The Game Professors

Join the Professors as we dive deep into the memory crisis that's making 64GB of RAM cost more than a PS5 (no one is selling but in case you're wondering spleens go for around $500)! We break down the catastrophic DDR5/Memory price surges—with some kits skyrocketing nearly 200% since September—and explore why AI datacenters are hoarding semiconductor production and leaving PC builders devastated. We also cover Nvidia and Intel's surprise x86 RTX partnership that could reshape AI infrastructure and gaming PCs far into the future, plus Nvidia's official pivot from a gaming GPU company to an AI data center powerhouse. On the lighter side, we react to Battlefield 6's record-breaking sales domination for 2025. On the darker side we touch on the Roblox CEO controversy surrounding child safety (spoiler: it gets messy), and share our love for Shape of Dreams and Jump Space in our Independent Studies segment.Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com . Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!Timestamps:6:10 - PUBG: Black Budget10:58 - Battlefield 6 Sales numbers20:56 - Civics and Sociology (Roblox Controversy)38:13 - Business and Econ (Nvidia is cringe)57:36 - RAM Prices are INSANE1:10:56 - Independent Study (Shape of Dreams/Jump Space)Correction: Resizable BAR was created by a consortium of 900 companies that included NVidia, AMD, and Intel to name a few.

Join the Professors as Heru and Plague dive deep into the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, breaking down the campaign's disappointing shift to fantasy, multiplayer improvements, and the controversial AI art scandal that has the community up in arms. Then, we analyze the gaming industry's rapid AI adoption, exploring Krafton's massive restructuring toward agentic AI, widespread developer skepticism despite industry implementation, the GPU memory crisis threatening budget gaming cards, and what it all means for game quality. There is mention of  Valve taking pity on a CS trader. We also tackle Arc Raiders' implementation of AI into its design and the ongoing debate about AI voice generation in modern games. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com. Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!Timestamps:0:40 - Lecture Lowdown19:49 - Lab Work (CoD Black Ops 7)1:06:12  - Civics & Sociology 1:06:38 - AI Usage in Arc Raiders 1:13:33 - Eurogamer Review of Arc Raiders1:30:51 - Business & Econ (Usage of AI in Business) 1:43:45 - AI Usage cases we approve of

Join the Professors as we dive into the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, dissecting its extraction-inspired Endgame mode, and how it stacks up against Arc Raiders in today’s fiercely competitive shooter market. Next, find out Halo Infinite’s support is ending and what it means for the future of Master Chief, before shifting gears to break down Rockstar’s latest GTA 6 delay and the swirl of union controversies behind the headlines. The conversation gets heated with Shroud’s campaign for Arc Raiders as Game of the Year and his spicy takes on The Game Awards’ single-player bias. Plus, the Professors tackle the Texas lawsuit against Roblox, rising safety concerns, and the permanent ban of vigilante creator Schlep. In Shop Class, get all the details on Valve’s new Steam Frame VR, Steam Machine, and controller drops, then follow the money with a look at Square Enix’s global layoffs, Destiny 2’s rough patch, and why PNY is killing Black Friday deals this year. Wrapping up, Heru and Plague share thoughts on World of Tanks 2.0 and the highs (and lows) of starting fresh. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com . Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!01:07 - Lecture Lowdown17:48 - Civics & Sociology 18:31 - Shroud’s Takes on Arc Raiders 38:15 - Roblox Repugnance57:04 - Shop Class 57:22 - Valve Hardware1:16:22 - Business & Econ 1:16:36 - Square Enix 1:26:15 - Bungie/Destiny 2 1:28:05 - PNY + Black Friday1:29:58 - Independent Study 1:30:23 - World of Tanks rant

Join the Professors as we dive deep into PlayStation's controversial dynamic pricing strategy and potentially sprinkle it with a spicy take or two. We’ll break down why Arc Raiders is absolutely crushing it as the extraction shooter everyone's talking about. Travel topside with us as we unpack our thoughts about this critically acclaimed extraction shooter and briefly discuss its optimization. We transition to a discussion of Switch 2's record-breaking sales numbers, touch on some World of Warcraft updates, and pay tribute to legendary developer Tomonobu Itagaki. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com . Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!Timestamps:00:40 - Lecture Lowdown 00:55 - Announcements 01:18 - Playstation Dynamic Pricing29:23 - Lab Work (Arc Raiders Discussion) 31:10 - Arc Raiders weekend connection issues 32:15 - Player Market Discussion 37:54 - Proxy Chat 44:38 - PVP value discussion 47:12 - Tiny PVP story 51:52 - Map Diversity/Level Design/Weapon Balance Discussion 56:24 - Arc Diversity and Enemy design 58:27 - Tiny Story about using a Rocketeer as a teammate 1:09:24 - Begin criticisms 1:09:27 - Sound of enemy players 1:13:56 - Tracking resources 1:14:57 - 3rd person discussion 1:18:39 - Hit registration 1:20:15 - Bullet travel speed 1:22:54 - Reviews across the board 1:28:54 - Prestige system (Wipe mechanic) 1:29:55 - Post-launch Update/Roadmap 1:33:12 - Performance1:39:10 - Business and Econ (Nintendo Switch 2 Sales)1:42:00 - WoW update1:42:33 - Gaming History (Tomonobu Itagaki’s passing)

Join the Professors as we dive deep into gaming's business shakeups and market madness! Heru and Plague dissect Microsoft's aggressive 30% profit margin mandate for Xbox—exploring studio closures, massive layoffs, and the shift to multi-platform releases including Halo: Campaign Evolved coming to PlayStation. We unpack Amazon's devastating 14,000-person layoff with New World entering maintenance mode and the uncertain fate of their Lord of the Rings MMO. Then it's on to Counter-Strike 2's explosive skins market crash that wiped out $2 billion in value overnight when Valve's trade-up update democratized knife access. Plus, the next-gen Xbox's Windows-based hybrid philosophy and Wolfe Glick stepping away from Pokémon tournaments after harassment. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com . Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!Timestamps:00:40 - Lecture Lowdown 01:16 - WolfeyVGC 07:55 - Emiru’s Response to Twitch X Statement 17:03 - Elden Ring on Switch 2 delayed and 3rd-party title viability 24:40 - Outer Worlds 2 28:05 - Arc Raiders Release 30:48 - Halo: Campaign Evolved and other Microsoft Titles coming to PlayStation38:22 - Business and Econ 38:36 - Xbox Profit Margin requirements 55:41 - Microsoft Layoffs 1:02:04 - Amazon layoffs 1:03:59 - Heru gets very passionate about New World numbers 1:17:49 - Amazon shifting focus to casual and AI games1:19:38 - Shop Class 1:19:52 - Next Gen Xbox info from Windows Central 1:22:04 - Heru’s thoughts on World of Warcraft on Next Gen Xbox console 1:27:34 - Revenue difference between between Xbox and Steam1:30:20 - Free Period 1:30:42 - Counter Strike skin economy crash 1:54:03 - Brief Battlefield 6 Update

Join the Professors as they dissect the TwitchCon 2025 disaster that has the twitch community in uproar. Heru and Plague break down the shocking assault on streamer Emiru, the mishandling of VTuber fan gifts, and the questionable behavior of Twitch's CEO during the crisis—all exposing serious security failures at what should have been a celebration of streaming culture. They also dive into hardware leaks revealing PlayStation "Orion" and Xbox "Magnus" specs ahead of their 2027 launch, explore their hands-on experience with Arc Raiders' massive server stress test, discuss League of Legends Worlds action with GenG's dominant performance, and touch on Valve's upcoming Steam Frame VR headset. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com. Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!Timestamps:1:00 - Lecture Lowdown4:40 - Gym Class12:07 - Shop Class38:31 - Business and Econ54:34 - Independent Study1:17:19 - Free Period

Join the Professors as Heru and Plague dive deep into Battlefield 6's massive launch success with 747K peak Steam players, TPM 2.0 security requirements changing the PC gaming anti-cheat landscape, and Ubisoft's cancelled Assassin's Creed project. We also explore Xbox's scrapped handheld plans, Unity's major security vulnerability affecting millions, and gaming handheld sales. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com . Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!Episode Timestamps:3:15 - Lecture Lowdown25:20 - Lost and Found37:30 - Lab Work1:03:27 - Shop Class1:21:15 - Business and Econ

Join the Professors for Course #2: GamePass, Play, or Pay?Join the Professors as Plague and Heru dive deep into Microsoft’s big Game Pass shake-up, unpacking Essential, Premium, and Ultimate tiers, day-one exclusives, price spikes, and subscriber backlash. Next, we switch gears to the wider gaming economy, from digital-first strategies and Costco’s console pullback to FTC commentary on consolidation, Xbox partnerships, and potential future direction. Finally, it’s time for Gym Class, where India’s new Online Gaming Act meets League of Legends Worlds 2025, betting sponsorship news, and the evolving eSports landscape. For those eagerly awaiting the news of Heru’s favorite browser, you are in for a treat this week!Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you’d like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com. Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!Segment Times:Lecture Lowdown – 4:46Business and Econ – 22:30Gym Class – 59:49

Join the Professors in our very first episode as we dive into major gaming news, including Escape from Tarkov's Steam launch, World of Warcraft's upcoming player housing and updates, and the highly anticipated release of Ghost of Yōtei. We also discuss Kojima Productions' new projects, recent game sales successes, and industry happenings like Electronic Arts' massive buyout. Plus, we take a deep dive into game performance issues with Borderlands 4 and Monster Hunter: Wilds. Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!This is Heru and Plague's first episode, and we would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on or what other topics you’d like to hear us discuss by reaching out to feedback@thegameprofessors.com.