They Create Worlds

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The games we love reveal something true about who we are, and about the world that made them. They Create Worlds is a podcast about the people, technology, and forces that built the video game industry.

Through video game history, the show looks at how culture, business, and technology shaped what we play, tracing the choices and circumstances that led to the games so many people around the world enjoy.

Each episode digs into where games came from, who made them, and why they were made the way they were. Business decisions, technological shifts, and creative choices all shaped what ended up on screen, and the show covers all of it together, not just one piece in isolation.

Hosted by Alex Smith and Jeffrey Daum, They Create Worlds grew out of long conversations about the strange corners of the industry and the patterns that only show up when you look across companies, platforms, and decades. That conversational feel remains, built on careful research, clear structure and editing that makes even the deepest topics easy to listen to.

History turns out to be less settled than it looks. New documents surface, memories conflict, and the clean stories about why things happened the way they did rarely survive contact with the evidence. The show digs into all of that, following the creative and business forces that pushed and pulled on each other, and uncovering the human stories that lie beneath the games so many people around the world enjoy.

New episodes are released twice a month.

Episodes

Sunday Dec 15, 2019

A Holistic View of ET

Sunday Dec 15, 2019

TCW Podcast Episode 104- A Holistic View of ET

The game that has become so shrouded in myth and legend is brought to light in this holiday episode! We look at how E.T. was thrust upon Atari by Warner in a bid to bring Stephen Spielberg in to makes movies for Warner. With a massive royalty overhead, a short five week production time, and a massive brain drain at Atari Howard Scott Warshaw stepped up to the challenge. He took the ambitious task of programing E.T. for Atari, having done Raiders of the Lost Arc previously. Despite the time crunch he decided do an adventure like game which, in combination with a lack of mentorship, lead to some poor design choices. Though lauded as being 'the worst game ever' E.T. is just an unfortunate game that hit Atari at an inopportune time.

Original E.T. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-2PB4jj2o

Adventure 2600 Walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzCrb8y5NCU

Yar's Revenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrHUJrhZMJI

Raiders of the lost Ark Speed Run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP-e0-0PpLc

ET Atari 2600: ET explained by Atari: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-pzdPLfy9Y

Simpsons "Can't Sleep Clown Will Eat Me": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3yuFlvRyqM

TCW 044 - Founding, Syzygy to Atari: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/founding-syzygy-to-atari/

TCW 045 - Atari, Ventures and Acquisitions: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/atari-ventures-and-acquisitions/

TCW 046 - Atari, Ray Kassar, and Warner: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/atari-ray-kassar-and-warner/

TCW 047 - Vestiges of Atari: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/vestiges-of-atari/

TCW 019 - The Great Video Game Crash Part 1: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-great-video-game-crash-part-1/

TCW 020 - The Great Video Game Crash Part 2: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-great-video-game-crash-part-2/