Sound Designer & Creative Director Jonathan Ontiveros (Nobody Games) joins Brain Arcade to explore how sound design can craft fear, tension, and immersion in games. We dig into the psychology of sound, silence, and sonic misdirection to shed light on how indie teams can use these tools to shape unforgettable player experiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Siddock and Chris Cross sit down this week to talk about their shared love for MMOs (especially WoW), why those memories stick, why they quit MMOs, and how we can use this information to focus on building a player-first game in the future. David talks about his person project and some innovative ideas that he's building in to create a game that he would be excited to play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wills from Avalanche joins us to explore how blockchain can potentially empower small teams to build trust-first, community-driven games. We dig into ownership, transparency, and why the future of game development is all about creators and players building together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris talks about some big changes, he is stepping away from his full-time job and into something new. In this special episode, we flip the mic to talk about the shift, why the current industry isn't built to support sustainable indie dev, and what it would take to change that. From mentorship gaps to missing ecosystems, Chris shares the lessons he’s learned, the problems he wants to help solve, and the long game behind his next chapter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken from Tashi.gg is back with us again diving deeper into his goal of creating forever games. We talk about sustainable server solutions for live games and how smaller teams can benefit from these options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Art Director Jason Priest joins Brain Arcade to talk about his time working on titles like Spider-Man and Medal of Honor, worldbuilding, illusion, and what indie teams can learn from AAA game environments. From visual tricks to modular design, we explore how to create immersive spaces that feel real without needing blockbuster budgets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mission Designer Tatiana Funk joins us this week to talk about her time on the live game Nightingale at Studio Monsoon. Game designing in a live game environment where mechanics evolve, players are constantly breaking things, and a new feature can change everything. We talk about designing around chaos, embracing player ingenuity, and how constraints can breed innovation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer Jessica Woodard (Terrible Posture Games) joins Brain Arcade to talk about how seemingly unrelated experiences like theater, parenting, and WoW guild raids can lead to powerful contributions in game development especially for small indie teams where everyone wears multiple hats. We explore how small studios benefit when team members are given space to grow and why embracing nontraditional backgrounds can lead to better, more empathetic games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UX makes or breaks your game, even if players don't know it. Good UX designers know their work is about designing the entire player journey. In this episode, Chris Cross talks with veteran UX designer Ed Moore about what makes good UX invisible, how friction shapes engagement, and why indie devs need to master the balance between challenge and clarity. Essential listening for anyone making games with intention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Brain Arcade, we dive into the psychology of nostalgia with Stubbs, founder and proprietor of Retro Handhelds, a news organization and community born during the isolated lull of 2020 to connect people to a simpler time. Retro games can really feel like time machines transporting us back to where you were, who you were with, and how it felt when you played them first. In this episode, we explore why handheld emulation is booming, how game nostalgia builds, and why old games still have something new to teach modern devs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neopets is a wildly successful kids game, it taught people how to code, had a thriving economy, and people still love the game today. What made the game so popular and what is the secret sauce to creating engaging kids content? We talk to Natalie Odien, game designer and current Design Director with over 15 years of experience, about her time on Neopets and how making games for kids is different (or not) from her work on titles like DC Heroes United. Natalie sheds some light on the difference between designing “for kids” vs. designing “family-friendly” content and how respecting young players creates lifelong fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We kick back with Layla Mamedova—Cinematic Pipeline Manager, deep thinker, and proud purveyor of Uncle Energy—for a candid chat about the psychology of group dynamics, how to make teams that thrive, and her experience moving from an Artist to Production role. We unpack the very real physical toll of burnout and how creative teams can either lift each other up—or collapse under the weight of misaligned goals and corporate pressures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is gaming actually bad for you!? Liam is back today to talk to us about Dopamine and how it's not really what you probably think it is. We talk through what Dopamine really is, how our brains are effected by games, and whether or not that effect is actually bad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are huge fans of Ken Anderson from Tashi.gg and their support for the indie revolution! Ken has created some amazing solutions so that indie game studios can build smooth live games that can compete with big live ops titles. We talk about what makes games like Roblox, League, and Call of Duty feel 'smooth' and how FPS isn't the solution to everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we create engaging interactive stories that compliment and heighten gameplay experiences? We talk to Martin Montgomery, Emmy Award-Winning Creative Director, Writer, and Consultant about his industry secrets and philosophies by studying some well known games. Martin has worked on titles like Legends of Runeterra, DC Heroes United, Silent Hill: Ascension, and Telltale's The Walking Dead Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ayla Derrick, founder of Cave Bear Games, found viral success with the launch of her volunteer indie studio. Celebrating the early access launch for their game Plantasia, we chat about the psychology behind idle games and why we love them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With big changes in media production and audience consumer habits, how do we capture the zeitgeist in entertainment today and should we even be trying to? This week we talk to Mark Netter Co-Owner / Co-Founder of ElectraCast to dive into how to launch successful projects and engage audiences in this highly saturated media age. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this honest and open conversation, Chris talks about his unique career path to becoming an established Creative Director in the game industry. We'll talk about how some major life events changed his outlook and the way he made life decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How is Skyrim a slot machine? What does that have to do with amount of information our brain can hold? Game studio founder and Neuroscience professional, Liam McDonough, thinks that psychology can tell us a lot about player experience and help developers turn a good game experience into an amazing one. Chris and Liam explores the relationship between cognitive load, reward systems, and how we can use our knowledge of the brain to inform engagement.

With over 20,000 layoffs in the gaming industry last year, many people are asking what is going on and will the games industry survive? Chris and Liam talk through the psychological shift of game developers, the way money flow changes investments, and the industry crash of 2008.