UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious

🎙️NEW EPISODE ALERT 🎙️
🕹️ GDC gets a rebrand! 🎮 PLUS: Laine’s inside look at GDC’s State of the Industry report 📑 Tune in: youtube.com/@unboxing_po...

👻 NEW EPISODE ALERT 👻
📑The EU’s Digital (Un)Fairness Act? ⚖️ PLUS: Pod Friends returns with Mitu Khandaker on the future of games in NYC 🎮 Tune in: youtube.com/@unboxing_po...

UNBOXING's Greatest Hits of 2025 A playlist with all the episodes you all love (and have watched) the most from 2025.

✈️ UNBOXING is grounded this week––Joost got stuck on the tarmac and couldn’t record this week, but don’t worry, we’ll be back next week with a brand-new Pod Friends. 🫂 In the meantime, queue up our Greatest Hits of 2025 playlist: buff.ly/3hvPL8s

🎙️ NEW EPISODE ALERT 🎙️
🌍 The ESA’s 2025 Global Games Report drops 💬 and Laine + Joost have some thoughts
🎂 PLUS: 40 years of the NES! Tune in here 👉 buff.ly/vN4lyND

🎙️ NEW EPISODE ALERT 🎙️
🤑 EA acquired in a $55B Saudi-backed buyout 🌍 What this means for the gay couple in The Sims AND for our geopolitical landscape 🎮 PLUS: Xbox’s $1K handheld + what’s new at the Video Game History Foundation. Tune in here 👉 buff.ly/LcNXiDv

🎙️ NEW EPISODE ALERT 🎙️
💸 What Trump’s $100K H-1B visa fee means for games 👥 “Pod Friends” kick off w/ @colleenmacklin.bsky.social, fresh from the Game UX Summit 🪨 PLUS: Stone-skipping scandals (?!) & the benefits of regular student feedback (!!)
Watch here 👉 buff.ly/ttCbuqX

UNBOXING Podcast The UNBOXING podcast is a weekly dose of insight into play and profit for the gaming curious. Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of…

🎙️ NEW EPISODE ALERT 🎙️
📊 Student gameplay survey results revealed. PLUS: WNBA playoffs 🏀 & Mario turns 40 🎂Tune in:

UNBOXING Podcast The UNBOXING podcast is a weekly dose of insight into play and profit for the gaming curious. Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of…

🎙️ NEW EPISODE 🎙️
🎮 Nintendo’s Switch 2 smashes records & why they keep winning ⚖️ Roblox faces a new lawsuit, and more policy shifts 💸 PLUS: the $80 game debate & student survey sneak peaks for next week! Tune in here 👉 buff.ly/zVx3VbQ

UNBOXING Podcast The UNBOXING podcast is a weekly dose of insight into play and profit for the gaming curious. Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of…

🎙️ BACK TO SCHOOL EPISODE ALERT 🎙️
📚 Fall syllabi with final cuts revealed 🎮 Peek inside their annual gameplay habits survey 📊 PLUS: Roblox doc w/ Chris Hansen? Yep, that’s a thing 🕵️ Tune in here: buff.ly/zVx3VbQ

UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious Podcast · Laine Nooney, Joost van Dreunen · Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together on UNBOXING, these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of the games business they share with…

🎙️NEW EPISODE ALERT🎙️
📊 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! 🏀
Tune in here:

UNBOXING Podcast The UNBOXING podcast is a weekly dose of insight into play and profit for the gaming curious. Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of…

🎙️NEW EPISODE ALERT🎙️
📈 Roblox quarterly earnings broken down ⚖️ Updates in the Epic v Google lawsuit. PLUS: Raven Software locks in a historic union contract ✊
Tune in here:

UNBOXING Podcast The UNBOXING podcast is a weekly dose of insight into play and profit for the gaming curious. Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of…

🎙️NEW EPISODE ALERT🎙️
Steam and itch pulled thousands of NSFW games 🔞 PLUS, find out how payment processors became censors 🤬 and how the UK’s Online Safety Act isn’t helping 🙅 Tune in here:

UNBOXING: Play & Profit for the Gaming Curious “This podcast absolutely rocks – give it a listen if you want an under the hood look at the games business from some very smart people!” “I follow a lot of game podcasts, but this one stands out for h...

you may know that my game industry podcast @unboxingpod.bsky.social is back. Did you know we also switched frm Substack to Buttondown?

But this hasn't been great for our discoverability, and ppl unsub b/c they prefer ST's format. So sub & share, if you dare: buttondown.com/unboxingpodc...

I make my triumphant return to Unboxing to talk about Trade Magazine Week!

UNBOXING Podcast The UNBOXING podcast is a weekly dose of insight into play and profit for the gaming curious. Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of…

🎥 NEW VIDEO EPISODE ALERT 🎥
UPDATE: UNBOXING is coming to you…well… pre-recorded but hey, we’re on video now! 👨‍💻then, Apple delists a classic + the return of Stop Killing Games 📘 PLUS: Laine talks with @PhilSalvador from the Video Game History Foundation 🕹️ Watch us here

UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious Podcast · Laine Nooney, Joost van Dreunen · Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together on UNBOXING, these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of the games business they share with…

📢 NEW PODCAST DROP 📢
📚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 live-action Zelda movie. Listen in:

UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious Podcast · Laine Nooney, Joost van Dreunen · Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together on UNBOXING, these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of the games business they share with…

📢 NEW PODCAST DROP 📢
📚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 live-action Zelda movie. Listen in:

I'm glad Unboxing is back, and this episode shows why. There's tons of podcasts on games, but this is the best one to have actual researchers sharing insights.

The sort of people who get an industry survey and instead of examining the press release, they examine its motivations, methodology & flaws

UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious Podcast · Laine Nooney, Joost van Dreunen · Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together on UNBOXING, these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of the games business they share with…

📢 NEW PODCAST DROP 📢
🪓 Another round of Microsoft layoffs spark consolidation questions 📊what the ESA’s Essential Facts report tells us about gaming in the US 🇺🇸🎮 PLUS: your hosts recap the Games for Change conference and more! Listen in:

Only the true pod-heads know

UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious Podcast · Laine Nooney, Joost van Dreunen · Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together on UNBOXING, these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of the games business they share with…

🎙️NEW EPISODE 🎙️Embracer gets serious about restructuring✂️ PLUS: Microsoft ratifies the first-ever U.S. game worker union contract 🫶🇺🇸and your hosts discuss new and exciting things coming out in the world of games 🎮 Listen in!

🤗

UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious Podcast · Laine Nooney, Joost van Dreunen · Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together on UNBOXING, these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of the games business they share with…

🎙️NEW EPISODE🎙️ Xbox, PlayStation, and Summer Game Fest try to sell us the future of games🔮 PLUS: GameStop attempts a reinvention with...Pokémon cards? 🫤 📈 LISTEN NOW:

- YouTube

Laine and Joost return from hiatus older, wiser, and slightly more disillusioned. After life updates, they dive into the state of the games industry. Plus: Apple loses in court, Steam gets sued (again), and Laine spills the tea on fighting the ESA over game preservation rights. youtu.be/UiazDSUKauA

two mario characters standing next to each other with the words " almost time to party " above them ALT: two mario characters standing next to each other with the words " almost time to party " above them

tomorrow morning....it's happening

june 13, 2025

mark your calendars