UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious

Laine Nooney, Joost van Dreunen
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

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

  1. 5d ago

    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 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!

  2. Sep 24

    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 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!

  3. Sep 17

    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 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!

  4. Sep 10

    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 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!

  5. May 15

    “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 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!

  6. May 8

    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 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!

  7. May 1

    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 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!

  8. Apr 24

    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 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!

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

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

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