Advertise on podcast: UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious

This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost question three big developments in games: Tim Sweeney’s promise that AI will usher in a golden age of gaming, claims that the console era is over, and the closure of BioWare. They challenge the idea that AI-generated abundance will lead to better games, arguing that some of gaming’s most iconic innovations emerged from technical constraints rather than unlimited resources. The conversation also explores how AI could flood platforms with generic content, intensify competition for attention, and create more work rather than less. Plus, a brief eulogy for BioWare, a look at what Mass Effect meant to its fans, and some Halloween banter. --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ● YouTube  ● Spotify  ● Apple  For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

This week on UNBOXING, Joosts sit down with George Osborn, author of Power Play: Video Games, Politics, and the Battle for Global Influence, to explore how video games have become a powerful—and often overlooked—force in global politics. Drawing on his experience in games industry communications and his research into the political influence of gaming communities, George argues that games are far more than entertainment: they are digital gathering places where communities form identities, shape public discourse, and influence the world beyond the screen. The conversation examines Saudi Arabia’s acquisition of Electronic Arts and what ownership of major gaming companies means for soft power, cultural influence, and the future of the industry. George explains how political influence can operate without direct orders, shaping corporate decisions, industry norms, and the conversations companies choose not to have. He also discusses Gamergate, the rise of parallel media institutions, the precarious state of independent games journalism, and the dangers of tolerating misogyny and toxicity in gaming communities. Finally, George makes the case for a more mature industry that invests in cultural institutions, game preservation, and stronger alliances with regulators and civil society. What would it take for the games industry to recognize—and take responsibility for—its power? --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ● YouTube  ● Spotify  ● Apple  For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost reunite after a brief hiatus to catch up on Renaissance Faires, Comic-Con, and why young people increasingly want to connect with each other in person. Then, they turn to two major stories shaping the games industry. First, Joost breaks down the debate over Newzoo’s latest market forecasts and Deconstructor of Fun’s inflation-adjusted analysis, questioning whether the industry is growing as strongly as headline figures suggest. With growth concentrated in a handful of companies and markets, the duo asks what industry-wide revenue numbers actually tell us—and how optimistic forecasts can become narratives that serve corporate interests. Then, they examine reporting on former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick’s attempts to challenge games journalism through legal threats. What happens when wealthy executives target independent reporters who lack the legal protections of major newsrooms? The conversation explores the growing precarity of games journalism, the erosion of media institutions, and the difficulty of holding powerful industry figures accountable. --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ● YouTube  ● Spotify  ● Apple  For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

This week on UNBOXING, Joost sits down with longtime games industry consultant Teut Weidemann for a wide-ranging conversation about free-to-play, monetization, and where the games industry is headed next. They dig into the myths surrounding conversion rates and other KPIs, and why metrics are often misunderstood or misused. They also discuss product positioning in an increasingly overcrowded market, the problems with designing games around monetization rather than players, and the strange ways gacha and gambling mechanics have become embedded in games. Finally, they look at AI and its potential to radically reduce development costs, enable smaller creative teams, and shift the industry's biggest bottleneck from making games to getting them noticed. Plus, a look at Weidemann' new book, I Teut You So: Why Fairness Wins in Free-to-Play. --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ● YouTube  ● Spotify  ● Apple  For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dig into two big questions facing the games industry: what happens when regulators start treating games as a space that needs protection for children, and what happens when the industry itself keeps getting bigger and more concentrated? First, they unpack the EU’s proposed Kids Act, which would introduce new rules around how online games engage with minors. They compare the EU’s approach with the more hands-off, parental-tools-focused approach in the US, and debate whether games risk being lumped in with social media, gambling, and other heavily regulated industries. Then, Joost breaks down his latest research into games industry consolidation, revealing that the top 10 game companies generated roughly $100 billion in publishing revenue in 2025 and now account for around 56% of the market. The duo digs into what’s driving that concentration, from rising development costs and acquisitions to economies of scale. Along the way, they debate whether market concentration actually tells us anything about the health of the industry. Plus, a preview of Joost’s upcoming research and a plug for ROM Chip’s upcoming talk on the history of Tetris. --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ● YouTube  ● Spotify  ● Apple  For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dig into Roblox’s new “Roblox Everywhere” initiative, which could let creators turn Roblox-built games into standalone apps across mobile, PC, and console. They unpack what the move could mean for Roblox as a platform, engine, and distribution network - and ask what happens when thousands of new Roblox games flood already-overloaded app stores. They also explore a bigger question: if Roblox games leave the platform, who is responsible for keeping players safe? The conversation then turns to newly public legal documents from a class-action lawsuit against Take-Two over NBA 2K’s virtual currency. Why does Take-Two say players never actually owned the currency they purchased? And why can’t unused currency carry over when an older game’s servers shut down? Laine and Joost use the case to explore the strange economics of digital ownership - and whether blockchain, despite all its baggage, might actually have offered a technological solution to a problem the industry still hasn’t solved. They also talk about the larger political economy of games: why companies continually externalize risk, how research firms can shape the industries they study, and whether alternative models of ownership and compensation could give creators and workers a more lasting stake in the things they build. Finally, they answer a listener question about how parents are supposed to know which games are appropriate for their kids in an increasingly fragmented digital ecosystem. From the origins of the ESRB to the limits of self-regulation, Laine and Joost ask whether games can actually be governed at the scale of today’s platforms - and what happens when all the responsibility ultimately gets pushed onto parents. --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ● YouTube  ● Spotify  ● Apple  For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost open up their annual student gaming surveys to find out what today’s college students actually play, watch, own, and care about. Across nearly 80 students, they compare notes on everything from the surprising dominance of the Nintendo Switch to the near-disappearance of VR and blockchain games. They dig into why YouTube is overtaking Twitch for livestreams, how Minecraft became a generation-defining game, and why Cyberpunk 2077 seems to be having a youth-culture comeback. They also explore gaming as a gateway to music discovery, fan art, and cosplay - and discover just how many of their students want to work in the games industry. Plus: AI use, sports betting, board games, and a cliffhanger about whether physical games could ever make a comeback. Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ● YouTube  ● Spotify  ● Apple  For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost are back from their summer hiatus to unpack the biggest stories they missed while they were away. First, they compare notes on their summer adventures, from Gamescom and WNBA road trips to line dancing and getting some much-needed time off. Then, the duo dives into a packed summer news cycle, including Gamescom’s growing dominance as the global games industry’s biggest event, the Saudi-backed $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts, and the high-stakes hype surrounding GTA VI and Netflix’s surprising role in its marketing machine. They also dig into the ongoing human cost of industry consolidation and layoffs, before turning to Sony’s plans to go discless and what the move means for digital ownership, preservation, and platform power. It’s a lot to catch up on—but after three months away, there was plenty to unbox! Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ● YouTube  ● Spotify  ● Apple  For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

Sega takes a massive Rovio write-down as the mobile gaming gold rush cools off. PLUS: eBay rejects GameStop’s takeover bid as “neither credible nor attractive.”  --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

GameStop’s CEO wants to buy eBay and we have thoughts... PLUS: Unity’s recent AI pivot and what that means for the future of games.  --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

End-of-semester teaching wins, losses, and lessons learned. AI in the classroom—tool, crutch, or existential threat? PLUS: Tune in for strategies to beat the AI homework machine.  --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

Xbox cuts Game Pass prices—strategy shift or quiet retreat? PLUS: The cloud gaming dream fades as subscriptions hit their limits.  --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

Disney x Epic’s newest (and possibly dumbest) venture yet, then find out if today’s industry is “crashier” than it was in the 80s. PLUS: Capitalism enters a new phase of stupid and we hate it!  --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

PlayStation price hike. PLUS: Subscriptions rise as game sales fall.  --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!

Layoffs of Epic (Games) proportions. PLUS: India’s rise & global power shifts in gaming?  --  Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts:  ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ For the true fans, subscribe to our newsletter for weekly email updates and more!