They Create Worlds

Nov 14 2024 222 ep. 85 mins 415
They Create Worlds Podcast artwork

Love of the worlds created by video game designers and personalities drives Alex Smith & Jeffrey Daum (history, law, CS degrees) to provide a scholarly yet light-hearted discussion of how arcade, home console, and PC games merged into a Video Game Industry. Emphasis is on the combination of business and creative elements needed for financial success. Interviews of Atari, EA, Activision, & other execs with detailed source evaluations produce the insights you hear in these 140+ hours!

  History  Leisure
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D&D & Video Games 1E

Nov 14 2024 84 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 222 - D&D & Video Games 1E In the first part of this series, we explore the various influences leading to the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. This episode is an edited version of our livestream, delving into the rise in popularity of war games, board games, and miniatures. Avalon Hill, a major company in this field, published The General magazine,

North to Hellgate London

Oct 31 2024 90 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 221 - North to Hellgate London In a pseudo part three of our look at Condor and Blizzard North, we explore the troubles the company faced after a year and a half of crunch. David, Max, and Eric were all burned out along with the rest of the staff. David was going through a divorce and had trouble putting his heart into figuring out what the next game would be.

Diablo 2

Oct 14 2024 72 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 220 - Diablo 2 We continue exploring the Diablo franchise with Diablo 2 and the journey of the team at Blizzard North. This episode covers the history of the Hellfire expansion for Diablo 1 and how it came to be developed by Sierra Online. A directive was issued for Blizzard North to focus on creating Diablo 2. The team aimed not just to create a bigger dungeo

Diablo 1

Sep 30 2024 89 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 219 - Diablo 1 We explore the monumental game Diablo! Initially a collaborative effort between David Brevik, Erich Schaefer, and Max Schaefer, Diablo brought together elements from games like X-Com, Angband, and surprisingly NHL '94. The trio formed the company Condor, producing NFL games and a Street Fighter clone called Justice League Task Force for the SEGA

The 100 Games Redux - The Revival

Sep 14 2024 100 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 218 - The 100 Games Redux - The Revival We’re back to revisit the 100 most influential games, this time with your feedback! We’ve made many changes to the list and even brought back some of the games that were previously cut. A huge thank you to everyone who wrote in, left a comment on YouTube, or reached out to us in other ways. Although we couldn’t rea

The Games of Ed Logg

Aug 31 2024 86 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 217 - The Games of Ed Logg Ed Logg had a long and distinguished career in Atari's coin-op division. Initially aspiring to be a math professor, his path changed after encountering the Atari 2600 at a friend's Christmas party. While at Atari, Logg created the legendary game Asteroids, which became a massive success. He continued his streak with Super Breakout an

The 100 Games Redux - The Removal

Aug 14 2024 90 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 216 - The 100 Games Redux - The Removal We revisit our list of the top 100 most influential games, making decisions on what to keep, remove, or change. We’ve removed 19 games and altered another—do you agree with our choices? What would you add or remove? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Email us at [email protected] to make your case. We’l

Final Fantasy VII

Jul 31 2024 99 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 215 - Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VII holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. For some, it was the first time they really connected with a JRPG. For others, it marked the transition from pixel art games to 3D gaming. Final Fantasy VII owes much to the storytelling work of its predecessor, Final Fantasy VI, led by Yoshinori Kitase. Kitase used h

The Neo Geo

Jul 14 2024 76 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 214 - The Neo Geo The Neo Geo was SNK's attempt to create a versatile hardware system for operators, allowing them to swap out games at a reduced cost while also bringing an authentic arcade experience into homes. The system's development was influenced by Capcom, with Street Fighter creator Takashi Nishiyama moving to SNK. The Neo Geo came in two versions: th

The Exidy of the 80's and 90's

Jun 30 2024 91 mins  
TCW Podcast Episode 213 - The Exidy of the 80's and 90's In our second part, we look at Exidy as we wrap up the 70s and explore their products of the 80s and 90s. They continued developing microprocessor games with a variation on Pac-Man with Mouse Trap. The game was moderately successful during the downturn in the mid-80s. Exidy tried to leverage the power of an Atari 400 comput