They Create Worlds

https://feed.theycreateworlds.com/feed.xml

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

Saturday Nov 01, 2025

The History of Commodore Pt 2

Saturday Nov 01, 2025

TCW Podcast Episode 245 - The History of Commodore Pt 2

Commodore’s shift from calculators to computers began with the PET, which found success in Europe as a business machine. After seeing the ZX80 in Britain, Jack Tramiel pushed for an affordable home computer, leading to the VIC-20. Guided by marketing manager Michael S. Tomczyk, Commodore promoted the VIC-20 as “the friendly computer” with William Shatner as spokesman. It first launched in Japan before reaching the United States and Europe, becoming a hit worldwide. Building on that success, Commodore released the C64, featuring the powerful SID sound chip and far more memory than its competitors. Marketed again under Tomczyk’s direction at a price under six hundred dollars, the C64 became one of the best-selling computers of all time, driving Commodore’s revenue past a billion dollars and securing its place in computing history.

TCW 2025 Livestream: https://youtu.be/BXXAhEVD4Lk

TCW 165 - Allied Leisure: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/allied-leisure/

TCW 172 - The Computer Price Wars Part 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-price-wars-part-1/

TCW 173 - The Computer Price Wars Part 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-wars-part-2/

TCW 174 - The Computer Price Wars Part 3: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-computer-wars-part-3/

TCW 130 - Uncle Clive's Radionics: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/uncle-clives-radionics/

TCW 131 - Sir Clive of ZX: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/sir-clive-of-zx/

KIM-1 Computer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMxOWngmy8I

The 8-Bit Guy - Commodore PET: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP9y_7it3ZM

The 8-Bit Guy - Commodore VIC-20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg04GyhS3ss

The 8-Bit Guy - Commodore C64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpXFB8ZEH30

Commodore VIC-20 Commercials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak0YU8ymkBc