523.9K
Downloads
257
Episodes
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 Mar 01, 2023
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
TCW Podcast Episode 181 - The Fabric of Koei
We look at the company KOEI and the power couple Yoichi and Keiko Erikawa. Keiko came from the city and had a love of design and investing. Yoichi came from the Japanese countryside and loved games and local history. Yoichi made board and card games based on historical events and people. They met in college when Yoichi rented a room from Keiko's grandmother, and after some time fell in love. Yoichi was pressured by his father to go into the family's failing textile business. Eventually, he and Keiko struck it out on their own. Yoichi and Keiko founded Koei working as a textile business, but they ended up developing software and games for the NEC PC in Japan. This episode is a fascinating case of the parallel evolution of video games and many firsts for the Japanese market.
We discuss erotic games at a PG 13 level from 0:53:50 to 1:00:55. The material may not be appropriate for younger listeners.
What Magic is This? - The I Ching: https://whatmagicisthis.com/2022/07/30/the-i-ching-with-dan-lowe/
The I Ching for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0tfQ1fUXs
Kawanakajima no Kassen [川中島の合戦] (PC-88, 1982): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMBtDC4vQLM
Stratego: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R7d0A9ymwQ
Toushi Game: https://koei.fandom.com/wiki/Toushi_Game
Toushi Gêmu: https://fm-7.com/museum/products/57makg0v/
The Dragon & Princess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1nQueo2fkw
Dungeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StPVDnH7q8s
Dungeon NEC 8001: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6TChUIWoeI
**Explicit** Night Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Wk-LRCDgU
**Explicit** Danchi-zuma no Yuuwaku: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgknYAH_nn8
**Explicit** Orandazuma wa Denkiunagi no Yume wo Miruka?: https://koei.fandom.com/wiki/Orandazuma_wa_Denkiunagi_no_Yume_wo_Miruka%3F
Nobunaga's Ambition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfjo1OqsjRo
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 online 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/
No comments yet. Be the first to say something!