Why VR Arcades Died and What's Replacing Them ft. Kevin Williams

This week, Charlie, Ted, and Rony are joined by Kevin Williams — ex-Walt Disney Imagineer, location-based entertainment specialist, publisher of The Stinger Report, and the curator behind the LBE XR Zone at AWE 2026.

Kevin pulls back the curtain on why well-funded VR pioneers like The Void and Dreamscape really collapsed (spoiler: it wasn't COVID), why Sandbox VR and Zero Latency survived, and how "competitive socializing" venues are quietly becoming XR's most viable business.

Plus: Alex Karp's jaw-dropping CNBC appearance, Ted's "printer ink theory" of AI economics, and the decades-old simulation lessons that could have solved VR motion sickness years earlier.

⏱️ KEY MOMENTS

02:42 – Alex Karp's CNBC interview: AI, data & sovereignty

08:40 – Ted's printer ink theory of AI economics

09:54 – Computational autocracies & America's 250th

13:07 – Guest intro: Kevin Williams (ex-Disney Imagineer, The Stinger Report)

17:15 – Theme parks vs. LBE: where's the line?

21:16 – Glow's Magic Leap 2 graffiti experience at AWE

23:14 – Rony's story: a famous graffiti artist tries digital spray paint

25:19 – The open digital mesh problem: RP1, Niantic & who owns the map

30:10 – Why The Void and Dreamscape really failed ("one and done")

34:48 – What bowling alleys and pubs get right: competitive socializing

40:43 – Europa Park's mixed reality attractions

43:09 – Universal's Mario Kart AR ride: why less is more

46:08 – The Dracula/Frankenstein ride & the "squeezing" motion sickness fix

49:19 – Why VR makes you sick: the poisoning response & 30 years of forgotten simulation lessons

52:10 – The case for sharing knowledge before it's lost

Brought to you by Zappar and Mattercraft. Mattercraft is Zappar's web-based platform for building augmented reality experiences without an app. Find them at mattercraft.io.

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