The vast majority of popular online games like Roblox, Genshin Impact, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive have in-game currency, encouraging players to spend real money on digital prizes. The University of Sydney reports that when some young people encounter digital currency they often don’t understand how much real money they’re spending.

Many of these games, even ones catered toward young audiences, also have mechanics that mimic the effect of slot machines, and use them to generate a lot of their revenue.

Nick Devor, a journalist who specializes in reporting on the gambling industry, joins The Metro to tell about the different ways video games can imitate and encourage gambling. 

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Youth are especially at risk of over-engaging with digital worlds and disconnecting from reality. Gaming addiction is just like any other—and according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, having an addiction to anything is six times worse if it starts before adulthood.

How can we guard ourselves and impressionable young people against a new medium that triggers a familiar form of addiction? 

Harvard trained psychiatrist Dr.Alok Kanojia aka Dr.K joins The Metro to explain more about gaming addiction and how to deal with it.

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Many people know what the mayor or city council does, but what about the other governing bodies in city government? Several groups play an important role in how the City of Detroit functions, like the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board or the Board of Police Commissioners. But what’s the difference between a board and a committee?

One of the best ways to learn what really happens in these meetings is to attend and take good notes. That’s exactly what the Detroit Documenters do every week. The Metro’s Jack Filbrandt spoke with Lynelle Herndon and AJ Johnson from the Detroit Documenters to break down the difference between boards and committees in Detroit.

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If you listen to music on Spotify, you’ve probably come across AI-generated tracks—like the AI band VELVET SUNDOWN. But what you may not have noticed is that AI imposter songs are being uploaded to real artists’ pages—including one belonging to a country songwriter who was murdered in 1989, long before music streaming even existed.

Emanuel Maiberg, journalist and co-founder of 404 Media, recently published a story called “Spotify Publishes AI-Generated Songs From Dead Artists Without Permission”. He spoke with The Metro’s David Leins about how these AI imposters are showing up on Spotify—and what artificial intelligence is doing to reshape media and culture.

Jeremy Peters, Professor of Music Business at Wayne State University, also joins The Metro to talk about the lasting impact AI could have on the very culture of music.

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Federal immigration enforcement has ramped up under the Trump administration, leaving many in Detroit’s immigrant communities feeling anxious and unsettled. Policies have shifted the ground beneath them, especially in District 6, home to much of Southwest Detroit’s immigrant population.

Gabriela Santiago‑Romero represents that area on Detroit City Council. For her, the issue is personal. She’s a Mexican immigrant who grew up in the same neighborhood she now serves. Since enforcement efforts have increased, she’s been more present in the community, talking with neighbors about their rights and advocating for ways they can live with less fear.

Today, she joins us on The Metro to talk about the pressure, opportunity, and accountability shaping both her work and her community and what it means to take on issues deeply connected to her own identity.

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