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

Wednesday Jun 01, 2022

California Pacific

Wednesday Jun 01, 2022

TCW Podcast Episode 163 - California Pacific

We look at the company California Pacific. Founded by Al Remmers the company played a large role in launching the careers of Bill Budge and Richard Garriott. Al Remmers was in a unique position as a publisher. He had contacts with retailers spanning the entire country. In a way California Pacific was both one of the first distributors and used the EA model of programmers as rock stars. Promoting the games made by talented people, and promoting the individuals themselves. Unfortunately California Pacific had a too high royalty to those same programmers, and once dedicated distribution companies started to take over business declined. Al Remmers struggled with delegation, and unfortunately he developed a drug addiction. Though not well known today California Pacific did play a vital role during a crucial stage of the computer video game industry.

A little Energon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_6yo04Hjc

Overview of the S100 BUS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVblKM9bJxA

Super Invader/Apple Invader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNSFD7mC-Oo

Bill Budge's Trilogy of Games: https://archive.org/details/wozaday_Bill_Budge_Trilogy

Picture of the packaging: https://web.archive.org/web/20220530014930/https://www.ebay.com/itm/203822308767
Bill Budge's Space Album: https://archive.org/details/wozaday_Bill_Budge_Space_Album

Akalabeth: https://archive.org/details/Akalabeth_1980_California_Pacific_Computer
World Od Doom Akalabeth Packaging: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/apple-ii-akalabeth-world-doom-1889507320

Who is Lord British: http://www.softalkapple.com/more_to_the_story/remember-when-softalk-asked-who-lord-british
Ultima 1: https://archive.org/details/Ultima_I_1981_California_Pacific_Computer

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com