In this Checkpoint Thursday episode of the Average Joe Nerdcast, Nate takes a break from survival horror after finally conquering an insanity run of Resident Evil 9 to talk about something equally mind-bending: the psychology of misdirection.

Magicians have used attention control for centuries to perform impossible illusions: making coins disappear, cards change, and entire audiences look in the wrong place at the perfect moment. But the principles behind those tricks don’t just apply to stage magic.

From ancient Rome’s “bread and circuses” to today’s algorithm-driven attention economy, the battle for public focus has become one of the most powerful forces shaping the modern world.

In this episode we explore:

How magicians use misdirection to control attention

The psychology of selective attention and the famous “gorilla experiment”

Why humans are wired to focus on dramatic events

How social media algorithms amplify distraction

And why asking “Where’s the other hand?” might be one of the most important questions you can ask in the information age.

Sometimes the trick isn’t hiding the truth.

Sometimes it’s just making sure you’re looking somewhere else.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow the show, leave a rating, and come hang out with us in the Average Joe Nerdcast private Facebook group! Link to the group 👇

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The lobby’s always open.

Stay gold.

Nerd bold.

Resident Evil Requiem is here! And it completely derailed my recording schedule.

In this episode of the Average Joe Nerdcast, Nate breaks down Capcom’s ninth mainline entry in the legendary Resident Evil franchise. This isn’t a scored, IGN-style review. Think of it as your bro giving you his honest thoughts after being fully locked in for an entire weekend post launch.

We’re talking:

Why Grace’s Rhodes Hill section is the most terrifying survival horror experience in years

Why some players are calling it “too scary” and why that’s actually a compliment

How Leon’s gameplay refines and evolves the action foundations established in Resident Evil 4

The return of zombies and why their “memory of function” makes them more disturbing than ever

Subtle Raccoon City and RPD callbacks that celebrate 30 years of Resident Evil history

And a beginner roadmap for newcomers who want to experience the franchise before diving into RE9

Resident Evil Requiem blends the best elements of Resident Evil (1996), Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard into a confident, terrifying culmination of three decades of survival horror evolution.

If you enjoyed this episode, then please follow the show! And leave a 5-Star rating and Review! Then head over to Facebook and Join The Lobby, the private Average Joe Nerdcast group! Link to Group 👇

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Stay Gold, Nerd Bold.

After diving headfirst into Resident Evil Requiem, Nate realized something…

The real horror of the Resident Evil universe might not be the monsters.

It might be the scientists.

In this episode of the Average Joe Nerdcast, Nate takes a fun deep dive into the absolutely unhinged bio-weapon science behind the Resident Evil franchise from viral mutations and parasitic mind control to the corporate insanity of the Umbrella Corporation.

Why do the experiments always go wrong?

Why do the viruses keep getting worse?

And how did Resident Evil manage to stay one of gaming’s most beloved horror franchises for nearly thirty years?

This episode blends Resident Evil lore, gaming nostalgia, and a healthy amount of roasting the world’s most irresponsible fictional scientists.

If you’re a fan of Resident Evil, survival horror, or just ridiculous sci-fi bio-weapon experiments…you’re in the right place.

If you enjoyed the episode, then hop over to Facebook and Join The Lobby the Average Joe Nerdcast community and tell us:

Which Resident Evil virus would be the most terrifying in real life?

Link to the Facebook group 👇

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And if you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to leave a rating and share the podcast with another nerd in your life.

Stay Gold, Nerd Bold.

Before Resident Evil defined survival horror in 1996, there was Sweet Home an obscure 1989 Famicom title directed by Tokuro Fujiwara that quietly planted the seeds of structured fear.

In this Checkpoint Thursday episode of Average Joe Nerdcast, Nate dives into the creative lineage behind Resident Evil, from Fujiwara’s early horror experimentation to Shinji Mikami’s genre-defining restraint, and ultimately the reinvention of the franchise with Resident Evil 4.

We explore:

The origins of survival horror

Sweet Home’s influence on Resident Evil

Shinji Mikami’s early Capcom career

The risky design philosophy behind Resident Evil (1996)

How Resident Evil 4 reshaped the entire industry

Why Mikami walked away and evolved

This is design history.

It’s creative mentorship.

It’s the inheritance of fear.

If you love Resident Evil, survival horror, or the creators behind the games that shaped us, then give this one a listen. Then follow the show and please leave a 5-Star rating and review.

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Stay Gold. Nerd Bold.

Thirty years ago, Resident Evil didn’t just introduce zombies to the PlayStation, it redefined how fear worked in video games.

With Resident Evil Requiem bringing us back to the ruins of Raccoon City, we’re rewinding to where it all began. In this deep dive, Nate breaks down the original survival horror era from the Spencer Mansion in Resident Evil (1996) to the city-wide collapse of Resident Evil 2, the relentless pursuit of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and the global escalation in Code: Veronica.

We’re talking:

The birth of survival horror

Ink ribbons and tension as a mechanic

The first zombie head turn

William Birkin and the G-Virus

Nemesis as the ultimate hunter

Wesker’s betrayal and Umbrella’s rise

A celebration of the original releases that built the foundation of one of gaming’s most iconic franchises.

If you grew up conserving ammo like it was rent money…

If “Jill sandwich” still lives rent free in your brain…

If you still hear heavy footsteps in your nightmares…

The join the Average Joe Nerdcast as we take a look back at where it all started.

Then follow the show so you don’t miss Part 2 as we dive into Resident Evil’s reinvention era. And please leave a 5-Star rating and review if you’re enjoying the series, it definitely helps more than you think.

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Stay Gold. Nerd Bold.

What does a cult actually look like?

Not the Hollywood version.

Not the robes-and-compounds version.

The modern one.

In this episode of CTRL + ALT + DELUSION, Nate breaks down the real psychology of cults and how they form, how they grow, and why smart, confident people fall into them without realizing it.

We’re talking:

Belonging before control

Identity over evidence

Catchphrases instead of arguments

Why facts bounce off

How loyalty slowly replaces morality

This episode is an exploration of human behavior, certainty, and how movements turn into belief systems that can’t be questioned...until suddenly, the picture becomes very clear.

There’s humor.

There’s discomfort.

And by the end, there’s no pretending we don’t see it.

If you’ve ever wondered how people get pulled into cults and why they don’t leave this episode may help to connect the dots.

Listen all the way through.

The last act matters.

“The most dangerous cults don’t ask you to leave society.

They ask you to burn it down for them.”

And if this episode made you think or made you uncomfortable help it reach someone who needs to hear it; and then follow the show wherever you're listening, please leave a 5-star rating and review too!

And if you want to keep talking about it in good faith, join the Average Joe Nerdcast private Facebook group. That’s where Side Quest episodes take shape, longer discussions happen, and curiosity still wins over outrage. And we blow off some steam playing fun and silly games throughout the week.

Link to the private group 👇

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Lobbies always open.

Stay gold. Nerd bold.

In Part III of the History Rhymes series, Nate examines how journalism becomes a target and why labeling credible reporting as “fake news” is one of the oldest authoritarian tactics in modern history.

From Nazi Germany’s propaganda machine to today’s fractured media ecosystem, this episode breaks down how discrediting independent news outlets weakens public trust, overwhelms citizens with conflicting information, and creates the conditions for power consolidation.

We explore:

How authoritarian movements historically attacked journalists

The rise of propaganda as a tool of political insulation

Why overwhelming the information space makes accountability harder

How media bias, partisan networks, and algorithm-driven outrage blur reality

Why facts and truth do not belong to a political party

And when truth becomes negotiable, power becomes flexible.

History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes. And understanding how journalism is undermined is critical to protecting democratic institutions, accountability, and informed citizenship.

This episode is part of a larger deep-dive examining propaganda, detention systems, power consolidation, and the fork in the road modern democracies now face.

If this episode made you think, share it with someone who still believes context matters and follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a 5-star rating and review, it helps independent voices stay visible.

And join the Average Joe Nerdcast community on Facebook where we hang out, chat about anything and everything, and play some fun games throughout the week. Link to group 👇

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Lobbies always open.

Stay Gold. Nerd Bold.

Was America founded as a Christian nation?

Or is that a modern myth wrapped in patriotic language?

In this episode of the Average Joe Nerdcast, Nate breaks down the difference between Christianity and Christian nationalism and debunks the claim that the United States was established as a Christian government.

We walk through:

What the Constitution actually says about religion

The separation of church and state

The “no religious test” clause in Article VI

The “Year of our Lord” argument and why it doesn’t prove what people think it proves

Why so many Americans believe the “Christian nation” narrative

And how Christian nationalism blends faith, identity, and political power

This episode is not an attack on Christianity.

It’s a fact-based look at how religious freedom works and why the Founding Fathers intentionally kept government neutral on belief.

If this episode hit for you then please, share it with someone and keep the conversation going! And then come join the Average Joe Nerdcast Facebook group! The Lobby is always open. We keep it respectful, thoughtful, and nerdy (even when the topics get serious). And we try to play fun games every day. Link to the Group 👇

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And make sure you’re following the podcast, so you never miss a Mainline Monday or Checkpoint Thursday!

And if you enjoy the show, leave a 5-star rating and review it helps more than you know and keeps the algorithm from excommunicating us.

As always

Stay Gold. Nerd Bold.

What happens when a single halftime show reveals what people really think about race, culture, and who belongs in America?

In this episode of the Average Joe Nerdcast, Nate takes on a tough but honest topic: how people can be outwardly kind, polite, and “good” in everyday life while still holding beliefs that are exclusionary, biased, or quietly racist.

Sparked by the backlash to a Puerto Rican–led halftime performance and the “real America” counter-narrative online, this episode digs into the psychology behind modern prejudice, including the concept of aversive racism, when people see themselves as fair and decent, but react negatively when the culture around them changes.

With a mix of humor, personal reflection, and disappointed internet-dad energy, Nate breaks down:

Why some “nice” people react so strongly to cultural diversity

The difference between personal preference and exclusionary beliefs

How the idea of “real America” is often based on appearance, language, and comfort

Why moments like the Super Bowl halftime show expose deeper biases

The psychology behind modern, polite forms of racism

And maybe… a much-needed dad talk for the internet.

Follow, rate, and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple, and join the Average Joe Nerdcast Lobby on Facebook to keep the conversation going. Link 👇

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Stay Gold. Nerd Bold.

History doesn’t start with monsters.

It starts with explanations.

In History Rhymes Part II, we keep the conversation going and look at the part most people skip: Germany before the camps became synonymous with horror and why that history matters when we talk about modern immigration detention centers in the United States.

This episode isn’t about shock value or lazy comparisons. It’s about noticing the patterns.

We examine:

How detention camps were originally sold to ordinary Germans as temporary, necessary, and humane

Why the goal was removal long before it was extermination

How euphemistic language (“holding centers,” “protective custody,” “administrative solutions”) made cruelty feel reasonable

The Evian Conference and how the world’s refusal to accept refugees helped lock those systems in

Why Americans recoil at the phrase “concentration camp” and what that reaction reveals

How normalization, silence, and “what’s the alternative?” pave the road to moral collapse

This episode also draws direct parallels to today:

Immigration detention centers

Indefinite confinement without traditional due process

Dehumanizing rhetoric used to justify suffering

And why arguing about words is often easier than confronting conditions

This is not about saying history is repeating exactly.

It’s just about recognizing the rhyme while it’s still interruptible.

Because by the time history looks unmistakably evil, it’s already entrenched.

Follow the Average Joe Nerdcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen, and leave a rating if you feel inclined it helps more than you think and is always appreciated!

And if you want a place where these conversations can continue and a bit of fun can be had, come join the Average Joe Nerdcast community on Facebook Link to Community 👇

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Lobbies always open.

Stay Gold. Nerd Bold.