They Create Worlds

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, and through the crash.  The company is notable for innovative packaging, and creating games that pushed the graphical fidelity of the Atari VCS to new levels!  They were also one of the first companies to use graphics on a computer to then be translated to code on a console.  A feat famously used by Rare in the creation of Donkey Kong Country.  Unfortunately through a lot of bad luck Imagic was unable to go public due to the Time Warner earnings report two days prior.  This lead to the company's downfall.   Sprint 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPEoLkVwtI Touch Me Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGY-wXvjWa0 Atlantis High-Res Scan: https://archive.org/details/AtlantisAtari2600HiResScans Cosmic Ark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKYRsvy4pHg Demon Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deEgbiAHaGs Atlantis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w

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 write perspectives on what we know at the time.  To start we look at Gaming Alexandria which has become one of the major communities dedicated to preserving video game history, and has many contributors who work on a myriad of projects.  We look at the work Ethan has put in between court cases, blogging, and as a consultant on "Arcade Dreams".  We look at the work done by Kate Willært of "A Critical Hit!"  Her work consists of blogs, videos, and twitter threads!  She did fantastic research into the first Easter Egg in video games, women characters in games, and if working on more interesting projects.  Finally we look at  academia, and what they are doing in relation to Video Game History!   Gaming Alexandria: https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/ Gaming Alexandria Discord: https://discord.gg/cF7c7Jd Video Game Legal Documents: https://archive.org/details/vi

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 cover not just the chapter but the thought process, and behind the scenes that went into the chapter.  The story is helped with extra information that Alex was able to gleam from interviews, and trial transcripts.  A larger perspective telling of the early formation of Activision, where the popular historical record needs to be corrected and more!   Atari Archive: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo_f7y6sBDmFnGbZoq1Ce_w TCW 094 - Epyx not Epic: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/epyx-not-epic/ TCW 046 - Atari, Ray Kassar and Warner: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/atari-ray-kassar-and-warner/ TCW 027 - The Magnavox Patent Lawsuits: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-magnavox-patent-lawsuits-friday-september-16-2016-1003-am/ Boxing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5reJLuRgz-A Dragster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTy9zS899wk Fishing Derby:

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 the errors that were made in the past.  First we explore the company Fun Games which was sued by Atari for making clones of Atari products using stolen equipment.  The source and story of this is better told with new information that has come to light.  Other new information includes the discovery that the 100 yen coin shortage in Japan was real!  The circumstances around the shortage is a lot more complicated.  The final major item was discovering the first game sold on a micro computer.  This particular game was published as a book, and not on tape or magnetic media making it unique for the first game of this type.   Trailer with Video Games: https://twitter.com/QuarterPast83/status/1261412414618128385 TCW 008 - Birth of the Japanese Game Center  Go to 1hr 25 minutes: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/birth-of-the-japanese-game-center/ Scelbi's Galaxy Ga

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 Ultima VII.  This game is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the series.   The game combines story elements with a massive world to create a truly unique experience.  The game is followed by two major commercial failures.  Those failures being Ultima VIII and Ultima IX.  The reasons behind those failures are many.  However a lot of the blame for Ultima VIII's shortcomings, especially the jumping, can be laid at the feet of the development team and not EA.  Because of the disaster of VIII, Ultima IX was plagues with issues.  Especially since they had a rotating staff, technology issues, and other challenges the game was an ignoble end to a series that touched many.  However like many of the Ultima games, it is not the destination, but the journey that is the true heart of Ultima.     Intro to Ultima VII: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ttf9YrkBdQ The Story

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 system that became a central feature of the franchise.  Using a combination of features he likes from various worlds religions, his own experiences, and so on Richard crafted the eight virtues that the play, who would become the avatar, would have to emulate.  In the following two games. The story focused on how not all choices are black and white like in Ultima V, and how without all the facts you may be fighting against a group that may just be trying to survive.  This is a fascinating look at morality in videogames that is unprecedented at the time, and is rarely, if at all, emulated today.   Download Ultima IV: https://www.gog.com/game/ultima_4 Museum of the Avatar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIaOiMH8SKg Softline Interview: http://www.applevault.com/magazines/softline/v3n1/origin.pdf The Eight Virtues Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wFzZx-

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

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.  We see how many companies kept falling into the same trap of FCC regulations, heat issues, and chip shortages.  By the time most of these issues were sorted out, with the notable exception of the Apple II being classified as an "industrial computer", the industry was in the midst of a console transition led by the ColecoVision.  However the video game crash caused it all to be reset, and many promising paths of development were never really explored.  Stay tuned to the end for info on Alex's guest appearances, the topic of our live stream recording this year, and getting stickers!   TCW 076 - A Fairchild Story: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/a-fairchild-story/ Media Regulation Crash Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6LKl4RKIew History of Radio and the FCC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob_db-kxEQw Vintage 1963 FCC Film: https://www.youtube.

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 have talked about many of these companies in the past.  However we have not brought the story together at a large scale looking at the influences these companies had on each other, the consumer market in general, and what the market could handle.  We see the reasons behind the transition to programable systems as being the logical course for an industry where dedicated hardware had reached a limit.  We will continue in part two seeing how the programable systems brought a new shift to the market.   TCW 106 - The Small Voice of Magnavox: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-small-voice-of-magnavox/ The Slide Rule "Bringing 1916 to 2016": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CblhxhnSymg The Odyssey 100: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y03hn64dHY Pong Console C-100: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCmYgAw6qmI Sears Tele-Games Pong: https://www.youtube.com/w

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 " which details a lot of the video game industry in Brazil.  We delve into the interesting history of outside companies operating in Brazil and the gray market that has developed as a result.  Once we have laid the groundwork we look at the company Tectoy which is one of the most successful toy/video game companies in Brazil.  They ended up partnering with SEGA to bring in the Master System, Mega Drive, and even the Saturn to Brazil.  However today they mostly refile, iterate, and provide various option of the master system and to a lesser extent Mega Drive to Brazil today.  They are the most prominent location to get SEGA hardware today!   TeleJogo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGd2txxJIBY Telejogo II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaWtddd7liQ The Splice Vision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_kUt-vGZr0 Zillion Box and Packaging Brazil: https://www

TCW Podcast Episode 138 - Dave Nutting Associates   This is our second half looking at Dave Nutting and specifically Dave Nutting Associates.  We see how they are able change the industry by showing the viability of solid state Pinball.  Despite the setback of not being able to license the technology to Bally/Midway they pressed on with developing video games.  Specifically Gun Fight which had realistic, for the time, human analogs that could fire guns at each other. As they continued to show how well they were to Bally/Midway they ended up being bought out.  Unfortunately by the time of the crash Dave Nutting Associates ended up being a small player in a crowded industry and was shut down in 1984.   TCW 59 - Williams' Crazy Story Part 1: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/williams-crazy-story-pt-1/ TCW 60 - Williams' Crazy Story Part 2 : http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/williams-crazy-story-pt-2/ Bally Pinball Flicker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-xCz-CCegg How a Pinball Machine Works In

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 industry, we see where he came from.  Some of his contentious relationship with his brother, and some of the design contributions he did that led to developments in the future with coin-op games.  With the founding of MCI he was able to further form a team that would follow him into the future.  Once ousted from MCI he started work on Solid State, and creating Dave Nutting Associates.   TCW 034 - The Nutting Associates: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-nutting-associates/ 1965 Jeep Wagoneer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad4nvJpoRok 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwwaKf8zGcc Computer Quiz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr98ASLdbZQ IQ Computer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh2j3W6me-U MCI Red Barron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dSvZVUUV4c Blue Max: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mhE9J0rvwU IBM Keypu

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 Games, and was later renamed to Ocean Software.  The company specialized in a mail order business harnessing the best of the bedroom coder scene in Brittan to produce ports of popular arcade titles.  In fact the initial offering of the company were clones of Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Frogger, and Missile Command.  The company continued to grow as Ocean Software expanding into licensed games including popular properties such as Platoon, Robocop, and Jurassic Park.  However the company was unable to compete with larger companies on the global stage.  This lead to their purchase by Infrogrames during that company's rapid expansion.  However after a few years of semi-autonomy Ocean Software ceased to be in the late 90's.    TCW 017 - The British 8-Bit Computer Market: Hardware: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-british-8-bit-computer-market-hardware/ TCW 018 -

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 all the early games, and the slow start the system had.  However it rapidly gained steam and gained widespread adoption.  Nintendo faced one of their first challenges which was the overheating of the graphic chip.  Nintendo did a recall and revised the system in the process.  Switching to removeable controllers, and round buttons to address other issues early adopters have reported.  The system really took off with the release of the Famicom Disc System, and the Legend of Zelda.  Despite wide adoption the lower margins for retailers and developers lead to the downfall of the peripheral.  Cartridge developments soon allowed games to exceed 30KB, and growing in size with 1MB and larger.  Though the system was popular in the west, and the larger cartridges helped speed its adoption there, the disc system was the height of the system in Japan.    Famicom Donkey Kong

TCW Podcast Episode 134 - Famicom   We look at the Family Computer, or the Famicom's development.  The state Nintendo was in before they entered into home dedicated consoled, and then explored programable consoles.  We look at how the console was developed with the main focus being on cost and quality.  The reason behind the use of the MOS 6502 chipset, sourcing ROM chips, and bringing it together into the red package that many love to this day.  This is part one of a two part look at the Famicom in Japan!   TCW 037 - Nintendo and Gunpei Yokoi: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/nintendo-and-gunpei-yokoi/ TCW 067 - The Birth of the Japanese Consoles: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-birth-of-the-japanese-consoles/ OPEC Oil Embargo 1973 NBC Nightly News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCLRlVxOH-Q Wild Gunman Back to the Future 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMy1zO8m8sM Wild Gunman Arcade 1974: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GToJgyymvFs A Critical Hit! Wild Gunman: https://www.acritic

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 company founded in the 1880's we follow the company's growth though the century.  This family owned business was eventually bought by General Mills in 1963, and was brought into the ever expanding non-food properties of the conglomerate.  Starting off with electronic games in the 70's, Parker Brothers would eventually enter the video game Industry near the beginning of the Great Video Game Crash.  They were somewhat successful despite difficulties.  However even they were not able to survive the crash, and were eventually divested by General Mills.   They ultimately ended up in the hands of Hasbro where they are today.   Codename Sector Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEcKucKnc5Y Codename Sector Explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_oQMvnVXHs Merlin Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX94QT_yxyI Parker Brother's Merlin: https://

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 designers to have lived through and continues to work in the lifespan of the video game arcade industry.  Starting off with Pinball and working at Atari for only two weeks.  Eugene came to be influential in many popular pinball, and arcade games.  Always looking for that next thrill he continues his quest to this day with his company Raw Thrills developing some of the few arcade titles still being put out there.   TCW 081 - The Meeting of Spacewar: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-meeting-of-spacewar/ TCW 059 - Williams’ Crazy Story Pt 1: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/williams-crazy-story-pt-1/ TCW 060 - Williams’ Crazy Story Pt 2: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/williams-crazy-story-pt-2/ Gorgar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vylGtiR0HVA Firepower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXuQ-54pT_c Defender: https://www.youtube.com/watch

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 Clive Sinclair as he reluctantly develops computers for the British market to fund his other project's.  The wild popularity of the ZX line including the ZX 80, ZX 81, and ZX Spectrum led to a booming home computer market in Brittan. Sinclair even tried to go into the business market with the Sinclair QL, but was outshone by competitors.  In the end Sir Clive Sinclair lost a fortune in developing an electric car known as the Sinclair C5.  The massive loss of funds led him to sell off the computer business to Lord Sugar to remain solvent.    The Video Game History Hour: https://gamehistory.org/video-game-history-hour/ The Video Game History Hour Ep 14 Alex Smith Discusses They Create Worlds: https://gamehistory.org/ep-14-alex-smith-discusses-they-create-worlds/   Micro Men - 10th Anniversary - With Chris Curry, Steve Furber and Hermann Hauser: https://www.yo

TCW Podcast Episode 130 - Uncle Clive's Radionics   We look at Sir Clive Sinclair in his early years dealing with creation of electronics for hobbyists.  Sir Clive held a passion for miniaturization and doing so at a low cost.  This started with audio equipment, amplifiers, high fidelity stereo, and FM radios.  This continued into calculators, and digital watches.  Sir Clive wanted to look into miniature TVs, and procured funding through the NEB.  In an act of prescience he founded a second company that eventually became Sinclair Research to serve as a life boat if things went bad with the NEB.  Sinclair Research, then known as the Science of Cambridge, produced the first domestic computer in the United Kingdom the MK 14!  Sir Clive eventually left Sinclair Radionics after the disasterous launch of the Black Watch.  A watch that when shocked had the potential to overload, and explode.    What is High Fidelity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0LWnpzdrW4 Sinclair Black Watch Commercial: https://www.youtub

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 came very close to another video game market crash.  A difficult transition was at hand as companies tried to figure out how and if they embrace the third dimension in video games.  Coupled with a declining arcade market.  New hardware costing twice as much, if not more than current systems many companies were on the edge.  The market forces between Japan and the US with currency exchanges ate into profit margins.  It lead to the deaths or decline of a few prominent companies.  Most notably SEGA, and Acclaim.  However because not just one major company was baring this the industry survived and continues to move forward to the present day!   Castlevania: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOTUVXrAOE8 Super Castlevania IV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd7P7niYimk Super C: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-z8xXA_v8k Contra III The Alien Wars: https://www.youtu