs have come to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and they’re all out of bubblegum. Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Jameson of barSILENCE podcast for contributing cover art. You can and should find barSILENCE wherever you download podcasts, and check out his website at barSILENCE.com.  VGM podcast bro and shop proprietor RayjKayj. You can find his excellent podcast VGMporium anywh...

Avast, ye scurvy sea dogs! This episode be all about game music for pirates, be they pirate heroes or pirate villains or even just pirate ships!  Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Special thanks for this episode goes out to fellow VGM podcaster Jameson of barSILENCE podcast for contributing cover art. You can and should find barSILENCE podcast wherever you download podcasts, and check o...

Let’s kick back, pour a drink, and vibe with this episode all about cool music! Every song here is good groovy hangout music for a laid-back time.  Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Fellow VGM podcaster Jameson of barSILENCE podcast for contributing cover art. You can and should find barSILENCE podcast wherever you download podcasts, and check out his website at a barSILENCE.com.  BokiB...

It’s a special holiday episode of Shujin Academy VGM Club! We’ll celebrate the 4th of July by playing lots of American-themed songs about America! There aren’t any other notable holidays in December, are there?  Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Fellow VGM podcaster Jameson of barSILENCE podcast for contributing cover art. You can and should find barSILENCE podcast wherever you download...

This episode is all about smart game music that sounds like making a plan. Use it as the soundtrack to plot out your next heist with your gang, or to defeat those meddling superheroes! Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Fellow VGM podcaster Jameson of BARSilence podcast for contributing cover art. You can and should find barSILENCE podcast wherever you download podcasts, and you can find...

This is a special bonus episode of Shujin Academy VGM Club, where Professor Tom sits down for a chat with his buddy Jon to talk about video games and life and stuff.  Thanks to BokiBokiPixelArt for the show logo. You can find him on Twitter @BokiPixelart.  If you want to reach me, you can email me at shujinacademyvgmclub@gmail.com . You can find me on Twitter (at least for now) at @ShujinVGMClub,...

This is an episode all about cheerful, feel-good VGM. These are some songs that’ll put a smile on your face and a rainbow in your heart! Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Fellow VGM podcaster Jameson of BARSilence podcast for contributing cover art. You can and should find BARSilence podcast wherever you download podcasts, and you can find him on Twitter @BARSilenceVGM. BokiBokiPixelArt...

This episode is a look at pieces of VGM that appear somewhere other than their original games. Some of them are from ports, some of them are from sequels, some of them are from side-series games, and some are from entirely different games.  Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Fellow VGM podcaster Jameson of BARSilence podcast for contributing art for this episode. You can and should find...

For this episode, we’re going to take a whirlwind trip to the big city, and experience the vibrant culture and nightlife that draws people to a metropolis.  Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Fellow VGM podcaster Rayjkayj of VGMporium and entertainment podcaster Josh Grisham of Nerd Informants for this episode’s political ad. You can find RayjKayj on Twitter @VGMporium or @rayjkayj, and...

September 9 is a special day: Castmas! The day each year where we celebrate the Dreamcast, Sega’s swan song console. To prepare for this holiday, I’m devoting a whole episode to this groundbreaking system.  Special thanks for this episode goes out to:  Every Dreamcast fan who keeps the spirit of Castmas in their hearts all year long, no matter what day it is. May Sega Claus bless you this Castmas....

For the third episode in the Chilly McFreeze series of laid-back VGM, we’re playing a selection of chiptunes to help you relax.    Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Jameson of BARSilence podcast for contributing art for this episode. You can and should find BARSilence podcast wherever you download podcasts, and you can find him on Twitter @BARSilenceVGM. “Kurly” Keven Stevens for being...

Professor Tom is on a sabbatical, so his cousin Lefty the Cowboy takes us through the sound of country music in retrogaming.  Special thanks for this episode goes out to: Bedroth of the Very Good Music and BGMania podcasts for being the voice of Choco Bill. Find him on Twitter @VGMPod.  Jameson of the BARSilence podcast for creating art for this episode. Follow him on Twitter @BarSilenceVGM. BokiB...

All your favorite VGM podcasters are doing a series called “Masters of VGM”, where we do episodes devoted to our favorite video game composers. For my fourth and final entry into this series, I’m talking all about the incomparable Yuzo Koshiro, composer for Streets of Rage 1 and 2, Etrian Odyssey, Ys I and II, the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune series, and dozens of other games.   Special thanks for...

All your favorite VGM podcasters are doing a series called “Masters of VGM”, where we do episodes devoted to our favorite video game composers. For my third entry into this series, I’m doing a career retrospective for Yoko Shimomura, best known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts series.   Special thanks for this episode goes out to:  –Bedroth of Very Good Music and everyone else who’s set up the M...

All your favorite VGM podcasters are doing a series called “Masters of VGM”, where we do episodes devoted to our favorite video game composers. For my second entry into this series, we’ll listen to the greatest hits of Shoji Meguro. This episode also serves as a de facto mixtape for the Persona games, since Meguro composed most of the music for the series. Special thanks for this episode goes out...

All your favorite VGM podcasters are doing a series called “Masters of VGM”, where we do episodes devoted to our four favorite video game composers. For my first entry into this series, I’m going through the greatest hits (and a few other songs) of my favorite VGM composer, Nobuo Uematsu.   Special thanks to Bedroth of Very Good Music and everyone else who’s set up the Masters of VGM project and a...

Sometimes, a bad game has a good soundtrack. This episode is all about some terrific soundtracks from mediocre games.   You can find the archives of Kotaku’s Morning Music feature at https://kotaku.com/culture/morning-music , and you can find the article that helped inspire this episode (and introduced me to the Waterworld soundtrack) at https://kotaku.com/waterworld-is-one-of-the-snes-best-soundt...

The history of gaming has quite a few failed systems, in addition to the well-known consoles like the SNES and the PlayStation. The Neo Geo Pocket Color, the CD-i, the 3DO, the Atari 5200 - the list goes on and on. For this episode, we take a look at the sounds and history of one of the least-known systems of the 8-bit era: the Aipu FZ22, a console with a very limited library that never made it ou...

After my first chill music episode, I decided to make another episode devoted to laid back VGM. I may even make some more in the future.    This is an episode that’s heavy on the music, so if you like a lot of VGM without much talk in your VGM podcast, you’re in luck today.   If you like the chill VGM concept and you want to hear more, check out my fellow VGM podcast KVGM The Last Wave at https://...

For the first time ever, Shujin Academy VGM Club welcomes a guest. Save Point Sam (also known as Professor Tom’s son) joins the show to play some Pokémon songs and discuss the finer points of Pokémon with Professor Tom, who knows little of Pokémon beyond what he’s seen on TV. This is an interview-type show, and as you may imagine, the ratio of music-to-talk here is tilted fairly heavily towards th...

To celebrate the release of King of Fighters XV, we’re devoting an entire episode to SNK’s venerable franchise mash-up fighter. I hope you like the Neo Geo sound, because this one is all King of Fighters, all the time.    You should watch the amazing Woo vs Reynald match from Evo 2013’s KOF XIII tournament. It was one of the coolest grand finals sets ever in a fighting game tournament. Check it ou...

It’s nearly Valentine’s Day, and this episode is devoted to video game songs that are all about romance! Special thanks to the voice of Heart Containers. Your devotion to romanticism is admirable, and it shows in the promo. If you want to reach me, you can email me at shujinacademyvgmclub@gmail.com . You can find me on Twitter at @ShujinVGMClub, and on Instagram at ShujinAcademyVGMClub. Please lea...

I like laid back video game music, and this episode is devoted to some of my favorite tracks that are calm.   Special thanks to the mysterious voice of Save Point. You know who you are, and I’m glad you helped with this episode. If you want to reach me, you can email me at shujinacademyvgmclub@gmail.com . You can find me on Twitter at @ShujinVGMClub, and on Instagram at ShujinAcademyVGMClub. Pleas...

Ninjas abound in classic gaming as both protagonists and antagonists. This episode is a look at some classic VGM songs from games that prominently feature ninjas.    Special thanks to friends of the show Scott Horberg for a headset and Josh Grisham of Nerd Informants for being the voice of ninja magic.    If you want to reach me, you can email me at shujinacademyvgmclub@gmail.com . You can find me...