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They Create Worlds

They Create Worlds

By: Alex Smith and Jeffrey Daum
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 Love of the worlds created by video game designers and personalities drives Alex Smith & Jeffrey Daum (history, law, CS degrees) to provide a scholarly yet light-hearted discussion of how arcade, home console, and PC games merged into a Video Game Industry. Emphasis is on the combination of business and creative elements needed for financial success. Interviews of Atari, EA, Activision, & other execs with detailed source evaluations produce the insights you hear in these 140+ hours!Copyright 2015-2019 . All rights reserved. World
Episodes
  • The History of Commodore Pt 1

    The History of Commodore Pt 1
    Oct 15 2025

    TCW Podcast Episode 244 - The History of Commodore Pt 1

    We kick off our look at Commodore with the story of its founder, Jack Tramiel. A Holocaust survivor who emigrated to the United States, Tramiel began repairing lamps and typewriters before founding a typewriter import business in Toronto. His early success was nearly undone by the Atlantic Acceptance financial scandal, which forced him into partnership with investor Irving Gould. Commodore’s venture into calculators nearly bankrupted the company, but the acquisition of MOS Technology set the stage for its move into computers. This episode explores the corporate maneuvering, twists of fate, and personal drive that shaped Commodore’s early years. Featuring audience input, it’s the start of a lively three-part (and possibly four-part) deep dive into one of computing’s most fascinating companies.

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

    Jack Tramiel 1983 Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5skpKlVOqc

    Commodore - A Company On The Edge by Brian Bagnall: https://archive.org/details/commodorecompany0000bagn/page/n1/mode/2up

    Computer Chronicles Revisited - SMOliva: https://computerchronicles.blog/post/computer-chronicles-revisited-107-koalapainter-the-wine-steward-skate-or-die-master-composer-keyboard-controlled-sequencer/#the-atlantic-acceptance-scandal-and-irving-goulds-takeover

    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 on-line 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: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love

    Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • RCA Studio II

    RCA Studio II
    Oct 1 2025
    TCW Podcast Episode 243 - RCA Studio II The RCA Studio II emerged from the company’s faltering computer division and the vision of engineer Joseph Weisbecker, who had long dreamed of personal computing after reading "Giant Brains or Machines That Think". He developed FRED at home, a TTL-based hobby computer. A later iteration using the COSMAC microprocessor inspired his daughter Joyce, who went onto program Studio II games, and RCA’s forays into coin-op experiments like the Fredotronic. With the development of the CMOS-based COSMAC chip, RCA built trainers like the MicroTutor and kits like the COSMAC ELF, but the Studio II became their entry into the console market. Innovative in concept but hampered by primitive graphics, the system faced FCC challenges delaying release. The console launched in 1977 against the Channel F and Atari VCS, it struggled to find success, though its technology lived on in Taiwan and European licensed systems. Much of its history was later uncovered by researcher Kevin Bunch, which saved the Studio II from being just a footnote in video game history. Mechanical Televisions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5OANXk-6-w 32 Line Mechanical TCV Popeye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozpBDOBXiPs TCW 096 - Hello Big Blue: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/hello-big-blue/ TCW 026 - The Magnavox Odyssey: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-magnavox-odyssey/ RCA Spectra 70: https://d1yx3ys82bpsa0.cloudfront.net/brochures/rca.spectra70.1965.102646099.pdf Project Gutenberg - Giant Brains or Machines That Think: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/68991/pg68991-images.html Radio Electronics - Simon Computer: https://vintagecomputer.net/simon.cfm Think-a-Dot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think-a-Dot RCA System 00 and FRED: https://www.retrotechnology.com/memship/cosmac_system_00.html Fredotronic: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/2021/10/13/home-to-the-arcade-a-perfect-translation/ RCA MicroTutor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCXQZY8XCK8 Popular Electronics - COSNAC ELF: https://archive.org/details/197608PopularElectronics_20181123 Popular Electronics - COSMAC ELF (Condensed): https://archive.org/details/popular-electronics-cosmac-elf/page/n15/mode/2up Building a COSMAC ELF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npvkHmTo_1U COSMAC VIP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDnufgeONYg (Atari Archive has examples of all games and many of the things we talk about!) Atari Archive - EP01 - The Story of RcA FRED and the Studio II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o35y6W9hI-o Atari Archive - EP02 - The History of RCA's Commercial Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXIoi1QAcoY RCA Studio II: http://videogamekraken.com/rca-studio-ii RCA Studio II Console Tour & Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJkedjfK4aQ M-1200 (RCA Studio III): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NstUUSIwUwY Star Wars (Studio II): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FYKkCkNZOY Pinball (MPT-02 - Studio III): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b3LO41z7ks 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 on-line 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: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • Fumito Ueda

    Fumito Ueda
    Sep 15 2025
    TCW Podcast Episode 242- Fumito Ueda Fumito Ueda entered game design through art rather than a love of traditional play. Influenced by titles like Flashback and Another World, he sought to tell stories with minimal interfaces and expansive environments rich in mood. After early work on D and Enemy Zero, Sony gave him a trial period that led to ICO, a game shaped by surreal landscapes inspired by Giorgio de Chirico and a hand-holding mechanic to convey emotional connection. ICO struggled in Japan but became a critical hit abroad, influencing games from Uncharted 3, The Last of Us, Dark Souls, and Journey. Ueda expanded his ideas in Shadow of the Colossus, a meditation on cruelty and consequence that inspired epic boss battles in other franchises such as God of War. His long-delayed The Last Guardian explored companionship through a giant creature, though with mixed reception. Now independent, Ueda continues to shape gaming with projects yet to be revealed. Punch Out (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T8hoeVpdV0 Space Harrier (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEWGnj12GO4 The Legend of Zelda (Famicom Disc System): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsmXV06PwnM Smash Ping Pong (Famicom): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd5QSxyG3Z0 Flashback (Amiga): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNTnRM77XuE Another World (Amiga): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLC_Un9lNPw D's Diner - Director's Cut (3DO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7G1NuWciEE Enemy Zero (SEGA Saturn): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmkfgDNihZ0 PaRappa the Rapper (PSX): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97k0Dy8JweM Prince of Persia (Game Boy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thAmYGc37pA Virtua Fighter (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7HQ2vspMHA Hello Pac-Man (SNES): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5IOwrutZmM Lemmings (Amiga): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuiyFXMjGxA Chuck Jones - The Evolution of an Artist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHpXle4NqWI ICO Leap of Faith (PS3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WWr_7CoIzY Giorgio de Chirico: https://www.wikiart.org/en/giorgio-de-chirico/all-works ICO cover - Japan: https://www.mobygames.com/game/5158/ico/cover/group-79093/cover-214724/ Uncharted 3 (PS5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZFYTHMsLUc Zelda Twilight Princess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJPhioaehIY Journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkL94nKSd2M FEZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm9XRDlNDK4 The Last of Us (PS3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJPKTCpL1ws Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34s9b6sLMjk Dark Souls (PS3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdpdkd2eNmE ICO (PS2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIzZkGP3SUk Grand Theft Auto 3 (PS2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZMyBAjQ-QE Shadow of the Colossus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiB8MEJN-QU God of War 2 (PS2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pgks8w-HK8 The Last Guardian (PS4): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ssIkVxg_k 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 on-line 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: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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    1 hr and 24 mins
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