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Pablo Torre Finds Out

The "Pay-to-Play" Scheme That (Almost) Ruined Video Games, with Dan Soder

July 14, 2026·51m

Virtual currency is a new cheat code. But when EA Sports tried to squeeze extra cash out of sports fans with so-called "microtransactions" inside its latest-college football title, gamers revolted... and won? Comedian Dan Soder, who's been playing video games with a future NFL coach since childhood, takes Pablo on a journey to the seventh circle of nerddom: What does this phenomenon say about private equity turning fun into an asset? How do we stop sacrificing community for convenience? And is shame still possible? • Subscribe to "Soder" Previously on PTFO: • Share & Madden & Tell with Katie Nolan and Dan Soder • We Smoked All the Athlete-Branded Weed We Could Find Hosted on Acast.