They Create Worlds

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 computers!  We look at how the early games on the computer were not so much games as demonstration programs or simple AI to play games like tic-tac-toe, NIM, checkers, and, of course, chess.  We look at how the work done during WWII around RADAR played a role in how both computers and computer games developed.  Next we look at some of the fear in the popular psyche of computers and AI as depicted in movies.  We finish looking at what is considered the first video games.    Hidden Figures Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wfrDhgUMGI Analog VS Digital Electronics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxJKXGugfh8 The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I5ZMmrOfnA How RADAR Works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3uIXt1V7YY RADAR Introductory Video (Military?): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rIHdcwlvlk History of RADAR: https:/

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 Sonic!  We go at not quite sonic speed over the creation of the character and franchise.  Sonic's interesting inception was brought about through a character submission process.  Sonic is the melding of a rabbit, a character called "Mr. Needlemouse," and Michael Jackson!  Yes, this is true.  Look there is a music video referenced below.  Though Sonic suffered from rapid over exposure he is still beloved by many fans.  After all these fans pay homage with a Sega Tower of Power to Sonic!   Alex Kidd in Miracle World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yasiyS7dkcU&t=495s Ghouls and Ghosts Mega Drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5CGfah2IEI Michal Jackson 'Smooth Criminal': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_D3VFfhvs4 Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1FEHo_RcNw Classic Game Postmortem: Sonic the Hedgehog: https://www.youtube.c

TCW Podcast Episode 087 - Virtual History   And now we discuss at the technology that has been just a few months away from revolutionizing video games for the past thirty years, virtual reality. While a hot topic again due to the emergence of the Occulus Rift and the PS4 VR, virtual reality has been a Holy Grail of computer graphics research since the early 1960s. We examine the origins of VR at the University of Utah and its refinement at Atari and VPL Labs before looking at several attempts to bring VR into the mainstream in the early 1990s. We end with a quick look at the state of VR today.   Master Collector of View Master: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JxAv3-QOzc Morton Heilig's Sensorama (Interview): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSINEBZNCks Legend of the Sword of Damocles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNSh519GxvY Sword of Damocles Headset Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OwlABr1o-g Sword of Damocles Headset With Explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vuGXWnYZpA Lecture fr

TCW Podcast Episode 086 -  Itsa Me Marioooo!   Itsa the most iconic character in video game history: Mario. We explore the origins of Mario and examine how his entire design was born of necessity. We discuss how the character evolved through the Donkey Kong series and Mario Bros. before taking a deep dive into the design of Super Mario Bros. Then it’s a quick tour through the rest of Mario's NES and SNES adventures, setting the stage for his transition into 3D worlds.   Nintendo Radar Scope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kbliYx51ok TCW Gumpai Yokoi episode: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/nintendo-and-gunpei-yokoi/ Donkey Kong Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJagEKVJ8x4 Mario Bros.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHlUEJXaxfY Devil World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08q_WmEMh4g Excite Bike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRgMCtaWoSU Kung Fu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-gyVEqS1Ts Pac Land: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=558zv3tHdu4 Baraduke: https://www.youtube.com/watc

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 and professional programmers alike created computer games that were played by dozens, if not hundreds of their peers on timeshared computers. In the early 1970s, some of these programs began to spread across the country thanks to the efforts of early pioneers in computer book and magazine publishing like Bob Albrecht and David Ahl. By the time the first microcomputers appeared in the late 1970s, these games were so widespread that they started being converted to platforms like the Apple II and TRS-80 as well.  As a result, games like Lunar Lander, Star Trek, and The Oregon Trail continued to be played decades after they were first created and became recognized as some of the earliest classic computer games.   Kill us all on sight reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Lc_1aNdZA 1969 Lander: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TkFCo4F0_U Making Games by

TCW Podcast Episode 084 - Time Shared   We lay the groundwork of computer development that led to some of the earliest influential games that would shape the industry.  We cover how computers were one-program-at-a-time systems, and it was only through experimentation that were computers developed that could handle multiple inputs at once.  We see how Sputnik scared the USA into spending a lot more in the sciences in order to keep up with Russian space development, which benefited computer-based education initiatives.  We finish up looking at the proliferation of computers with remote terminals in universities, high schools, and some grade schools.   That combined with the high level programing language BASIC set the stage for development, and spread of games!   Castlevania 2 Runner Pays 400/month for Internet: https://youtu.be/C_3Tdjs0iVA?t=1991 The SAGE Systen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06drBN8nlWg IRQ, DMA, and Address Ports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPKXmGkRxQ8 How Computers Work Overvi

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 released in 1993 that began the interactive movie craze and attracted serious attention from the media companies just beginning to establish "interactive divisions."  We analyze how both media companies and existing video game companies approached using FMV in their products and conclude by discussing how the sudden entrance and exit of the media companies transformed the industry going forward.   Micky Mousecapade NES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8AuYYIG-SU Sewer Shark Sega CD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTdLjUn6y-0&t=1248s Night Trap Sega CD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia29PSVOXL4 Congressional Hearing on violence in Video Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD-Afpg4P2U FM Towns Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th4c7fTMETI FM Towns 100 Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcM7QaxkL60 Psygnosis Planetside Demo: https://www.

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.  We discuss how changing technology and an increased focus by certain video game companies on emulating blockbuster movies attracted the attention of the major media companies and set the stage for an unlikely alliance of Hollywood and Silicon Valley.  This pairing led to the interactive movie fad and also led to changes in retail that would alter the course of the video game industry forever.   TCW 042 Laser Craze: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/laser-craze/ Night Trap 25th Anniversary PC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBaW40NUCTU Sewer Shark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTdLjUn6y-0 Atmosfear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRMphkKF3M0 Defender of the Crown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvW6okgy4wA Errol Flynn Robin Hood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpqR6Ca-LL8 Defender of the Crown Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwTJn-rV