Shows / UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together on UNBOXING, these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of the games business they share with their students and cover the games news for insiders and newbies alike. A weekly podcast for anyone curious about why games matter in today's economy, dropping every Friday. Logo by Moira Zhang, theeverdrift.cargo.site
Episodes
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
AI’s Golden Age, the End of Consoles & BioWare’s Demise
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
George Osborn on Video Games, Political Power & Global Influence
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Games Industry Growth, Bobby Kotick & the Fight for Games Journalism
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Free-to-Play, Game Design & the AI Shakeup
This week on UNBOXING, Joost sits down with longtime games industry consultant Teut Weidemann for a wide-ranging conversation about free-to-play, monetization…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
The Kids Act, Consolidation & the Future of the Games Industry
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Roblox Everywhere, the Slopocalypse, and Who Actually Owns Your Games?
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
What Do College Students Actually Play? Inside the 2026 Games Industry Classroom
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Back to School: Summer’s Biggest Games Industry News
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
“Neither Credible Nor Attractive”
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
GameStop Pines After eBay and Unity Pushes More AI
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
That’s a Wrap on Spring 2026!
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Xbox’s Price Cut: Is the Subscription Dream Cracking?
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Welcome to Stupid Stage Capitalism: The Games Industry Edition
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
The $1,000 Console Era Is Coming––Are You Ready?
PlayStation price hike. PLUS: Subscriptions rise as game sales fall. -- Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Power Shifts: Who Wins in the New Games Economy?
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…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
UNBOXING’s GDC 2026 Postmortem
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost spill all from their week at GDC 2026. -- Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Loot Boxes on Trial, Zillow in Azeroth, and Our GDC Survival Guide
New York takes on Valve over loot boxes. The WoW × Zillow collab no one asked for... PLUS: Our guide to surviving GDC this year! -- Never miss an update and…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
The Hottest Take on the Xbox CEO Turnover You Haven’t Heard Yet
What if we told you that Xbox’s CEO reshuffle wasn't just a swap… 🤯 Tune in to this week's episode for the more of our hottest take yet. -- Never miss an…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Discord Has Entered Its Verification Era. Is Enshittification Next?
Discord has entered its verification era... Face scans. IPO plans. Enshittification? Laine and Joost break it down. -- Never miss an update and listen to your…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Project Genie in a Bottle?
Google's Project Genie: What it actually does vs. what it promises. -- Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Pod Friends with Julian Togelius
Joost talks games and AI with pod friend Julian Togelius. -- Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes wherever you get your podcasts…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Another Week, Another Megadeal
Netflix’s $80B bid for Warner Bros. PLUS: an indie sweep at The Game Awards?! Tune in! -- Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
UNBOXING’s End-of-Semester Wrap Up
UNBOXING's end-of-semester wrap: finals, feedback & feels. PLUS: Pwns, owns & holiday vibes! -- Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
From Rockstar Chaos to the Game Awards Canon
GTA VI delayed (yet again) & union-busting allegations at Rockstar? PLUS: Our thoughts on the Game Awards preview. -- Never miss an update and listen to your…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Speculating Irresponsibly: Steam Machines, Saudi Money, and More!
Steam Machine crashes the console party. Ubisoft delays earnings & halts trading (!?) PLUS: Laine's thoughts on Sky Sports’ “Halo” disaster. Tune in! -- Never…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
GDC Is Dead––Long Live the Festival of Gaming
GDC gets a rebrand! PLUS: Laine’s inside look at GDC’s State of the Industry report. -- Never miss an update and listen to your favorite UNBOXING episodes…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Pod Friends: Mitu Khandaker & the Future of NYC Games
The EU’s Digital (Un)Fairness Act? PLUS: Pod Friends returns with Mitu Khandaker, the Associate Director of NYU Tandon’s new Game Design Future Lab, who will…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
ESA’s Global Games Report Gets Graded
The ESA’s 2025 Global Games Report drops, and Laine + Joost have some thoughts.
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
The $55 Billion Question: Are Games Geopolitical Assets Now?
EA acquired in a $55B Saudi-backed buyout––what this means both for the gay couple in The Sims and for our geopolitical landscape. PLUS: Xbox’s $1K handheld +…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
“Pod Friends” with Colleen Macklin
What Trump’s $100K H-1B visa fee means for games. “Pod Friends” kick off w/ Colleen Macklin, fresh from the Game UX Summit. PLUS: Stone-skipping scandals (?!)…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Back to School Pt. 2: What Our Students Are Playing
The long awaited student gameplay survey results revealed. PLUS: WNBA playoffs & Mario turns 40!
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Zigging with Nintendo & Scrambling with Roblox
Nintendo’s Switch 2 smashes records & why they keep winning, then Roblox under fire... again! PLUS: the $80 game debate & student survey sneak peaks for next…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Back to School Pt. 1: Teaching Games in 2025
Fall syllabi with final cuts revealed, then get a behind the scenes look at the annual gameplay habits survey. PLUS: Roblox doc w/ Chris Hansen? Yep, that’s a…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
UNBOXING brings you: More Game Gains and Platform Pains!
EA, Take-Two & Krafton earnings decoded. Updates on this summer’s top stories. PLUS: Find out who is throwing dildos at WNBA games and why!
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Roblox's Gains, Epic’s Courtroom Victory, and a Union Milestone
Roblox quarterly earnings broken down. Updates in the Epic v Google lawsuit. PLUS: Raven Software locks in a historic union contract!
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
UNBOXING’s Censorship Gone Wild Week!
Steam and Itch.io pulled thousands of NSFW games. PLUS, find out how payment processors became censors and how the UK’s Online Safety Act isn’t helping.
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Do All Games Go to Heaven? Platforms, Power, and Preservation
UPDATE: UNBOXING is coming to you… well.. pre-recorded but hey, we're on video now! Apple delists a classic while Stop Killing Games campaign returns. PLUS…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
UNBOXING Goes Professor Mode With Mid-Summer Syllabi Exchange
Laine & Joost go full professor mode with a mid-summer syllabi swap. PLUS: buy now, pay later comes to gaming and Nintendo announces casting choices for…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Charts, Cuts, and Change: Layoffs at Microsoft and the ESA’s Annual Report
Another round of Microsoft layoffs spark consolidation questions, then what the ESA’s Essential Facts report tells us about gaming in the US. PLUS: your hosts…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Union Wins, Summer Heat, and the Reorganization of Embracer
Embracer gets serious about restructuring. PLUS: Microsoft ratifies the first-ever U.S. game worker union contract and your hosts discuss new and exciting…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Summer Game Mess and GameStop's Pokémon Pivot
This week, Laine and Joost wade through the glittering but sometimes shallow waters of summer games season, breaking down what the Xbox Showcase, Summer Game…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
We’re Back, Baby––And It’s For Real This Time
Laine and Joost return from hiatus older, wiser, and slightly more disillusioned. After swapping life updates (burnout, sabbatical travel, bike repair, Belgian…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousWe Missed You. Have an Episode.
Unboxing is back with a fresh summer season! Hosts Joost and Laine catch up and discuss the top four stories they missed: Sony's new CEO duo, Disney's…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousBuilding the creator economy part 2: Minecraft
Another Unboxing exclusive. We interview Minecraft's Kayla Kinnunen on Mojang's vision on user-generated content. Plus, why The Game Awards can't win
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousUNBOXING's live reaction to the GTA6 trailer
The worst of Florida as a canvas for the best in gaming. Join team UNBOXING breaking down the long-awaited trailer. We discuss female protagonist Lucia, the…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousOpenAI's CEO musical chairs
Why Emmett Shear's stint was short-lived. PC Gamer's history issue causes Twitter fury over sexism, but did critics get it right? Plus: lighthouse tech, Dune…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousThe political economy of games journalism: Interview with David Nieborg
Amazon Games layoffs lead Laine and Joost to consider what it might signal about the economy at large. Roblox beats expectations and Take-Two drops the…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousFaZe falls short, Bungie bungles layoffs, and Netflix can't convert
Laine and Joost give you the highlights on FaZe's Icarus-like fall from grace, as it recently got picked up by GameSquare for a fraction of its IPO price…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousBuilding the creator economy, part 1: Roblox
Another Unboxing exclusive. We interview Roblox's VP of Economy, Enrico D'Angelo, on where one of the most popular games for kids is headed next. Plus, our…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousRiccitiello retires from Unity and Polish dev unite
What's next for engine maker Unity post-Riccitiello, Poland gets its first game union, and fossil fuels are fun in Fortnite says Big Oil. We discuss the…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousEpic layoffs, EA's FIFA fallout, and the future of gaming haptics
Joost phones it in from an investor summit in Las Vegas, while Laine regales with tales of a weekend spent at the New York Renaissance Festival. Tune in as…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousVideo game actors vote to strike, Unity's walk-back, and the Xbox data leak
It's a week of gaming shakeups--SAG-AFTRA performers vote to authorize a strike, Unity rolls back its revenue plans, and there were some glaring discrepancies…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousWorst games industry decision of 2023
Unity has always been a cornerstone for game developers, but their recent price alteration has sent shockwaves throughout the industry. In this episode, Laine…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousRoblox's child gambling lawsuit. Starfield lights Xbox's plans. And, boy, do our students love the Switch
Laine and Joost debate the relative responsibilities of corporate actors vs. distracted parents. Microsoft's new release Starfield may not be its Game Pass…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousVenture capital's role in gaming. Gamescom 2023 kick off. And Microsoft's second run at Activision Blizzard
In this solo episode, Joost talks to Shan Shan, a partner at Light Speed Venture Partners, to discuss the difference between being a strategic investor and…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousAsia gaming declines. Embracer loses sugar daddy. Nicki Minaj dolls up for CoD.
Joost unravels the financial struggle of Southeast Asian tech giant, Sea Limited, and its ripple effects on the regional market. Laine unpacks what it means…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousWhy Wall Street doesn't love Roblox but is smitten with Take-Two. And an insider's look into the PS5 giveaway turned "riot"
This week, Laine and Joost disagree on Roblox’s strained financial situation and explore what makes Take-Two such a favorite among Wall Street investors…
UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming CuriousActivision takes Diablo 4 to the bank. UNBOXING Goes Gang Gang for NPC Streaming. And an informed look into ESA's Essential Facts Report.
This week, Joost and Laine explore the second quarter earnings of gaming giants Activision and Ubisoft before diving head first into the viral sensation of NPC…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
Overwatch League faces elimination. Microsoft starts overtime. And the plea for game preservation
Joost offers insight into Sony and Microsoft's cheeky 10-year deal over the Call of Duty franchise. We review the devaluation of the Overwatch League since…
- UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious
FTC licks its wounds. Google embraces blockchain gaming
We review the longer-term implications of Microsoft winning its case against the FTC and how will it impact the structural makeup of the games industry. And…