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 Jul 15, 2021

Ultima: Exodus to Akalabeth

Thursday Jul 15, 2021

TCW Podcast Episode 142 - Ultima: Exodus to Akalabeth

In this episode we look at the legendary series of Ultima! We look at the lead up inspiration, and influences that led to the creation of Ultima. This episode ties in heavily with our look at Origin Systems. In this we use the creation of Ultima as a microcosm of the development of the PC industry. The plight of the bedroom coder. Wanting to make cool games, finding themselves thrust into a wider PC game world, and the eventual whirlwind of having publishers involved. We mainly focus on how the creation of the games mirrors Richard's growth as a game designer and eventually perfecting the base formula with Ultima III.

TCW 038 - Origin Story: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/origin-story-1489274251/

TCW 117 - Wing Commander: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/wing-commander-1593278423/

Introduction to the Society of Creative Anachronism : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=046bs9DY7QY

Escape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM2tb0-9uyg

Download Akalabeth: https://www.gog.com/game/akalabeth_world_of_doom

Apple II - Akalabeth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKAlDUu7zko

Apple II - Ultima I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrQFzWO4pYo

Apple II - Lemonade Stand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUbDDmXp2I

Trailer for Time Bandits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vioocIR0gHQ

Apple II - Ultima II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts-zYdjDyAI

TCW 039 - On-Line Systems: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/on-line-systems/

TCW 040 - Sierra On-Line: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/sierra-on-line/