In the latest episode of the long-running creative strategy podcast Pixel Retentive, “Is the Gaming Industry Broken?” Cheryl Platz sits down with host Carl Cleanthes to hit a variety of topics:

• What drives sustainably monetized games (like the power of player self-expression)?
• The complexities of more recent hypotheses about gaming economies (like Web3 gaming)
• How deeply rooted cultural storytelling is emerging as an antidote to AI-driven gaming, as inspired by experts on recent episodes of Cheryl’s podcast Enduring Play.
• Coming to terms with the coming console replacement cycle
• Exploring the devastating layoff cycles that have hit tens of thousands of game developers – including Cheryl herself in 2024 when she was laid off from Riot Games during their big burst of 530 layoffs.
• Cheryl’s unique career path
• And more!

Cheryl and Carl both share a passion for finding sustainable paths forward for the creative industries they support – and the time seemed to run out quickly on this conversation as a result!

Learn more about the episode at the full show notes page or view on YouTube below. The episode is available on all major streaming platforms.