The Psychology of Psychonauts - Meat Circus

[@UrLeingod]

It really is tragic just *how much* Morceau tried to emulate his father in his desperation to please him. His father was a workaholic, so Morceau became an overachieving student (and this may have carried over into adulthood; it could well explain why he spends most of the game passed out at his desk if he's been habitually running himself ragged). His father never smiled, so Morceau takes himself very seriously, to the point of treating a summer camp for children like he's a drill sergeant training recruits for war. His father was a serviceman, so Morceau gave up the chance to go to college trying to join the armed forces. Whether or not his father was actually a large man in real life, in Morceau's mind he's been inflated into a towering behemoth, further emphasizing how much of a "runt" Morceau himself is, and further feeding into his desperation to prove himself to this built-up image of the man that existed only in Morceau's own head.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Things tend to be bigger in our heads than they really are as Sasha mentions earlier. Our conception of a lesson sometimes becomes almost deified in some ways. Especially for Morceau.

[@tomcurl8034]

The fundamental problem that both characters have is that their dad’s were bad at communicating with them as many dads are

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Kind of a reflection between the protagonist and antagonist. But yeah I agree there is sadly a disconnect with father and child here.

[@cartoonistanonymous]

I wanna show my dad this game but its 8-12 hours and thats a hard esll I also wanna show my mom this game but the same. Also like anyone really, its a good game, you should play it. I like it

[@turtlegamer2558]

That’s the fun part he doesn’t

[@InktheImpassive]

It's amazing how Raz could handle multiple and complex traumas that he's literally seen inside people's mind. That's one resilient and strong willed kid.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Sometimes a childlike innocence can help. At least that's how it appears here.

[@cagedcoco1681]

I'm learning in my childhood development studies that some individuals within preteen to teenage stages can withstand a certain amount of extreme mental processing when degrees from the source of the problem or if they recognize themselves as an aid or manipulator of the situation. It's why some kids know how to work their parents into doing things the parents are not use to doing.

[@MmeCShadow]

I appreciate that the second game's epilogue has a line where Raz reflects on how cool his adventures are and how hard it's going to hit him when he's actually old enough to process what happened.

[@monikidd15]

@@GamingUniversityUoGtru dat

[@amspook]

Dude, that 10 year old kid casually lift 75 pound(? it would be even more impressive if it's in kg) with his leg while reading the brochure I'm thinking physical strength has direct correlation with psychic power

[@brenkrasmer]

It always felt wild and wonderful that Oleander was also the one who said at the start "you shall chase his dreams, you shall fight his demons, you shall live his nightmares!" And in this level, through shared trauma, Raz is doing pretty much exactly that. Chasing Mr. Bun, fighting the representation of the father while going through that same feeling of paternal disappointment.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I guess in order to be able to do the job Raz needs to confront the same demons and live the same nightmares of the mind she enters. Kind of the game series in a nutshell.

[@wjzav1971]

That Oleander speech was incredibly awesome. And the things he wrote into the brochure too. TIm Schaeffer should give classes on how to write great dialogue.

[@justafan9206]

@@GamingUniversityUoG ... Ya just called raz a "she"?

[@brostinson2798]

Wen does he say that?

[@audreyhigginbotham5147]

@@brostinson2798 he say this in the cut scene in the very beginning of the game

[@nickdegugs7190]

The Lipo doc was very telling. I used to wonder why Oliander would think that his dad would want to kill him, now we can conclude that he was a runt himself and thus feared that he would meet the same fate as the bunny.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

The sad part is his father probably never even thought about how his comments could be interpreted by his son as a bad thing.

[@nickdegugs7190]

@@GamingUniversityUoG random thought, have you noticed that there’s absolutely no family resemblance between them? What’s the deal with that?

[@michaelmalfaro3746]

@@nickdegugs7190 his mental image of his father is highly distorted

[@lou626]

I think its more like the metaphorical castration Freud explained , he knows his dad isnt going to ACTUALLY kill him ,but still

[@nickdegugs7190]

@@lou626his mental image of him literally shouts “Daddy’s gonna KILL YA!”

[@whichcache2517]

One detail I liked was the later part of the stage where Augustus’ astral projection tried to communicate with Raz. On first brush, he looks like a ghost that’s haunting Raz, but once Raz reaches the end, it’s revealed to be the real Augustus attempting to reach out to him. In that sense, you could say that Raz is haunted by the specter of his father until that point, and it’s reflected in the gameplay.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Weirdly enough it took me until replaying it to even notice that. I heard the voice but never saw the ghost animation pop up. Yeah he was trying the whole time to get inside. This is the only time we have seen this in a mind. Curious if these 'ghosts' will show up again to show someone trying to break in.

[@wjzav1971]

I noticed the constant distorted "Razputin" but I assumed its just part of the surrealism of the Meat Circus. I do wonder though. Augustus did comment on why there are so many unconcious people and rubble lying around so Augustus must have been physically there. He must have seen Raz's brain in the destroyed tank and tried to get in. So my guess here is that since Augustus didn't have a Psi-Portal, he had a much harder time to get into Raz's mind. Which means getting inside brains without a Psi-Portal is possible but probably very hard.

[@migueeeelet]

I thought that the ghost calling out for Raz was Oleander's adult self, trying to break in (as opposed of having his inner child be the only representation). Needless to say it was pretty surprising when it turned out to be someone else!

[@JuneNafziger]

@@wjzav1971it can also point to how big a deal Raz and his dad having their psychic powers repressed. For all we know getting into someone’s mind without a portal and without ANY training is really hard. Like it shows that this family is really powerful.

[@fiestaskull1540]

It's such a shame seeing Oleander's story being so half-baked in the full game. Like him teaming up with Loboto or turning over a new leaf both feel really underexplored and make the ending that much more shallow imo. It makes me real happy to see how you all brought his story together in this video and it made for a awesome watch!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I fully agree. Every character has so much story to tell that the game didn't have time to explore. Even though this extra backstory is arguably not canon I'll accept it because it doesn't contradict and enhances the characterization. Even the other campers got additional story like Elka Doom for example. The reason she was so controlling is because she has precognition and wanted to prevent the future she saw from happening.

[@itsblitz4437]

It would be awesome this story was expanded in Psychonauts 2, redundant as it may have been.

[@itsblitz4437]

@@GamingUniversityUoG even the campers got extra story man, it feels Psychonauts was made in the wrong time.

[@DrErikNefarious]

Psychonauts 2: "I'm a changed man!" "That was three days ago!"

[@mariobalbontin1925]

@@DrErikNefarious yeah i rlly hated that , they just make oly the same

[@RawCauliflower]

Another quick thing about Oleanders father, according to the semi-scrapped background, he himself was an ex-serviceman who became a workaholic butcher and was never seen smiling. As a kid, I don't think Oleander would have the perception, as you have mentioned, to understand if his father was fighting his own mental scars too (that indirectly can bring harm to others too). He seemed to have problems connecting or even talking to his own sons, Oleander doesn't have a single memory of his father congratulating for him for his achievements, even if he did not outright abuse them. At least Psychonauts 2 had enough time to go a bit more indepth into each character's psyche.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Agreed. One thing I think we tend to forget when dealing with complexes or trauma caused by a parents actions is that they are humans too. Parents are not perfect and have their own demons they deal with. Some sociologists theorize that there is a 7 generation period of influence. If something happens to you, your offspring 7 generations down will still feel the effects.

[@gamerheart8148]

I doubt he was as big in real life. I think the reason why he's giant in the meat circus was due to how small the coach was combined with the trauma of potentially being the runt of the family.

[@lou626]

@@gamerheart8148 i mean , did you see cassie? maybe he was like that (but i dont think so,)

[@gamerheart8148]

@@lou626 I think the librarian was big in Cassie's mental world because she was the Cassie that was in charge at the time.

[@lou626]

@@gamerheart8148 no , i mean real cassie

[@veilvillage9873]

A detail I find super vital to Oleander's character - when you find about the Mr. bunny situation - is that he can talk to animals using his psychic powers. It's heavily implied that when young Ollie was bonding with the runt of the litter he was telling it telepathically how to do tricks and it could speak back to him, so when the rabbit ends up on the chopping block while young Ollie watches on in horror - he is most likely hearing and feeling the pain and fear the runt is in and how it feels towards his father Butch combining with the message his father is trying to convey (maybe something like don't invest time in something that will end sadly or something) - passing the feeling of dying in fear onto him and instilling a true sense of what it feels like to end up on the chopping block and on the wrong end of the cleaver (and consequently the wrong side of his father's anger). Oleander most likely heavily repressed his psychic powers so as not to stand out more among his peers and so he would never feel that same fear coming from an animal until some point during or after his attempts to join the military, and unlike the other counselors who are known for shooting or floating around Oleander provides obstacles and terrifying situations that scare the campers instead of teaching campers to talk to or understand animals - he's trying to pass on the message that the world is terrifying and cruel so you need to try very hard to get where you want to go - what he felt throughout his search for a spot in any part of the military as he tried desperately to make someone understand that he could be so much more then his height if they let him.

[@unrellated]

It also seems like the Inner Child continues to be put under even stronger repression. Little Olly runs into Raz's caravan in an attempt to hide from the Butcher, as he no longer feels the Happy Meadow is safe.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

It is almost like the more he runs from the butcher, the more he pushes back in the outside world. A weird psychological version of Newton's Third Law of Motion.

[@justafan9206]

@@GamingUniversityUoG XD

[@beastwarsFTW]

Something else to understand about Oleander is how his psychic powers and techniques are mostly defensive in nature and ability. In basic braining he seems more able to hide his daemons more then the other counselors, the two techniques you learn form him are basically force field projection, he can disable your psychic shots, he erects walls in his 2nd fight, in Rhombus of Ruin he's able to block the nightmares everyone else has, and the only reason he lost a 3vs1 psychic fight is because Ford did something he didn't expect. Basically he really doesn't want to show weakness.

[@mac189]

I wander how strong oleander really is because yeah he was able to to fight 2 psychonauts at the same time

[@lampostsamurai2518]

Which mirrors his ability to mask his trauma.

[@spongeintheshoe]

Armored like a tank.

[@Xalerdane]

4:06 Huh. The game implied that Oleander’s dad was the usual “No son of mine is going to grow up to be a sissy!” kind of abusive parent, and that he butchered the bunny in front of his son both in an attempt to make him not like cute and fluffy things anymore, and to punish him for liking them to begin with. (“Real men don’t like bunnies, real men kill them!”) This is worse, because he wasn’t trying to hurt his son, he thought he was teaching a grim but important truth to him.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

It is the sad thing of it. Most parents think they are doing the right thing. Barring those who intentionally cause suffering. But no matter how well intentioned we all have head noise caused by our parents.

[@lollikabosso.w.n7153]

Me too, like, i assumed his father was an abussice monster, but this is something much deeper and hurts even more, becauae the butcher couldve been loving dad, whom just couldnt talk to his sons, and indirectly caused pain

[@loopooloo20]

This level scared my inner child with the “Little bunny”, “My Face!”, and then his dad going “Razputin” in the blue face

[@christoffersjberg933]

An interesting detail on Oleander is that he has a giant scar going down his face, which could symbolise that he was scarred for life

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Now that you mention it I'd like to know how he got that scar. I dont think he had it in the mental vault where he was kicked out of the recruiting office. Nice observation.

[@erikfrommeyer2606]

Probably from one of the psychic animals in the forest the camp is stationed

[@lou626]

maybe on a mission?

[@pokeluis2002]

Worse case scenario, he must have gotten by getting slashed by his dad’s butcher’s knife

[@christoffersjberg933]

@@pokeluis2002 i really hope not. but his dad loves him just like any good parent should, Coach Oleander was just traumatised and got the wrong idea of what he said.

[@gingerhoof2157]

Its interesting that the retrieving of an inner child really shows in the next games. In Rhombus of ruin Oleander has a huge dance party(and its not quite clear if he was in trance or just really into music), something that would probably be considered "wrong" by his father. In the sequel he insists on using a "speech turtle" in Loboto's Labirinth. He may got some age regression, but in a good way - he learns that its okay to be silly and empathetic and to not be ashamed of that

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I've heard it said that after retirement most people try to get back into the things they loved as children. Almost like that is their default state of being and you have to become someone else for work.

[@michaelmalfaro3746]

As C.S.Lewis said “when I became a man I put away my childish things, including the fear of being thought childish”

[@kenyedaadams]

I really did feel for poor Oleander after reading the LiPo doc. But as is constantly stated trauma doesn't excuse bad behavior. But learning about Egegore was interesting. While I do believe that Raz's perception of his dad was definitely exaggerated... I do think there was something done or said to drive into believing that he he hated psychics ... like his reaction to the pamplet... and *SPOLIER* there is also the possibility that Ford's tampering had a lot to do with it as well. Also, I appreciate the call back to Augustus's everything I've got line line in game 2. Nice work as always, GU!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

100%. I don't really excuse someone for making plans to take over the world just because of daddy issues. It is a shame that something so simple drove him to this point.

[@kenyedaadams]

@@GamingUniversityUoG I suppose on the surface it was simple... but I mean... his dad was a little cruel...

[@edfreak9001]

@@kenyedaadams i'm actually gonna go to bat for Papa Oleander here, unless i'm forgetting something the worst he did was be a little heartless about slaughtering a rabbit in front of his son... and that's... his job. Part of it anyway, he was a butcher. Or at least he ran a farm of some sort. Should he have waited until his kid was away to chop up the rabbit? Yeah, absolutely, but he was going to have to learn eventually (and I doubt he knew about the psychic connection to animals at all). He was too gruff but, I don't think it was completely unreasonable. He might've learned at a similar age and thought "well it worked fine for me..."

[@kenyedaadams]

@@edfreak9001 I mean yeah I agree. It's part of the situation however the way he went about it was completely wrong and scarring towards his son. By definition you could call it cruel. And just because his father didn't realize that he was psychically connected to the bunny doesn't really excuse it. It's like people saying horribly transphobic or racist or homophobic that indicates violence towards them without actually knowing that the person they're talking to is of that group. It is insinuating that they wouldn't do it if they had known that it would hurt the other person. Either way is still a cruel thing to do or say. So yes I agree that he might not have intentionally meant to hurt oleander But that doesn't change the fact that he did. Even if he didn't know he had this connection to the bunny it was clear that he liked the bunny. He literally says the line because he could see that oleander liked it. So the intention could have been to teach a lesson but how it was done was cruel, as intentionally inflicting harm or pain on another being without any real sense of remorse about it. Yes it was part of his world but choosing to do so in front of his child made his act cruel.

[@racer927]

@@GamingUniversityUoG Oh come on. Coach hasn't tried to take over the world in... Days. Feels so long ago now!

[@spekticat]

I genuinely got chills when I realised that The Butcher uses the same words and phrases as Lil' Oli...but to mean something entirely different

[@cannonballking7]

"WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET TO THE MEAT CIRCUS GAMING UNIVERSITY?!?!" GU-"Now..." "Huh?" GU-"I SAID NOW!" "NOW WHO WANTS TO GO ONTO THE CHILDHOOD TRAUMA?! THE FUN NEVER ENDS!"

[@cannonballking7]

In all seriousness, this has been a wild ride. I'm glad I decided to get on in the first place, and never looked back. Your writing has gotten better over the time I have joined, and it was fun trudging through your cool backlogs. I wish you the best going forward, and I will continue to stay on the ride no matter where it takes me. Keep up the good work, and have a nice day.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Thank you so much for hopping aboard this crazy train and sharing the journey with us! It has been fun to see how things have evolved since the playlist began. At the time it started the sequel wasn't even a glimmer in our eyes.

[@courseprism1017]

0:45 - "A chimeric mental world" Just hearing that particular adjective and knowing the context; it gave me shivers. Love your vocabulary.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I really appreciate it! Easy way to describe it in one word.

[@Ronin11111111]

Man I've been waiting for this so much! Not only because of the level itself, but also because this means Psychonauts 2 levels are next! Ooooh I'm so excited!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Now I just need to finish recording assets for the second game lol. I'm super excited to jump into the new ones.

[@Ronin11111111]

@@GamingUniversityUoG The most interesting in this one is how the LiPo details and what's presented in the game line up. We don't know of the exact fears and complexes Oleander had, but we still understand that his father slaughtering the bunny in front of him made him feel small and took away something he really cherished. We also understand why he resents the world so much from "Oleanders Shame". What's less apparent is the thread connecting the two "made to feel small" is at least one layer of association removed from both "Oleanders Shame" and the Meat Circus reels, "discriminated against for height" and "horrifically losing something cherished" respectively is what I think the surface level themes of them are. And most people stop at surface level. Even still it's amazing how they still manage to communicate the essence of the intention found in the LiPo, even if the connection dosen't come to the observer fully. Man this game is just so good!

[@gamerheart8148]

@@GamingUniversityUoG so we just need to wait another month?

[@JackalformerlyKnownasDjjjav]

@@GamingUniversityUoG what about Rombus of ruin

[@drybones0645]

I wonder how you will for each ford minds individually

[@PokemonButcher]

Generational trauma is all around us. Be kind, because you never know what somebody is going through, no matter how infallible they may seem.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Amen to that

[@benjammin007]

As annoying as this level was gameplay wise, it's such a clever idea to have Raz and Coach's minds fused to explore their shared trauma and fragmented relations with their dads. Thanks for the videos, been playing the series for the first time and have learned so much not only about the characters, but myself and how to understand others!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

It really goes to show that even opposite sides of a conflict can have motivations rooted in a similar trauma. I agree the shared mind is a really cool idea.

[@lou626]

This is actully the best day of my life , no joke Something to add : morceau was described as a mama's boy . Im sure he was his real-self with her

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I wish we got to see more of this played out. He was a good kid for the most part.

[@lou626]

@@GamingUniversityUoG DUDE. MOOD i want to see his brothers in the next game , since terryl menctions them . *Im begging double fine*

[@Dana_Brain]

Me: I'm fine, I'm totally over Meat Circus. Video: MEAT CIRCUS HEME PLAYS IN THE FIRST SECOND Me: (vivid ptsd flashbacks)

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I've been living with that PTSD for 2 weeks! That song has been stuck in my head since I started working on the script.

[@katietaylor8314]

God, that level! I had to resort to using cheats in the end, because it was just that goddamn impossible.

[@kiayaplews8593]

Now that we got through the first game, we can continue it with the "Rhombus of Ruin", and explore the hallucinations (or lack of in Orleander's case), the concept of music therapy, and the memories of Dr. Loboto's inner child... and how his redemption is only half baked, as he did attempt to blow up the place despite his efforts to take a step in the right direction.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I have two more videos planned before we get to the good doctor. One for the first game and one for RoR.

[@kiayaplews8593]

@@GamingUniversityUoG How much longer do I have to wait for the next video?

[@astral_ragtime5365]

This entire series has been an absolute treat, thank you

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I really appreciate your comment and glad you've been enjoying them. It has been a pleasure to make

[@TooRudeProductions]

I'm glad I found a channel that appreciates this game as much as I do

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I wish more creators took time on this game. It is such a gem that deserves much more attention.

[@TooRudeProductions]

@@GamingUniversityUoG I'm not one for psychoanalysis but I decided that my buddy should experience this game so we're doing a play through of it and it's sequel and while we recorded a lot, but it comes out next year because I've got like 50 videos on the back burner.

[@HoundNL]

Hey man, just found your channel, got Psychonauts on steam and been playing it for the first time, and it is growing on me, I think it's gonna be one of my personal favorite games. The humor, story, soundtrack, the exploration of human mind and even the graphics and control that's i though would be clunky but it works very well. Anyway, watched your videos on the levels i completed and I've been loving the series, that's all I wanted: A short story recap and deep psychological analysis of the characters in the game and the meaning of the objects in the game in the character mind. You man truly deserves more attention on this platform, easy subscribe and like, keep up the good work. Now I'm gonna go back to this game, I need to help Napoleon and the big painter guy

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

In glad you've been enjoying the game! Definitely a property that deserved a lot more attention than it got. Frankly, I surprised that there is not a lot of analysis on the platform for it. Psychonauts is begging to be dissected by those with much better production quality than me. I'm really glad you've been enjoying my work! This playlist has been a lot of fun to work on. Good luck on helping out Fred and Edgar!

[@aurorabarajas]

Enjoy it a lot! I wish I could play it again for the first time.

[@frogmouth2]

I wish you touched on more of why the level is filled with meat. Like seeing a bunny killed infront of him, traumatized oleander and lead to his depiction of inner bodily material to become morphed and how possibly this ties to Rasputin’s depiction of the circus in this level. Maybe Oleander also got kicked out of the militaries for being completely unable to handle gore because of the trauma he experienced as a young child? Anyways good series. Shame it’s over now. If you ever do one on psychonauts 2 I’m gunna need to get a PS4 or Xbox one to play the game before I watch it.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

The meat all over is definitely from memories of his dads butcher shop. Probably should have devoted a few sentences to it. But yes I am planning on doing one more for the first game, then Rhombus of Ruin and the sequel.

[@frogmouth2]

@@GamingUniversityUoG no I meant more so on the sort of specific meat-based gore.

[@discordlexia2429]

@@frogmouth2 His dad was a butcher. For a living he cut up animals into meat and sold it. Butchers aren't bad people, but if you had the ability to psychically connect to the animals, seeing something that *real* be turned into just a few slabs of meat would be traumatic. So, of course meat plays into his trauma!

[@RaptorCakes]

Many games I fall in love with are ones with themes that make you think… nothing made me think more about the characters, the world, the impact, and the application to my own life then Psychonauts did. Both 1 and 2 have a heavy focus on mental health, and they portray them so so so well. These are not villains. They can be antagonized, but their emotions can be justified by the fact that they are human like you and me and Raz and any other psychonaut. They face trauma, they struggle with the same mental issues we all do, and their lives are shaped and changed by their surroundings. These are people with healthy potential who become spoiled by a force outside of their help, and they try to cope with mannerisms that aren’t healthy but it’s what they know. Raz and other psychonauts don’t fix these people. They help teach them healthy coping mechanisms and the mind missions help oil the dry cogs so to speak. They come out of it understanding themselves more and from there, know how to begin healing. It took me a few years to realize how true the saying “Knowing is half the battle” really is… If you can admit to yourself the ugly truths, you are already winning that war. The Raz helps his patients reach this stage of self awareness. From there, it’s up to them. This is the kind of focus on mental health we need and I don’t think Psychonauts could have come back into the spotlight at a better time.

[@thatrandomguyontheinternet2477]

The more I watch pyschonauts video essays the more I realize. Maybe I am not mentally healthy, I'm finding elements of myself in multiple characters

[@katebateman7226]

Well done Soldier, get some rest and listen to whatever music you need to get the song out of your head. We appreciate what you do.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

You are a mind reader. I was seriously running around at work humming that song for two weeks. I'm not looking forward to doing Gristol's mind. That damn Grulovian anthem will be the death of me.

[@wjzav1971]

@@GamingUniversityUoG When I played the level, I knew there must be a way to shut that damn music off. Sure enough, I found the record players.... But honestly, Fatherland Follies is the scariest mind in the entire franchise in my opinion. There is just something inherently creepy about a guy who has his own warped views on history, perceives mass murder so differently and wants to bring back a WMD for his own selfish reasons. Its interesting to note that Gristol is the only villain in the entire franchise who is not shown to be a victim of circumstance and does not get cured from his demons but remains a bad guy till the end, unlike Loboto, Oleander or Lucrecia Mux.

[@erikfrommeyer2606]

So… Basic braining: a mindscape created by dreams one wishes to come true Sasha’s shooting gallery: a controlled environment that shows the dangers of repressing emotions Mila’s dance party: when one overcompensates with positive vibes in an attempt to hide past mistakes Brain tumbler: when multiple minds are fused and a symbolic way of showing what’s to come for the hero Lungfishopolis: the mind of a creature controlled by indoctrination and propaganda Milkman conspiracy: the twisted mind of a conspiracy theorist further warped by kill commands Gloria’s theater: when constant abuse leads to a life of self destruction Waterloo world: how to help someone to not give up at the first hurdle Black velvetopia: a vibrant world that shows how to let go of bad memories and free yourself from hatred And meat circus: how childhood trauma can change someone for better or worst, and how a shared fear can create something far worst

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

That is an amazing summation of what this game represents. How many different ways our heads can cause us strife. Psychonauts should be taught in a classroom for anyone going into the mental health profession.

[@berrymayhem6174]

You could also take Oleanders first name to also be like "Morsel'- as in, a small piece of food/meat, like the way butchers take animals and carve the meat into smaller pieces. Or, you could also take Morceau meaning small piece/fragment to relate to the way his psyche was fragmented

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Don't take my word for this, since I didnt look this up, but I wonder if our english word Morsel was derived from the French Morceau. English borrowed lots of their language from others so it wouldnt surprise me.

[@justabridget]

Just wanna mention that Raz is also 10 years old and going through these traumatic experiences, not only of Oleander’s but his own. Plus the added trauma of the second game, if there is a DLC coming out I think it should be titled “Raz goes to therapy!”

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

This poor boy needs some therapy after all this. I mean jeez. He is way to young to be witnessing all this.

[@discordlexia2429]

Raz *is* the therapy. He's healing himself as much as he's healing others. He's confronting these nightmares, but he's *beating* them, and proving to himself as much as the one he's helping that all of this is beatable. That said, I would love a DLC for Psychonauts 2 where you play as Lili and go into Rasputin's mind to help him. I know what it'd be, too. Rasputin is always the one saving people, despite being just a kid, so he could easily develop a saviour complex. Maybe he starts being a bit neurotic and asking to go into people's minds for less and less significant things, and Lili overhears Sasha talking to Mia about how Raz seems to not be adapting well to the regular day-to-day of being a Psychonaut where it *isn't* all saving the world. So, Lili steals a door and lures Raz to an isolated spot by subtly hinting that she might kiss him, then goes into his mind. I think dream Raz would be this big, charismatic hero who's very welcoming to Lili, but who's very eager for her *not* to explore, and when Lili slips away she finds all these other Razputins who have been set aside. But, Lili isn't supposed to find the other Razputins because they're fragile and can't survive outside, and at this point it's revealed that Raz's mind is swarming with various enemies from both games who attack the softer, less heroic Raz's. Lili runs around saving them, and all the while Hero Raz assures her that he's got this and doesn't want to see her in danger. I think there's a good chance that Hero Raz would be the boss, as he gets more and more frustrated with her wanting to save him when obviously *he* should save *her*. He could attack with all Razputin's powers. But, I think Lili would defeat Hero Raz not by destroying him, but by proving herself equal to him and forcing him to accept her as an equal and let her help him. From a story perspective, if we did have a Rasputin's mind level, it would have to be Lili that's the player character. Lili is his girlfriend, that means that she has as much of a duty to him as he has to her. He's saved her before, he set a precedent, and so if anyone has both a duty and a *right* to save him, it's her. I think Lili's powers would mostly revolve around fire, and creatively using a limited fire-based toolkit to do more than just burn things. There could even be a sweet touch where Raz's censors don't attack Lili because they see it as natural that she should be there.

[@drsicret8564]

Thanks for the videos of all the brains of Psychonauts 1! One thing I want to tell, is that how Raz sees people in his own mind with different hair or skin color like his father, one thing thta took my attention was that the game cover says "from the mind of Tim Schafer", so you could say that why some characters are blue skinned, with abnormal features like really big ears, etc is because you are seeing the perception of Tim's mind. Is a bit far fetched, and I think is just the unique style of the game, but I found it very interesting because it could still be.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I remember him saying one inspiration for the game is the line. "What does the sky look like in your world." Got him thinking about how different people's minds work. In regards to the skin color, it seems to occur when the individual has a distorted perception of the character. Dont really see it in the other worlds for the most part.

[@artificemaryam1806]

Fantastic as always, these breakdowns have been nothing but a treat. I hadn't even heard of an Egregore before but how it represents an amalgamation of their shared trauma is really fascinating here. I have to ask, where do you find the images that you use when discussing the principal terms (the angels and fallen angels under Egregore, or the Person Perception? You use these on the other videos too and the artwork is fantastic and really good.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

For those ones I just found them by Google searching faithful vs fallen angel and the other one mirror wallpaper I believe. Weirdly enough that Egregore part almost didnt make it into the script. I was having dinner at talking about the idea to my dad and he referred me other to the concept. Never heard of it before last thursday.

[@scevda]

Coming back to the game through these video, it surprising the Air Force had no desire for Oleander considering how well personell of shorter stature do as pilots

[@OppressedSVTFOEfan]

I hope you'll continue the series by covering the minds in Psychonauts 2

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I absolutely will!

[@cactilloyd]

just wanted to say that i love your psychology of psychonauts videos so much!!! i get so happy whenever i see a new one and i watch all of them several times after you upload them bc i find them incredibly interesting :-)!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you have been enjoying them. These are incredibly fun to work on. I can't express how much I've learned working on these.

[@nexuxpoint204]

13:32 " ....in order to confront the egregor of they're shared daddy issues " sounds so funny to me

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I speak oddly on occasion lol. I acknowledge that.

[@nexuxpoint204]

@@GamingUniversityUoG No I mean that sentence is so funny, ' they're shared daddy issues ' is such a strange and correct way to put it.

[@-Commit-arson-]

Man I hope they eventually do a remake of this game so we get to see the meat circus in all its HD glory

[@mihaianca8602]

Man I love psychology and Psychonauts, this series is so cool! I wish you continued it with Psychonauts 2 and other games :)

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I will absolutely be continuing for Psychonauts 2. Currently I am focused in Remedy games like Control and Alan Wake, psychonauts, hellblade, and some misc other ones thrown in. But I plan on branching out once the Hellblade series is finished.

[@mikeytheeaglescout]

I hope you'll continue this series with Psychonauts 2 (and maybe the Rhombus of Ruin), That game had some fun minds to explore.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

The world In Rhombus of Ruin will definitely appear in the Lobato video

[@schoenperkins8210]

I love Raz’s dad as a character

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

He's a good dude for sure. Glad to see more of him in the sequel

[@cheatsykoopa98]

gameplay wise, I never really understood why so many people complained about meat circus. I played the ps2 version first, so idk if thats the nerfed one, but I never had problems catching mr. bun, because I used invisibility instead of holding him and waiting for oly

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I've never played the original ps2 version but I know they did nerf it for the steam and ps4 release. I've never even thought to use invisibility that way. Honestly I didn't use it much throughout my entire rub.

[@TheRealLumpySpirit]

I played the PS2 release, and honestly? The worst part wasn’t even the Oly bodyguard segments, but this *one* area during the rising water chase that had dodgy collision, made it like 100x harder than it needed to be

[@screamingcactus1753]

The problem is the way Psychonauts handles its powers doesn't really encourage on the fly experimentation. You use telekinesis way more throughout the game than invisibility, and there also aren't many points throughout the game where you can use multiple powers to do the same job, so most players try Telekinesis first, see that it works, and just stick with that.

[@cheatsykoopa98]

@@screamingcactus1753 yeah I know, the same way I see a lot of people equipping levitation even though they dont need it to use it. its a wasted slot I figured that out as a kid and never equipped it ever, so its weird to me that so few people did it too

[@totoroFan]

Thank you so much for this treat of a series!! Absolutely can't wait for the next video and then the Psychonauts 2 ones! Now they just need to make a 3rd so you can cover that too :D (And so I can play it of course~)

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I am very excited to continue this series too! I have a feeling we will be getting another game as well after the success of 2. Thank you so much for supporting the series!

[@lucyread]

In my time zone this came out at four o'clock.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

You're finding it super early then.

[@bellaswift2396]

Traumas can seem small for other people and sometimes irrational but to that person it is everywhere and in everything; having a pet is a big deal as a child and having a family member or someone else kill it and you seeing that happening would damage anyone let alone a impressionable child Oleander went on to try and control his life by trying to fight or defend against a threat something he could never do as a child and was then regularly and continually rejected as a young adult; that will grow bitter resentment in most people saying his story was half baked is incorrect but it was rushed I’ll give you that

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

The coach had a lot working against him. The hard part too is these types of issues that occur at a young age are a huge deal. The brain hasn't finished developing yet so any coping that is done now will make the brain wire to behave like that long term. On average the brain isn't fully formed until age 25. If you did this to an adult it wouldn't have had as much of an effect in the long term.

[@ryansheffield1759]

It's interesting that there is a term for losing a part of yourself when you lose an aspect to adapt to society. Is there a term for a complete break from the soul? Potentially, could this apply to sociopaths who recognize they need to wear a mask to fit into society and learn little by little to "fit in better"? When someone learns how to cope is this always then followed by a soul loss? (My argument is no and yes. After all, if it was a complete yes, any learning would relate to the loss of a piece of a person's soul) When considering the effect of the soul loss and Oleander's change, could there be other changes for soul loss within a person's psyche such as imitation of a role model being replaced with anger towards or even jealousy of them? What could come from a religious standpoint when this concept is applied? Could there be a certain methodology for determining whether someone will cave to learning the rituals and concepts of the new system to fit in versus being maladaptive but trying very hard to understand? I guess the last piece of the puzzle for this concept: Is there a true way to recover that lost piece of yourself? It seems like Psychonauts directly says that the person needs to confront their inner trauma to be better, but is that really the best way? Is it the only way? Can a piece of the soul really be restored by breaking out of the conformity that they endured at first? Or will they lose a second piece of their soul, the new, gained genuinity from the time they spent building themselves up after that trauma.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Frankly I am not a mental health professional so I can't really comment in the BEST way to handle this kind of Inner-Child disassociation. There are a lot of different thoughts on it. The site I used for some of the research is Lonewolf dot com. There are some articles about some techniques. I haven't really read through them in full though. Keep in mind this is from a spiritual basis not specifically a psychological basis. But if one knows the language of both you can find some overlap. Lots of questions though. Definitely one could lose a part of themselves when being brought into a new group dynamic of any paradigm. In the flip an aspect of the self can be destructive so cutting it off can be a positive thing. It really is a case by case basis.

[@ryansheffield1759]

@@GamingUniversityUoG Ill certainly take a little time to look into Lonewolf in that case (I just finished up my classes for the semester so I have a bit of time). Pschcology has always been this weird idea for me, I love learning about it but I hate studying it. So, I get to times like this where I ask a lot of questions to figure out new concepts like whats spoken about here. Oh and sorry for the ton of questions, like I said this is a new set of material for me lol Keep up the good work and hopefully Ill catch your streams sooner or later (Just remember to not suck!) Keep up the good work:)

[@YukiDelValle]

@@ryansheffield1759 When people have to pretend to be neurotypical, it's called masking :) I don't think it had to do with the concept of soul loss tho, because it's conscious choice.

[@ryansheffield1759]

@@YukiDelValle Ok ok, to take your idea and run with it, may I propose the following: Not every time that they are forced into a situation though is it their choice. Think of someone who is forced to go to an event by someone (parents, friends, a partner). Masking may (and probably will) take place at first just to fit in, but in the event that something outside of the norm happens, then it certainly isn't just masking anymore, I think we can agree. The questionfor determining soul loss versus masking in the case you preseneted then would come down to the question of "how much of a tragic event would there need to be to break from masking," right? That's the tricky part to answer I guess... we literally have people that are labeled snowflakes after all, so would it be fair to say that they can mask as well as other people in all situations? I think the answer should be a resounding "no" in some situations and an equal "yes" in other cases. With the line being blurry then for masking versus soul loss on events where you're forced to go, what about events where you're not forced to? After all, we've shown that there should be a definate line between masking and soul loss. The question here would become "Does the act of choice eliminate soul loss completely?" For that, I would use the example of X religion. You volunarily join X religion because several of your neighbors or family invite you to and you want to socially mask so you agree. After a while, you go and learn their rituals, the songs, the cadence of their requirements... are you still the same person? If not, can you still attribute that to masking, or is it moreso that you have experienced two things: Soul loss (for what the religion doesn't consider "good"), and a sense of reinforcement (for what the religion does consider "good").

[@YukiDelValle]

@@ryansheffield1759 Of course, many of our actions are not truly choices. What I mean is we can stop masking, we can see with whom we need to mask, it's a coping mechanism. It has nothing to do with joining a religion or something, it's just "hiding" you're mentally ill/disabled. My only knowledge about soul loss comes from this video, but it seems you can't "stop" or "undo" it.

[@bluwasabi7635]

Thanks for making this video while not overusing the Meat Circus theme music.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

For the last two weeks I've had the meat circus theme stuck in my head because of this video. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone lol.

[@bluwasabi7635]

@@GamingUniversityUoG ...not even your worst enemy? Very considerate

[@zuzuomelete]

Man, what a great video!! As always!! It amazes me the way that you actually invest time to research and comprehend these minds! Can't wait for the next ones (specially for Gristol's)! PS: It would be very cool if you also make a video about Dr. Loboto's mind in Rhombus of Ruin!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

For Lobato I'll be merging his world in rhombus of ruin with the tutorial level of the second game. All of it works together for it. Only hard part is I don't have any video assets since I can't figure out how to record VR games without having two circle windows as the recording.

[@unrellated]

@@GamingUniversityUoG Maybe some Let's Players will be generous enough to let you borrow their footage.

[@BabyCharmander]

@@GamingUniversityUoG Huh, I've streamed VR and that's never been a problem for me. With my Oculus RIft, there's an "Oculus Mirror" I can open on my desktop, which is what I stream the visuals from, and it shows it as a single image.

[@The_Gidz]

I just beat this game for the first time the other week and loved it, but it was unfortunate that the final level felt to be the weakest

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

It definitely was the most linear and short. Sadly most of the good info didn't make it to the game itself.

[@OnDavidsBrain]

With that we're done with the original Psychonauts, great job. Now to see you delve into Psychonauts 2 to see what this team can do with almost 16 years of experience and much more time and budget under their belts. Speaking of I'm betting that you'll combine Lobato's minds in both Rhombus of Ruin and Psychonauts 2 to save time and since it's the same character albeit under different stimuli which I bet will be the case for the 4 different aspects of Ford Cruller's and Hollis Forsythe's minds.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Oh definitely. I'll be putting the two mental worlds for Dr. Lobato together. I heard that Double Fine consulted mental health professionals for the 2nd game so it should be a lot more realistic than how it was portrayed in the first game. Looking forward to it

[@Phlosioneer]

Wow, I really didn't think this video would actually happen. The video on the milkman conspiracy hooked me; the series recently got me to binge and then 100% the game, but this level was missing.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Glad I was able to get you into the series! It is an awesome play through experience. Yeah I plan to do the entire sequel as well.

[@zaxary2137]

The fandom is aliveeee! Also thank you so much for the video) I enjoyed it

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

My pleasure! And yes I am so excited to see how the fandom has exploded once the sequel came out.

[@zaxary2137]

@@GamingUniversityUoG thank you for explaining the psychology behind every level! I loved it, you are amazing. I don't have enough words to express my gratitude!

[@ileftmystoveonpleaseremind259]

At 2:43 do you mean repressed or suppressed because if it was repressed he wouldn't have a recollection of it

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Probably a bad way to phrase it on my end. It can be either way honestly. The cobwebs are just s sign that part of the mind hasn't been visited in a while.

[@skeleslimephantom]

Love all these deep dive videos for the Psychonauts series you do. I can't wait to see if you do one on Dr. Loboto

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I'm excited to get into the next game!

[@TragicKF]

I was not expecting this video series to talk about THE BOOK OF ENOCH of all things lmao. Love it.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Lmao yeah I've heard my seques like that are almost a meme at this point. Glad you get a kick out of my craziness.

[@MikeBeanFox]

Decided to join the notification squad!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Haha welcome aboard. I have a merit badge just for you for joining!

[@CSXIV]

Kinda obvious, but I didn’t see it stated: It’s not Raz that sends the distorted version of his father into the meat grinder. It’s his actual dad that does this. What killed the mental image wasn’t Raz overcoming his father, but his father talking to him about it, correcting the distorted imagine. Raz needed to come the realization, but his father had to take the first step.

[@hoogachakahoogahooga]

Darn it! Now I need to buy and play Psychonauts 2 before you do Ps’nauts 2splained! Else, all the cool stuff will be spoiled right in front of my very own two eyes! *NOW* where can I get my thirst that could be mistaken as bloodlust for childhood trauma??? Jokes aside, congrats getting through every single level and finding the stories behind them. I learned a bunch of things about both mental issues, the story of Psychonauts perfectly blended in with the gameplay, and a couple other things I don’t feel like listing. Hopefully I’ll be able to play Sequelnauts, and that you’ll cover those levels with the same quality here, if not even better. Much respect.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

My absolute pleasure buddy! Glad to be able to provide some content you appreciate. You have a bit of time on the sequel though. Have a couple videos to get through before going properly into it

[@VinceMouse]

I appreciate that Raz and Oliander both keep up a friendly relationship going forward, even if they have some friction here and there.

[@ethejumper6568]

Timestamps: 0:00 Beginning of the Climax 0:55 Egregore 1:53 The Explanation of Oleanders inner Child 2:33 Entering the Meat Circus 3:01 Mental Vault of Young Oleander 3:32 Soul-Loss 4:17-7:21 The Backstory of Morceau Oleander 7:22 Explaining Soul-Loss 8:17 Forschadowing 8:48 The Explanation of the Meat Bunnies 8:55 Another Forschadowing 9:10-9:42 Another Reason for Oleander being evil in the first Game 9:47 The Soul Retrieval 10:34-11:05 The black Sheep 11:06-11:42 The Acrobutcher (2-Headed Dad Monster) 11:43-12:38 The Person Perception 12:39-13:06 Observed Traits and Perceived Traits 13:20-13:48 The End of the Trauma

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Thanks for the timestamps! One of these days I'll figure out how to make this in the video itself.

[@nucleor7268]

“I’ve got you Mr. Bunny!”

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Poor thing. Must protect ay all cost

[@XOverWriter]

This is a great series and I want to see them do it for Psychonaughts 2. I also want to see if they could do it for American McGee's Alice. It would be interesting.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

American McGee's is amazing. I see it as showing how a person's 'Wonderland' can change as they age and get a few more scars on their psyche. And yes I'll be doing these for Psychonauts 2 as well!

[@The_Guild_Mages_Forum]

Great video! Im SO excited for you to cover psychonauts 2!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Same here! Especially since they made the worlds more realistic and less insane in some ways. Away from the psitanium I feel like they are more relatable.

[@drakofox1362]

Thanks for all these vids gave me a more in depth of each mind of the first game and I hope you do the other games minds I would love to see your thoughts on them

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I'm glad you have enjoyed them! Thank you so much for the support. And yes I will 100% be doing a season 2 to cover the second game.

[@pcrpsuniverse9118]

Please more videos like these!!! Loved this series of analyzing paychonauts levels :D

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Plenty more to come!

[@KnoxCarbon]

Can't wait to see you tackle Loboto's Labyrinth

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

It is going to be a lot of fun. That guy is messed up in so many ways.

[@Ihazkirbro]

I think you nailed this series, and I think that its probably because... You gave it Everything you got.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Thank you so much! It is weird to think it has been over a year since I started the series here.

[@NububuChan]

Haha I love how videos about the Meat Circus or the Aquatos family always have that circus music in the beginning - it's too iconic not to include!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

That song still gives me anxiety lol.

[@LokeSandwall]

Yes!!! I have be looking forward to this all november!!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I hope it was worth the wait!

[@LokeSandwall]

@@GamingUniversityUoG it definitely was! I find it so interesting how every video in this series manages to discuss a new aspect of psychology every time! None of the videos are more or less the same. Props both to Double Fine and you for creating an amazing game and an equally amazing analysis!

[@Bone220]

Hey guys, I can't help but notice one massive flaw in his backstory... How is he to small to be a tanker? Those boxes are so tight fitting that people over 6 feet actually are told they are too tall to be a tanker. Those boxes are meant to be as jam packed and small as possible with some so small it can only fit a crew of 2 for a 5 man job. I garentee if he tried being a tanker and saw his height, they would have jumped at the opportunity. Maybe he could be a loader, if he's to small to use his legs then he just needs to work on his arm strength to load a shell into the breach. If that's not possible there are support roles inside like the radioman or engineer who don't really do much but supervise unless it's an emergency. My side theory is he got kicked out due to having mental issues, because any hint of depression or any mental effect that can change how he things results in an instant denial from the military. So maybe he took it as them saying to too small and weak but the real reason is his mental abilities. And before you say they would say he's too small, my brother is trying to get in the marines and ligit they just don't call back, they don't say stuff is wrong they just go silent.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

It's entirely possible he got kicked out for other reasons yeah. But he has a huge complex about his height so he believed all of it was for the same reason.

[@Bone220]

@@GamingUniversityUoG btw, thanks for these videos. It's helping me look inside myself. I really appreciate it because if I'm able to, I can fix my own issues through the knowledge I have them. Ps I'm glad you liked my theory. I can't wait to see the rest of the series. (Pps for anyone who cares about the last bit, my brother got a response from his recruiter so he's on track to join the marines.)

[@venom_1072]

I wish they explored the connection between oleander and raz since he helped with his own daddy issues and morrys like he would probably be eternally grateful it comes up in occasion but them both being forced into the image of their father by different means they would have a deeper relationship especially since raz freed and fought against oleander like that would be a complicated thing to navigate and I would like to witness that first conversation after meat circus

[@zenowolfpirate1442]

this great video now time to wait for you to do The Psychology of Psychonauts 2

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I'm looking forward to working on it

[@tilmanmjstoll]

Thank you so much for this awesome series.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

You got it!

[@gameboi6932]

I can’t wait till he reviews Gristol Malik‘s mind

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Now that I finally got the Meat Circus theme out of my head I have the Grulovian Anthem ready to take its place. Oh boy.

[@waywardwriterryu7185]

Since this is relatively close to the end, do you plan to cover 2 in the future?

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

This series will continue for the sequels mental worlds. There is one more video planned for the first game then we are diving into.

[@kiroubada]

do you have any plans on covering the Psychology of Psychonauts 2? great video btw!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Thank you so much! And yes the sequel is already planned.

[@purpleplasma4824]

Another cool thing is Little Oly repeats the same lines as his dad during the boss fight "Don't run or else daddy's gonna kill you" in the dream which I find is a beautiful detail.

[@aldenrustici6445]

Lovely. Great job. Thank You for making this fantastic video. :)

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

My pleasure!

[@Volti-Vagra]

6:47 im sorry but- werent the insides of tanks notoriously cramped? even n o w ? wouldnt small be a gem encrusted, gilded medal embedded to your being? ? ? least for things inclined towards the smaller of us plus his background/+mentality would be p e r f e c t they seriously gave up a one man army right there

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Remember everything in the vaults is his perception. He 'believes' this is the reason for everything

[@Volti-Vagra]

oh yeah- duh c: sorry bout that i just went full logic brain "small must be good for small spot yes?"

[@soulbound2]

Man not only is this vid good but its Info also helps me write for a character in my own series thanks!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

You got it! Glad to help.

[@dimsword35]

I didn't know psychonauts could be so accurate to real world psychology, that's actually pretty cool.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Especially on the second game, the devs say they went out of their way to dead upon real research or experiences

[@windsmith4048]

I love this seiries. I was wondering if you were going to do the minds in psyconauts 2?

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

A season 2 of this playlist will be getting going pretty soon in order to cover the new game.

[@Titan990]

I love this series. Once we head to the second game I would love to give a proposed timeline because the next game has a very interesting timeline and because psychonauts has a very messed up one. Simply put, the game takes place in the 1980s, early 1980s. This isn’t so bad until you get to the lore behind thorney towers where everything gets messed up. It says the tower was closed in the 20s yet Boyd is clearly imagining a 50s neighborhood. Edgars mind could take place in either the 50s to 70s. Fred is somehow the orderly of all of this. The only one that makes sense to be here a long time is Gloria. So why does this matter? The second game really throws this off and I’ll talk about this when we get to some more appropriate minds in the second game. Namely a special one of the sensory kind.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

The timeline for thorney towers has always bugged me too. I wouldn't think they were there for 30 years without food or water.

[@Titan990]

@@GamingUniversityUoG the only other theory I have is that they were brought there but the game says no they’ve been here the whole time. But that’s okay, the second game corrects the timeline right? Right?

[@timeforamazingchest5271]

Fantastic series, I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to your analysis of the second game!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Thank you so much! I'm excited to start the next games too.

[@artmanxp]

Can't wait to see what you do for the sequel

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I'm excited to check out he sequel too! This series has been a lot of fun to work on.

[@rohdri]

Ironically, small size should be an advantage for tank driving. Small working space.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Memory vaults are also shown to reflect how the person remembers the event. So it could have been for other reasons but he attributed it to his 'shortcomings'

[@beterbomen]

Amazing video as always! Well done!

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@ShackleYT]

I'd like to point out that Little Morseau's favorite ride in the meat circus is the tunnel of love. i'm not sure if it means anything, but i like to theorize that his mind did recognize that his father DID try to show affection and the attention a child deserves towards his son. and oleander cherished those moments. Key word being tried. Sadly Butch never did allay poor Oleander's fears, and Oleander was too ashamed of his failures to have a conversation with his father until it was too late, but that 1 little scene showed that they did care for each other, even with the mental trauma.

[@karmapotato5048]

You know what really gets me about Oleander? I guarantee that his dad is similar to Raz's dad. Not the monster we see in the Meat Circus. But just a man doing his job. In his mind, he might have just thought the conversation he had with Oly was just standard fair for his family, or even thought his words improved Oly's life, seeing as he went on to do incredibly in school due to intense discipline. Yeah the way he treated the rabbit was bad, killing it for being small, but the same mindset could be said for the dad in Charlotte's Web. Plus, I doubt Oly's dad knew he had developed the ability to hear animal thoughts so he couldn't know how this would affect Oly

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

It is kind of sad considering things like this happen with parents and their kids. Not to this extreme. But little things can impact children without realizing it. I think Bioshock 2 in its theming really hammered this point home.

[@rodan9773]

On this video has got some MEAT to it should be very intresting. Respect and keep up the epic work.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

There the puns I love so much! Have a great day dude.

[@tomthebat394]

I'm excited to see what you'll do for the newer worlds I know that will be a while since Psychonauts 2 is still new and such and you'll have to do abit more playthroughs to get a full grasp and such but I'm excited still

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

That plus I need to record all the assets lol. But I'm excited to see what will come out of the sequel worlds.

[@ExquisiteVegeta]

I love these videos. There are a few channels out there that break down the psychology of Psychonauts, but none of them have videos as well executed as yours. You’ve clearly done your research and put a lot of time into each one of these. Do you think we will be seeing video revolving around the minds in Psychonauts 2?

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I really appreciate your comment! It is common that we compare ourselves to other creators so it is good to know you enjoy it! And yes I'll be doing these for the sequel.

[@fangthedergon1863]

I never knew about the clairvoyance fact thank you that's really cool

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Found that detail on the wiki site. I never went and tried it on every character during my playthrough.

[@NPipiniko]

This level gives me PTSD

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Same here. I have had that song stuck in my head for two weeks since i started working on it. So much anxiety lol.

[@VinsBloodshotEye]

Not gonna lie, I teared up a bit. Good video.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

I very much appreciate it. It is sad how one event can radically change a person's life.

[@TheIvoryDingo]

Ah yes. Brain Sneezing Powder, more commonly known as Pepper.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Lmao pretty much