Jo Redfern is one of the sharpest minds working at the intersection of kids, media, gaming, and fandom. She’s the founder of Futurehood Media, co-host of the Kids Media Club Podcast, and has helped brands from Disney to Roblox figure out how to stay relevant with the next generation.

In this episode, we unpack:

• How Gen Z and Gen Alpha really experience media (hint: there is no online vs. offline)
• Why games like Roblox are the new playground, classroom, and social network combined
• How gaming drives real-world participation — including in sports
• What brands get wrong (and occasionally right) when trying to show up in game space
• Why the Minecraft movie was a wake-up call for Hollywood
• And how the generation that grew up gaming is now redesigning the rules of culture — both online and IRL.

If you care about media, marketing, sport, or the future of culture, this one is unmissable.

Our sponsor is DIVISION www.division.ae

Intro Music is Run created by Tristan Barton (License Number - TI1EzW)

In this episode, Will is joined by Hani Hashem, co-founder and CEO of Fahy Studio – a trailblazing Saudi gaming studio at the heart of the Kingdom’s creative boom. From modding Pokémon games in his teens to helping shape the future of Saudi Arabia’s gaming ecosystem, Hani’s journey is one of vision, guts, and gameplay.

Together, they explore:

• How Vision 2030 is turning gaming into a national priority

• The realities of building games (and studios) from scratch

• The hidden challenges of mobile game development and publishing

• What it takes to go from strategy decks to successful titles

• Why Saudi is fast becoming a global gaming powerhouse

Whether you’re a curious outsider or a games industry vet, this episode is a deep dive into the thinking behind one of the region’s most exciting creative industries – from the inside.

Our sponsor is DIVISION www.division.ae

Intro Music is Run created by Tristan Barton (License Number - TI1EzW)

In this episode of Noob Gaming, we sit down with John Birchall, Editorial Director at LADbible, to unpack what gaming and live streaming can learn from modern media. From his journey through legacy sports media to LADbible’s position as a Gen Z powerhouse, John shares insights on community-building, platform shifts, and how brands can engage with digital audiences without losing authenticity. We also explore the parallels between social media’s rise and the future of game space — and yes, we talk GoldenEye on N64.

Our sponsor is DIVISION www.division.ae

Intro Music is Run created by Tristan Barton (License Number - TI1EzW)

In this episode of Noob Gaming, composer Lorne Balfe, the man behind epic scores for films like TopGun Maverick and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning and massive game titles Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed talks us through his unconventional career and approach to composing.

We explore how scoring for games is different from films, why gaming still gets looked down on as an art form (and why that's stupid), and how music helps players feel their way through a game.

We also take some time to talk about composing for different mediums, being a secret teenage ad-jingle writer, his thoughts on AI music and why gaming’s cultural moment is just getting started.

Photo Credit: Marcus Maschwitz

Our sponsor is DIVISION www.division.ae

Intro Music is Run created by Tristan Barton (License Number - TI1EzW)

Fabien Siouffi joins Noob Gaming to explore the intersection of games, art, and culture. From pioneering online gaming in Asia to working with philosophers and artists in VR, Fabien shares his journey of using interactive worlds to reshape how we experience life. He challenges the perception of games as mere escapism, arguing they are tools for practicing reality, a place where we learn, belong, and evolve. We discuss gaming’s growing legitimacy in the art world, its power as a storytelling medium, and how play shapes our perception of the world. A thought-provoking dive into the future of gaming.

Fabien's gaming recommendations:

If you only have time for 5 games :

The Beginner’s Guide (PC, Mac, Linux). By the Stanley Parable author. fantastic take on interactive storytelling. Introspective, smart, layered tale of worlding in digital times.

Passage (Web). 5mn long and made with 16bits. Jason Rohrer is justly regarded as the first poet of video games, and Passage is his most poignant work.

Everything (PS4, PC, Mac). David O’Reilly ensures Rohrer’s legacy by developing one of the most expressive interactive artwork ever. Alan Watts fans rejoice.

Inside (PS4, XBox1, PC). A sensory experience, beautiful, smart, progressive, haunting, impeccably executed from the Limbo makers.

A Dark Room. An epic journey started with a single text line

On Steam (PC/Mac)

Limbo. You’ll never die the same again

Braid. Probably the smartest game on earth.

The Witness. By the Braid designer, very different, very smart too

Portal 1&2. Perfectly balanced gameplay, fantastic cutscenes and storytelling

What remains of Edith Finch (PC, XBox, PS4). A story that builds over the whole game, the last few scenes are interactive storytelling at its best

The Stanley Parable. A playable fable about playing.

Never Alone. Learning companionship with video games. Donna Haraway’s favorite game!

Papers Please. Absurd and insidious, a tale about the inanity of crossing borders

VVVVVVV. Excellent platformer, Super Mario for adults. Hard!

Thomas was alone. 2 littles rectangles wandering in bigger ones. Fantastic dialogues and atmosphere

World of Goo. Gooey charming Lego

Fez. A great journey from flat to volumetric

Journey (PS4, PS3). Non-gamers’ favorite game ;-) An inner journey to the sun

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP. Pixel art at its best

This war of mine. Play war from the point of view of the attacked, besieged party

Consoles

Everybody gone to the Rapture (PS4). A playable Shyamalan movie

Firewatch. Out in a grand Wyoming natural park, something’s fishy. An intimate and slow drift in the wild.

Katamari Damacy.Beautifully weird japanese delicacy

Echochrome 1 & 2. Monument Valley mother and father.

GTA V. Because great games don’t have to be all niche and indie. Sharp dialogs, irreverence, the many side stories and off spaces hidden in the giant maps make this a true adventure. Hanging out with Trevor and cruising LA by sunset are personal favorites (the yoga scene with coach Fabien caught my attention obviously)

Red Dead Redemption. Same as above, with the added bonus of aimlessly riding a horse in the desert. I like RDR 1 so much more than 2.

Tablets

Windosill. Feels like playing a dream.

The Triennale Game Collection. Interesting commission by Milano’s design museum

Our sponsor is DIVISION www.division.ae

Intro Music is Run created by Tristan Barton (License Number - TI1EzW)

Our first episode of NOOB Gaming is a wonderful, open exploration of what Gamespace is with Ben Mattes...AKA Mr Angry Birds. Ben is not only a highly accomplished builder of game worlds, but someone who has lived a life where PLAY has been central. We cover the fundamentals of the gaming industry, how it all works, but mainly get into the weeds of games, game design and how play makes us better humans.

Our sponsor is DIVISION www.division.ae

Intro Music is Run created by Tristan Barton (License Number - TI1EzW)