The Gen Z effect: redefining games, identity, and community

The Business of Games

Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.
In today’s episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine take a closer look at the generation reshaping how games are made, marketed, and monetized: Gen Z.
For decades, the industry operated on a one-way model: studios built games, players bought them, and marketing ran through TV spots and conventions. But Gen Z grew up in a different reality. For them, games are living social platforms, and the line between player and creator has all but disappeared.
Joining us is Jenny Xu, founder and CEO of Talofa Games, who shares first-hand insights into designing for a generation that values authenticity over polish, community over campaigns, and participation over passive play. Plus, Xsolla’s Joe Pierpont brings data-driven perspective, with stats on how Gen Z is discovering games through creators instead of ads, spending more on cosmetics than older players, and prioritizing identity, creativity, and community over competition.
Together, we explore how Gen Z’s cultural touchstones, from Neopets to Pokémon to Undertale, are shaping the next wave of game design, and why traditional strategies may no longer cut it.
From building games in public and co-creating with communities to rethinking monetization around self-expression, this episode examines how studios can win Gen Z’s loyalty in an era of endless choice.
Whether you’re a marketer, product lead, or studio founder, you’ll come away with practical insights into what it really takes to build for this generation and why understanding them may be the most important move you can make in the business of games.
Let’s get into it.

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