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

Thursday Dec 15, 2022

The SEGA Technical Institute

Thursday Dec 15, 2022

TCW Podcast Episode 176 - The SEGA Technical Institute

SEGA has had a long history of mixing the west and Japanese ideas. To that end, we look at the SEGA Technical Institute or STI. A project to blend the best of Japanese and American developers to create unique games with worldwide appeal. Many talented people worked for STI, and this blending was realized with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. However, success was short-lived as interpersonal issues with the staff lead to a fracturing of the team. Each side put out interesting product, but nothing quite like the success of Sonic.

Marble Madness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzlA1JTPMto

Captain EO (1986): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy8w2xRpIIg

SEGA Scope 3D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYUBSV6u0Z8

SEGA Scope 3D Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMoMbXZCbT4

Shinobi Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFlTWKccFLg

Dick Tracey Movie Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4rzqSsqaqA

Dick Tracey Mega Drive/Genesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6e5qK7sGPQ

Phantasy Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3P-3GsiRIw

Ghouls 'n Ghosts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsMiyr9M6lM

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Bonus Stages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg6cIOsVojg

STUN Runner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6CPtjyr19M

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Genesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cr1rqVcIhA