They Create Worlds

Nintendo Playing with Controversy

15 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 154 - Nintendo Playing with Controversy   In part two of our look at the history of Nintendo, we cover the aftermath of Hirosh...

Nintendo Playing With Cards

01 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 153 - Nintendo Playing With Cards   We start off our look at the complete history of Nintendo.  The company started as a side pr...

Grand Theft Auto 2 by 3

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 152 - Grand Theft Auto 2 by 3   With the groundwork of the series laid down, we continue our look into the franchise of Grand The...

Grand Theft Auto 1

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 151 - Grand Theft Auto 1   We start our look at the legendary game series Grand Theft Auto.  A game series that had many influen...

Gottlieb Part 2

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 150 - Gottlieb Part 2   In part two we look at the further development of Gottlieb as a coin-op company, and how they established...

Gottlieb Part 1

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 149 - Gottlieb Part 1   We look at the company Gottlieb which was a major coin-op company founding during the roaring twenties, a...

The Mysteries of Imagic

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 148 - The Mysteries of Imagic   We look at the company Imagic.  This company only lasted a few short years during the lead up to...

Others in the Field Too

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 147 - Others in the Field Too   We look at the contributions of other in the field chronicling video game history, and trying to ...

Storytime with a Book 2

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 146 - Storytime with a Book 2   Alex reads and annotates a chapter of the book dealing with the founding of Activision!  We cove...

Revisions and Updates 3

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 145  - Revisions and Updates 3   Our sixth year anniversary!  In this episode we look back at the podcast and correct some of t...

Ascension into the Black Gate

15 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 144 - Ascension into the Black Gate   In our final part looking at the history of the Ultima series we start off looking at Ultim...

The Prophet of the Avatar

01 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 143 -The Prophet of the Avatar   In part two of our look at the Ultima series we start with how Richard came to the morality syst...

Ultima: Exodus to Akalabeth

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 inspirati...

The Console Market of the 70's and 80's Part 2

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 141 - The Console Market of the 70's and 80's Part 2   In our second part we look at the emergence of the programable consoles. ...

The Console Market of the 70's and 80's Part 1

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 140 - The Console Market of the 70's and 80's Part 1   We look at the early dedicated hardware systems in the United States.  We...

Tec Toy and Brazil

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 139 - Tec Toy and Brazil   We look at the video game industry in Brazil.  A big thanks to Marcus Garrett and his book "1983+1984...

Dave Nutting Associates

15 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 138 - Dave Nutting Associates   This is our second half looking at Dave Nutting and specifically Dave Nutting Associates.  We se...

Dave Nutting & Nutting Industries

01 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 137 - Dave Nutting & Nutting Industries   In part one of our two part look at the contributions of Dave Nutting to the video game...

Ocean Software

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 136 - Ocean Software   We look at the company Ocean Software.  The company was founded by David Ward and Jon Woods as Spectrum G...

The Famicom Disc System

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 135 - The Famicom Disc System   In our second part look at the Family Computer we start off with the launch in Japan.  We see al...

Famicom

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 134 - Famicom   We look at the Family Computer, or the Famicom's development.  The state Nintendo was in before they entered int...

Rolling Dice with the Parker Brother's

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 133 - Rolling Dice with the Parker Brother's   We look at the history of the company Parker Brothers.  Originally a board game c...

Eugene Jarvis

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 132 - Eugene Jarvis   We look at the life and story of Eugene Jarvis.  Unique in the industry of being one of, if not the only d...

Sir Clive of ZX

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 131 - Sir Clive of ZX   In our second part looking at Sir Clive Sinclair we pick up the story where we left off!  We follow Sir ...

Uncle Clive's Radionics

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 130 - Uncle Clive's Radionics   We look at Sir Clive Sinclair in his early years dealing with creation of electronics for hobbyis...

The Crash That Almost Was

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 129 - The Crash That Almost Was   We look at the crash that almost was.  Most people do not realize that in the mid nineties we ...

Nintendo in 1985

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 128 - Nintendo in 1985   We look at that special time during 1985 when Nintendo did a holiday test market in New York City!  By ...

Dreams of Sega

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 127 - Dreams of Sega   We look at the rapid decline of SEGA.  A company mired in infighting between executives.  This led to th...

Activision and Atari

15 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 126 - Activision and Atari   We look at the video games that Activision made for the Atari VCS/2600 when the founders of Activisi...

The Visions of Coleco Part 2

01 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 125 - The Visions of Coleco Part 2   In our second part look at Coleco we dive into the electronics and transition into programab...

The Visions of Coleco Part 1

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 124 - The Visions of Coleco Part 1   We look at the Connecticut Leather Company otherwise known as Coleco!  We see how a simple ...

A Casual World Part 2

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 123 - A Casual World Part 2   In our continued exploration of casual games we see the rise of match three in popularizing the gen...

A Casual World Part 1

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 122 - A Casual World Part 1   We look at the changes in the industry, mindset, and accessibility of games that lead to the format...

The Whole Video Game Industry Part 4

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 121 - The Whole Video Game Industry Part 4   In this, our conclusion of the whole video game industry, we start with a look at Xe...

The Whole Video Game Industry Part 3

15 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 120 - The Whole Video Game Industry Part 3   This is our third part looking at the entire video game industry.  We start with lo...

The Whole Video Game Industry Part 2

01 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 119 -The Whole Video Game Industry Part 2   We continue our look at the entire video game industry!  In the second part we start...

The Whole Video Game Industry Part 1

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 118 - The Whole Video Game Industry Part 1   This is part one of our four part series looking at the entire video game industry a...

Wing Commander

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 117 - Wing Commander   We look at one of the great space flight simulators of the 90's!  Wing Commander is largely attributed to...

The Atari Games You Are Looking For

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 116 - The Atari Games You Are Looking For   In this episode we continue our tradition of looking at Atari!  This time a deep loo...

The Return of the Sdraziw of Sir-Tech

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 115 - The Return of the Sdraziw of Sir-Tech   Our second part look at Sir-Tech Software!  The company continues to struggle with...

The Wizards of Sir-Tech

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 114 - The Wizards of Sir-Tech   We look at the company Sir-Tech.  Known as "the Wizardry company", and founded by Norman Sirotek...

Primordial Computer Game Industry

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 113 - Primordial Computer Game Industry   A big episode looking at two major companies that bridged the gap between the mainframe...

And Landing on it!

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 112 - And Landing on it!   We continue our dive into platforming games.  We look at the three main "schools" of thought brought ...

Jumping to It!

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 111 - Jumping to It!   We leap around to the myriad of games that were influential in the development of  platformer genre.  St...

Books of History

15 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 110 - Books of History   We look at the many books dealing with video game history.  Starting off with books that were primarily...

Adventuring with LucasArts Part 2

01 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 109 - Adventuring with LucasArts Part 2   This our second half looking at LucasArts adventure games.  We look at a company that ...

Adventuring with LucasArts Part 1

15 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 108- Adventuring with LucasArts Part 1   We look at LucasFilm games, AKA LucasArts.  Not the company as a whole, but their influ...

Storytime with a Book

01 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 107 - Storytime with a Book   We read from chapter 18 of "They Create Worlds: The People and Companies that Shaped the Video Game...

The Small Voice of Magnavox

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 106 - The Small Voice of Magnavox   Magnavox continues to strive for survival as an axillary of Philips.  While people close to ...

The Big Voice of Magnavox

01 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 105 - The Big Voice of Magnavox   We look at the company of Magnavox.  Started around the turn of the century getting into elect...

A Holistic View of ET

15 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 104- A Holistic View of ET   The game that has become so shrouded in myth and legend is brought to light in this holiday episode!...

Elite Systems

01 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 103 - Elite Systems   We look at one of the British software companies Elite Systems.  The company was originally named Richard ...

Stern Electronics

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 102 - Stern Electronics   We look at the short history of Stern Electronics.  A company that has influenced and been influenced ...

Infocom

01 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 101 - Infocom We look at the short life of Infocom.  A company that fell into the videogame sphere.  Best known for their text a...

The 100 Most Influential Games Part 3

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 100 - The 100 Most Influential Games Part 3   And at long last, TCW Episode 100!  To celebrate our 100th episode, we finish our ...

The 100 Most Influential Games Part 2

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 099 -  The 100 Most  Influential Games Part 2   And now, forty more games drawn from our list of the 100 most influential games...

The 100 Most Influential Games Part 1

15 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 098 - The 100 Most Influential Games Part 1   In a completely arbitrary order we look at what we feel are the 100 most influentia...

Revisions and Updates 2

01 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 097 - Revisions and Updates 2   The podcast is four years old!  We celebrate by looking back at past episodes, and revising subj...

Hello Big Blue

15 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 096 - Hello Big Blue   We look at Big Blue and their continuing development of computers in both business, and the home.  We see...

Hello Little Blue

01 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 095 - Hello Little Blue   A sorted history involving scams, monopolies, and acts of petty revenge predate the company the world w...

Epyx not Epic

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 094 - Epyx not Epic   This is an epic story about Epyx.  But don't confuse it with Epic!  We look at the computer game company,...

Books-B-Ware

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 093 - Books-B-Ware   We look at what was largely a footnote in video game history.  However it is notable as an early attempt at...

Citing Apologies

15 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 092 - Citing Apologies   A filler episode, with some updates on upcoming podcast items, and Alex's first book.  Due to Alex tryi...

Bally: The Road to Fitness

01 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 091 - Bally: The Road to Fitness   In our continuing look at Bally we see the shifting landscape ad they evolve and develop gambl...

Lion and Bally Manufacturing

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 090 - Lion and Bally Manufacturing   What will they do in '32? Ballyhoo! We examine the origins of the Bally Manufacturing Com...

The Dawn of Computers and Gaming

01 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 089 - The Dawn of Computers and Gaming   We look at the dawn of computers.  Not just people; but analog, electronic, and digital...

Gotta Go Fast!

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 088 - Gotta Go Fast!   Since we covered Mario a few episodes ago, it is only fair that we cover his great rival, not Bowser, but ...

Virtual History

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 087 - Virtual History   And now we discuss at the technology that has been just a few months away from revolutionizing video game...

Itsa Me Marioooo!

15 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 086 -  Itsa Me Marioooo!   Itsa the most iconic character in video game history: Mario. We explore the origins of Mario and exam...

Computer Game BASICs

01 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 085 - Computer Game BASICs   Now that we have explained how timesharing works, it's time to discuss games! In the 1960s, students...

Time Shared

15 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 084 - Time Shared   We lay the groundwork of computer development that led to some of the earliest influential games that would s...

The Silliwood Era now in FMV!

01 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 083 - The Silliwood Era now in FMV!   Now that we have set the stage, it's time for glorious FMV!  We examine the critical games...

An Unlikely Pairing of Siliwood

15 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 082 - An Unlikely Pairing of Siliwood   We take a look at the circumstances and leadup to what become known as the Siliwood Era. ...

The Meeting of Spacewar

01 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 081 - The Meeting of Spacewar   We go over the history of Spacewar, and the event at the Smithsonian.  We take a close look at t...

Vector Lights

15 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 080 - Vector Lights   We look at the arcade industry and the circumstances that led to the use of vector monitors in arcade games...

The Six Children of EA

01 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 079 - The Six Children of EA   We take a closer look at the six launch titles from EA.  We cover each in more detail going into ...

Invading Taito Part 2

15 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 078 - Invading Taito Part 2   We go into part two of Taito.  We start off looking at Space Invaders which is arguably the highes...

Invading Taito Part 1

01 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 077 - Invading Taito Part 1 We look back at the history of the company Taito.  Started by a Russian who through unique circumstan...

A Fairchild Story

15 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 076 - A Fairchild Story We cover the history of the Fairchild company and their console the Fairchild Channel F.  It is a fascina...

Gunning For Light

01 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 075 - Gunning for Light   We look at how shooting peripherals entered the gaming scene.  We start with their introduction in arc...

The Japanese PC Industry

15 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 074 - The Japanese PC Industry We cover the Japanese PC industry from the initial pioneers up to the mid 1980's.  The early innov...

Adventuring in the Arcade

01 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 073 - Adventuring in the Arcade   We look at the British PC Software market, specifically the Arcade Adventure genre.  With the ...

The MYSTeries of Brøderbund!

15 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 072 - The MYSTeries of Brøderbund!   We cover the later years of Brøderbund looking at their "evergreen" products.  Print Shop...

A Story of Brøderbund!

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 071 -A Story of Brøderbund! We cover the founding of Brøderbund by the Carlston brothers.  We delve into their initial forays ...

Sega VS Nintendo Round 3

15 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 070 - Sega VS Nintendo Round 3 The fight heats up with the 16 bit era in the United States.  Sega being first to market was able ...

Sega VS Nintendo Round 2

01 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 069 - Sega VS Nintendo Round 2 We cover Nintendo and Sega entering the US Market with their 8-bit consoles.  With the early relea...

Sega VS Nintendo Round 1

15 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 068 - Sega VS Nintendo Round 1 Recorded live in front of fans on YouTube Live!  Alex and Jeffrey start the dive into the Sega VS ...

The Birth of the Japanese Consoles

01 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 067 - The Birth of Japanese Consoles We cover the start of Japanese home consoles beginning with the early dedicated systems and w...

Half of a Life

15 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 066 - Half of a Life We cover the founding of Valve and the development processes that led to Half-Life 1 & 2.  Originally made u...

The Rise and Fall of Infogrames Part 2

01 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 065 - The Rise and Fall of Infogrames Part 2 We go into the mass consolidation that sprung Infogrames into an international powerh...

Rise and Fall of Infogrames Part 1

15 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 064 - Rise and Fall of Infogrames Part 1 The rise and fall of a French company founded by Bruno Bonnell.  We cover the rocky star...

Lawsuits for Nintendo

01 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 063 - Lawsuits for Nintendo We delve into the legal hurdles that Nintendo faced during its rise to power in the '80s and '90s.  W...

Lawsuits for Everyone!

15 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 062 - Lawsuits for Everyone! Thanks @MyMac for suggesting this topic!  We delve into some of the landmark court cases that helped...

Where in the Game is Carmen Sandiego?

01 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 061 - Where in the Game is Carmen Sandiego?   We go into the development, creation, and surprise smash hit that is the Carmen San...

Williams' Crazy Story Pt 2

15 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 060 - Williams' Crazy Story Pt 2 Part two of our look at Williams' story of how a pinball company grew through a combination of me...

Williams' Crazy Story Pt 1

01 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 059 - Williams' Crazy Story Part one of a look at the history of Williams Manufacturing Company.  Starting with Harry Williams' m...

EA Sports: It's in the Game!

15 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 058 - EA Sports: It's in the Game! We revisit EA with a deep dive into EA Sports.  Some information that was in our EA: The Teena...

Foundation of the Japanese Video Arcade Game Industry

01 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 057 - Foundation of the Japanese Video Arcade Game Industry We go over the games, companies, and events that lead to the foundatio...

Revisions and Updates

15 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 056 - Revisions and Updates We go over our past episodes and provide updates, if we have any, on each one.  There are a lot of li...

Blizzard: Hellfire and The World… Of WarCraft

01 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

TCW Podcast Episode 055 - Blizzard: Hellfire and The World… of WarCraft  Part two of our look into Blizzard Entertainment.  We start in the late 9...