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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.
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 Feb 15, 2023
Space Invaders Part II
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
TCW Podcast Episode 180 - Space Invaders Part II
In part two of our look at Space Invaders we explore the impact of the game on Japan and the world. Space Invaders started off rocky, but operators soon realized that players were crazy for the game. Popularity exploded, and Taito was unable to fulfill the orders coming in. This led to the licensing of popular products to other companies in Japan. A move that would see itself repeated as the golden age of arcades continued. We also clarify the 100 Yen Myth/Truth of Japan. Where the legend came from, and what we think the reality is. Finally, we look at the expansion into the United States and Europe, and how the end of the boom in Japan helped to bring Space Invaders into Europe and other nationalities.
Blue Shark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5P692hzleQ
I'm in danger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ZbpxV382U
Space Invaders Attract Mode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvomS1YMV90
Disco Space Invaders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byQnpyLod6Y
Best of Yellow Magic Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrBAVAaREd8&t=3s
Jatre Specter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aj8PwZaWLo
IPM Invader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ircX-nH5J9I
Space Invaders and the 100 Yen Myth: https://www.academia.edu/3672374/Insert_Coin_to_Play_Space_Invaders_and_the_100_Yen_Myth
Space Invaders Targets Coins: https://www.academia.edu/2568838/Space_Invaders_targets_coins
Spaces Invaders Part II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul7epE6Fryw
New episodes are 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
Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1
Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode
Outro Music: RolemMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love
Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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