📚 UNBOXING’s End-of-Semester Wrap Up
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost close out the semester with class reflections and thoughts on teaching games in the future. Together, they dig into...
🌱 From Rockstar Chaos to the Game Awards Canon
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost unpack Rockstar’s rough news cycle—from the latest GTA VI delay to allegations of union-busting at the Edinburgh...
🤔 Speculating Irresponsibly: Steam Machines, Saudi Money, and More!
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost break down Valve’s surprise Steam Machine reveal and what it means for the ongoing console war. Then they dig into...
🕹️ GDC Is Dead––Long Live the Festival of Gaming
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost unpack the sweeping rebrand of The Game Developers Conference—now the Festival of Gaming—and what will make the 38th...
🫂 Pod Friends: Mitu Khandaker & the Future of NYC Games
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost trade Halloween costume fun for policy talk, unpacking the EU’s proposed Digital Fairness Act and some of the industry...
✈️ Tarmac Trouble (But We’ll Be Back Soon!)
🛩️ UNBOXING is grounded this week––literally. Joost got stuck on the tarmac and couldn’t make it to the recording session. But don’t worry, we’ll be back...
🌎 ESA’s Global Games Report Gets Graded
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dive into the ESA’s 2025 Global Video Games Report to see what the numbers really say about the so-called “power of...
💰 The $55 Billion Question: Are Games Geopolitical Assets Now?
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost unpack the Saudi-backed $55 billion buyout of Electronic Arts, breaking down why the math ain’t mathing on this...
👥 “Pod Friends” with Colleen Macklin
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost touch on Trump’s proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee and what it means for the game industry—–read a more in depth take on...
📊 Back to School Pt. 2: What Our Students Are Playing
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dive into the results of their student gameplay survey to see what the next generation of players is really up to....
🎮 Zigging with Nintendo & Scrambling with Roblox
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost discuss Nintendo’s uncanny ability to thrive––from the Switch 2’s record-breaking launch to the company’s long legacy...
📚 Back to School Pt. 1: Teaching Games in 2025
In this back-to-school episode of UNBOXING, Laine and Joost share what actually made the cut for their fall syllabi, comparing notes on pedagogical tweaks...
🍂 A 2-Week Hiatus for Unboxing!
UNBOXING is on hiatus for the next two weeks while we get those fall syllabi in order and soak up the last rays of summer. But don’t worry—we’ll be back the...
UNBOXING Brings You: More Game Gains and Platform Pains!
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dig into fresh earnings reports from EA, Take-Two, and Krafton, plus updates from Sony, Microsoft, and Capcom. Then,...
Roblox's Gains, Epic’s Courtroom Victory, and a Union Milestone
This week on UNBOXING, your co-hosts chat about Roblox’s quarterly earnings report. Then Laine and Joost unpack and decode what the major appellate court...
UNBOXING’s Censorship Gone Wild Week!
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost break down the recent wave of game removals from Steam and Itch.io and offer some insight into what triggered it....
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! Watch this week’s episode on our YouTube channel! This week, Laine and...
UNBOXING Goes Professor Mode With Mid-Summer Syllabi Exchange
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dive deep into the academia side of things, giving listeners a rare behind-the-scenes look at how they design and...
Charts, Cuts, and Change: Layoffs at Microsoft and the ESA’s Annual Report
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost tackle two major industry headlines. First up: the latest round of layoffs at Microsoft’s gaming division. They break...
Union Wins, Summer Heat, and the Reorganization of Embracer
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost kick things off with the progressive shake-up in NYC politics; they celebrate Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the...