Welcome to Too Good to Be True, an investigative podcast about exposing the scams, schemes, and financial cults trying to separate you from your money.

Welcome back to Too Good to Be True.

I am your co-host, journalist and drag artist Ryan Hulahan.

And I am Julia Lorenz Olson.

I'm an accredited financial counselor and the co-creator of Two Sense on PBS.

So we have kind of an unexpected topic today.

Okay.

I want to talk to you about video game. Really, we're

going to be talking about one very specific kind of video game that I cannot stand. And I know

what I'm talking about. I used to be the senior video game editor at a tech and fashion magazine

that I co-founded a few years ago. And I've gotten a really up close and personal look at the gaming industry.

And I think what you might find out in the next hour about games that are quote unquote free

is going to curl your hair. If you're a new gamer, you might not know about this. And if you're

a seasoned gamer, you still might not know the depths of this. Do you know you are talking to like the

newest video gamer? Really? Although that is that is maybe way too generous. What do you play?

I know everyone who plays a game is a gamer. Well, so I, so my husband, just to give you like a little

bit of context.

So while he was growing up, he was completely barred from playing.

Always suck to be that kid.

So when he grew up, of course, all he wanted to do was play video games.

And then like we've been married for 16 years.

And I remember like in the early couple of years, he would, like, stay up late. And I'm like,

...