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

Tuesday Aug 15, 2023

Microprose Part 1

Tuesday Aug 15, 2023

TCW Podcast Episode 192 -Microprose Part 1

In the first part of our look at Microprose, we cover the central characters of Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier. The duo came from very different backgrounds that helped inform the creative and business powerhouse. Wild Bill had to grow up at a young age after his father's death. This led to him having to manage the home finances, negotiate out of debt, and learn many of the skills that would help him in his military, and business careers. We have covered some of Sid's history in episode 50, but we have a lot of new information with additional research and Sid's autobiography. We cover Microprose's founding with a bet between the two at a convention in Los Vegas, and Wild Bill pushing to have his dream of playing a video game able to realistically represent what it was like to fly a jet fighter.

TCW 050 - Civilizing Sid Meier: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/civilizing-sid-meier/

War Games Ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s93KC4AGKnY

Formula 1 Racing (Atari 800): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H5NhhmnwBU

Hamilton Satisfied: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAu3_H5ECpw

Atari 800 Star Raiders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8YdO6PYViw

Red Barron Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6tbmgml504

Hellcat Ace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwYaQS59UGQ

Chopper Rescue Atari 800: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUyebYD5UO0

Floyd of the Jungle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKuH6oXD8Pg

Wingman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5mMwgrqyYk

MIG Alley Ace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YRAQGMi9uc

Solo Flight Atari 800: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AGR7DkOkyQ