Asma Khalid

All right. Well, thank you very much for your reporting. Thank you. That's NPR's Ximena Bustillo. This episode was produced by Avery Keatley, Ale Marquez-Honce, and Jeffrey Pierre. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Anna Yukonanov. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Asma Khalid.

You're walking down a city street. You turn a corner and you're swarmed by zombies. You fight them off with a folding chair. Explosions rattle the street around you.

You're walking down a city street. You turn a corner and you're swarmed by zombies. You fight them off with a folding chair. Explosions rattle the street around you.

You're walking down a city street. You turn a corner and you're swarmed by zombies. You fight them off with a folding chair. Explosions rattle the street around you.

That's Vincent Accovino, All Things Considered producer who covers video games for the show. This game is called Beatdown City Survivors and it'll be released later this year.

That's Vincent Accovino, All Things Considered producer who covers video games for the show. This game is called Beatdown City Survivors and it'll be released later this year.

That's Vincent Accovino, All Things Considered producer who covers video games for the show. This game is called Beatdown City Survivors and it'll be released later this year.

The game might look retro, but it says a lot about this current moment in video game development. The video game industry is massive, probably way bigger than most people think. It brought in around $187 billion in revenue last year, which is more than the film and music industries combined. Much of that money was made by big developers creating big games.

The game might look retro, but it says a lot about this current moment in video game development. The video game industry is massive, probably way bigger than most people think. It brought in around $187 billion in revenue last year, which is more than the film and music industries combined. Much of that money was made by big developers creating big games.

The game might look retro, but it says a lot about this current moment in video game development. The video game industry is massive, probably way bigger than most people think. It brought in around $187 billion in revenue last year, which is more than the film and music industries combined. Much of that money was made by big developers creating big games.

But more and more small independent studios are disrupting the space. Studios like New Challenger, which is making Beatdown City Survivors.

But more and more small independent studios are disrupting the space. Studios like New Challenger, which is making Beatdown City Survivors.

But more and more small independent studios are disrupting the space. Studios like New Challenger, which is making Beatdown City Survivors.

Consider this. The video game industry is facing a host of issues. Massive layoffs, the advent of AI, games that take years to be released, and that schism between big and small developers. Today, for our Weekly Reporter's Notebook series, Vincent Accovino takes us inside this evolving world. From NPR, I'm Asma Khalid.

Consider this. The video game industry is facing a host of issues. Massive layoffs, the advent of AI, games that take years to be released, and that schism between big and small developers. Today, for our Weekly Reporter's Notebook series, Vincent Accovino takes us inside this evolving world. From NPR, I'm Asma Khalid.

Consider this. The video game industry is facing a host of issues. Massive layoffs, the advent of AI, games that take years to be released, and that schism between big and small developers. Today, for our Weekly Reporter's Notebook series, Vincent Accovino takes us inside this evolving world. From NPR, I'm Asma Khalid.

It's Consider This from NPR. Every year, tens of thousands of video game insiders gather in San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference. New games are demoed, programmers hold tutorials, awards are given, and the big existential questions about the industry are debated. In other words, paradise for a video game journalist like Vincent Accovino, who recently covered the conference for NPR.

It's Consider This from NPR. Every year, tens of thousands of video game insiders gather in San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference. New games are demoed, programmers hold tutorials, awards are given, and the big existential questions about the industry are debated. In other words, paradise for a video game journalist like Vincent Accovino, who recently covered the conference for NPR.

It's Consider This from NPR. Every year, tens of thousands of video game insiders gather in San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference. New games are demoed, programmers hold tutorials, awards are given, and the big existential questions about the industry are debated. In other words, paradise for a video game journalist like Vincent Accovino, who recently covered the conference for NPR.

He sat down with All Things Considered co-host Scott Detrow to unpack some of those big existential questions, starting with the tension between the huge game developers and the small independent studios like the one that made Beatdown City Survivors.