They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 180 - Space Invaders Part II   In part two of our look at Space Invaders we explore the impact of the game on Japan and the world. Space Invaders started off rocky, but operators soon realized that players were crazy for the game. Popularity exploded, and Taito was unable to fulfill the orders coming in. This led to the licensing of popular products to other companies in Japan. A move that would see itself repeated as the golden age of arcades continued. We also clarify the 100 Yen Myth/Truth of Japan. Where the legend came from, and what we think the reality is. Finally, we look at the expansion into the United States and Europe, and how the end of the boom in Japan helped to bring Space Invaders into Europe and other nationalities. Blue Shark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5P692hzleQ I'm in danger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ZbpxV382U Space Invaders Attract Mode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvomS1YMV90 Disco Space Invaders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byQnpyLod6Y Best

TCW Podcast Episode 179 - Space Invaders and Nishikado   We look at the life and career of Tomohiro Nishikado, and the life influences that led to his creation of one of the most influential games ever made. Space Invaders! Starting life at the tail end of World War II, Nishikado always had a rebellious streak wanting to get into electronics then follow his mother into education. After some difficulty with school he eventually graduated from Denki University with an electronics degree, during this time, this time he fell in love with coin-op arcade games. Eventually through the help of a friend he landed a job at Taito's subsidiary, Pacific Amusements. Despite not liking his placement at the company, Nishikado continued to work there out of loyalty for his friend. He eventually worked on Sky Fighter, Basketball, and Super Road 7.  Eventually as the industry shifted to microprocessors, and TTL  hardware he eventually made Space Invaders!   TCW 077 - Invading Taito Part 1: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/

TCW Podcast Episode 178 - The Intellivision Part 2   In part two we look at how Mattel starts aggressively marketing the Intellivision by directly attacking Atari in its advertisements. New leadership by Josh Denham helped to foster this and to rework the production of the Intellivision to make it for cheaper. This lower cost model was released as the Intellivision II. Still some in the company were still wanting to do a computer, but it proved to be too complicated and expensive to bring to market. They settled on releasing a lesser computer attachment that allowed for some peripherals. Ultimately through a combination of their own problems, and the looming home console crash Mattel nearly went out of business, and spun off Intellivision where it continued to limp along in the shadows all the way to the early 90's.   1983 Pepsi Challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghMYzo0rgrw 1981 Pepsi Challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FhxujFUJlQ Grey Poupon Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvDazr

TCW Podcast Episode 177 - The Intellivision Part 1   In part one of our look at the Intellivision we look at the rocky road that made the system almost not come to market. The system had issues with both settling on chipsets to use as well as production problems. Not only was the system delayed multiple times, but the price kept going up. The Intellivision was marketed as an a gateway into computing in the home. It had a keyboard that was delayed for price reasons that was supposed to ship with the console itself. Software for the console was initially four titles. Though other games came out after launch more towards the late 1980's. The console was met with a luke-warm reception, and it looked like it would be doomed to failure. In part 2 we will see how the Intellivision eventually became a beloved classic console only to be taken out by the great video game crash.   Star Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwELyhziVmc Math Fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6abEkPjF5S0 Backgammon: https://www.youtube.

TCW Podcast Episode 176 - The SEGA Technical Institute   SEGA has had a long history of mixing the west and Japanese ideas. To that end, we look at the SEGA Technical Institute or STI. A project to blend the best of Japanese and American developers to create unique games with worldwide appeal. Many talented people worked for STI, and this blending was realized with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. However, success was short-lived as interpersonal issues with the staff lead to a fracturing of the team. Each side put out interesting product, but nothing quite like the success of Sonic.   Marble Madness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzlA1JTPMto Captain EO (1986): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy8w2xRpIIg SEGA Scope 3D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYUBSV6u0Z8 SEGA Scope 3D Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMoMbXZCbT4 Shinobi Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFlTWKccFLg Dick Tracey Movie Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4rzqSsqaqA Dick Tracey Mega Drive/Genesis: https://www.

TCW Podcast Episode 175 - Shady Cocktail Cabinets   We look at the formation of cocktail cabinets in lounges and cocktail bars. There was an untapped market in these upscale establishments. The problem came from being able to break into the established coin-op industry. This led to some shady practices by various marketers targeting investors who did not know the industry. The cocktail cabinet design promoted quiet play while sitting down enjoying drinks and food unlike most upright cabinets. Cocktail cabinets were somewhat popular for a few years, but ultimately was a fad that was short lived. The companies involved in the industry mostly went under when their popularity dwindled.   TCW 051 - Sons of Pong: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/sons-of-pong/ Barrel Pong: https://i.redd.it/w7iyqqalrvk41.jpg Flim Flam: https://www.aussiearcade.com/topic/81095-flim-flam-1975-pong-clone-pcb-by-meadows-games-inc/   New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com  Twi

TCW Podcast Episode 174 - The Computer Wars Part 3   In our conclusion of the live stream, and our look at the computer price wars we see the implosion of the home computer market in the 1980s. The main players were trapped in a race to the bottom. Eventually, Commodore was able to beat out Texas Instruments. This also took out the smaller players like Coleco and Mattel. In the end Commodore was able to dominate the market for a few years. Eventually, they were overcome by the PC clones. But that is another story.   Commodore 64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpXFB8ZEH30 TCW 124 - The Visions of Coleco Part 1: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-visions-of-coleco-part-1/ TCW 125 - The Visions of Coleco Part 2: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-visions-of-coleco-part-2/ TCW 016 Early Computer Game Platforms: The Trinity, and the Disciples: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/early-computer-game-platforms-the-trinity-and-the-disciples/   New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   T

TCW Podcast Episode 173 - The Computer Price Wars Part 2   In part two of our look at the computer price wars, we dive deep into the major players. Commodore with the VIC-20 and Texas Instruments with the TI99/4A were the major players. Other players included Apple, the TRS-80 Color, and even the US version of the ZX Spectrum.  As fears mounted that Japanese PC makers would eventually price out the US computer makers, efforts were made to drive the prices of home computers lower and lower. The opening shots of the price war included using celebrity endorsements for the major players. Discover the history of how Commodore and Texas Instruments took down a whole industry!   SRAM and DRAM More in Depth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rNEtAz3wJQ What is DRAM?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waU7U_7-mpk TCW 131 -  Clive of ZX: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/sir-clive-of-zx/ 8-Bit Guy - The VIC 20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg04GyhS3ss TRS-80 Color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUa1s9uFKHs Commod

TCW Podcast Episode 172 - The Computer Price Wars part 1   Part one of our live recording as we cover the Computer Price Wars. We focus on the development of the PC market. The state of computers in the home. The hobbyist computer market, and the major players involved. We see the rapid development of computers and the shift to pre-assembled PCs. We wrap up by looking at the major players of the late 70s and early 80s.  The build-up to a price war that would eventually devastate the entire industry.   TCW 025 - Mattel Electronics?: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/mattel-electronics/ The Story of the Mattel Aquarius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReUNJLwqSbo APF Imagination Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvgpcZ1m4XY Atari 800 Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA-euwYrAzw TRS 80 Model 1 Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-6_D3cRXws Star Raiders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxbYwekgRz4   New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworld

TCW Podcast Episode 171 - A Rogue's Survival Part 2   In part two we look more closely at the evolution of rogue and its descendants. The game Hack which lead to the development of NetHack, and Moria.  These games continued down branching paths to have influences on MMOs, Diablo, and others. We then jump ahead to the modern indie scene, and how the random generation aspects were adapted to create Spelunky.  Spelunky in turn inspired other creators to create games using random generation elements. The most notable of these being The Binding of Isaac, FTL, and Crypt of the Necrodancer.  It is through these four games that we can see that the concept of randomly generated maps and scenarios are not limited to dungeon crawls, or ASCII art. The concepts can be brought into other genres including platforming, real time strategy, and rhythm games.     NetHack: https://www.nethack.org/ uMoria: https://umoria.org/ Castle of the Winds: https://archive.org/details/win3_CasWin1 Spelunky: https://spelunkyworld.com/origina

TCW Podcast Episode 170 - A Rogue's Survival Part 1   We start looking into Rogue by looking at the computer systems that helped to spawn its creation. We cover the history of UNIX. The development of UNIX is tied heavily to the development and distribution of Rogue. Rogue was programmed in partnership between Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman. The game featured extensive replayability. The game started to spread through early UseNet and inspired others to create similar games.   TCW 084 - Time Shared: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/time-shared/ AT&T Archives The UNIX OS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 C Programing Language with Brian Kernighan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de2Hsvxaf8M AT&T Archive The Bell System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBPTM_irIco ADM-3A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzmB-Eow5P8 Bill Joy Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUXI3I_IZg What is ASCII?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB85kTs-sEw Characters Symbols, and the Unicode Miracle: https:/

TCW Podcast Episode 169 - Activision and Kotick Part 3   In our final part on Activision and Kotick we see how Activision continued to develop and acquire new IPs. With Spycraft they were in on the Siliwood era of games a trend that continued with Zork Grand Inquisitor. Attempts were made to gain further ground with games like Interstate '76, Big Game Hunter, and Apocalypse. However it was not until Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Call of Duty, and the eventual acquisition of Activision by Vivendi that Bobby Kotick was able to realize his goal of becoming the largest 3rd party developer!   Spycraft The Great Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHWFO6SL-wY Zork Grand Inquisitor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sEvzdefXk8 Interstate '76: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLB-dUOUg6Y Pixel Blurring:  https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/rwtc13/not_just_imagination_due_to_pixel_blurring_older/ FF1 CRT VS LCD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z_6Uoea_DI Big Game Hunter 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH

TCW Podcast Episode 168 - Activision and Kotick Part 2   In part two of our look at Activision under Bobby Kotick's leadership. We see how Activision's franchises and licensed properties were leveraged for revenue. We look at how Activision had to revive the entire development apparatus from scratch. They used the animation skills of a Disney-trained trained animator for Pitfall the Mayan, Adventure. Finally, Activision was able to firmly gain footing, and regain profitability with the release of MechWarrior 2!   The Manhole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC2AgMnTFd4 Leather Goddesses of Phobos 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA0rPwUcQmQ Return to Zork: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSoT0Ty8MVQ The Fox and the Hound Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbuIeTHh4To The Black Cauldron Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isAtOHLiMH8 Tron Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtyHX7z8fi8 Technological Threat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiTgoRR3tbk Ferngully - The Last Rainforest Trailer: h

TCW Podcast Episode 167 - Activision and Kotick Part 1   In part one of our look at Activision and Bobby Kotick we look at the early life, and history of the man.  We see from an early age how business was always a driving factor in his life.  Furthermore, we see some of his early companies and challenges as he transitioned into the technology field.  With the help of influential businessman Steve Wynn, Bobby Kotick was able to start a software company.  Wynn further helped in financing the eventual buy-in of Mediagenic when the company was floated as a cheap way to get into the game market by Nintendo.  We finish by looking at how Kotick and others took control of Mediagenic and renamed it Activision.  With the need to file for bankruptcy Kotick has the long task of building up the company from scratch.  Promising investors to at least break even over the next four to five years.   TCW 009 - History of Mediagenic Part I: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/history-of-mediagenic-part-i/ TCW 010 - History of

TCW Podcast Episode 166 - Centuri   We look at the rebirth of Allied Leisure under new management and funding.  The company found a niche importing Japanese games from lesser known companies.  They also continued to leverage licensing to do cocktail cabinet styles of popular games.  Most notably the big four games that made the company rocket to the top were: Eagle, Phoenix, Pleiads, and Vanguard.  Later on the company would join into a partnership with Konami to import their games.  With Japanese companies opening their own manufacturing in the states the deal with Konami ended.  That combined with other issues lead to Centuri going out of business a few years later.   Eagle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zuq0ptnKRw Moon Cresta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl5stQgPGYQ Phoenix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eUUTZhkb1Y Pleiads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5YEx4-3TBo Vanguard Cabinet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plZd5MzIELI Vanguard Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MwVWsHBm5g The Pi

TCW Podcast Episode 165 - Allied Leisure   We look at the origins of the coin-op company Allied Leisure! The company came from a coin-op veteran who wanted to help his son establish a company he could call his own. Despite some notable successes Allied Leisure was plagued with quality issues in production. They made some unique games in coin-op with F-114, their pong clone, and pinball with cocktail cabinets. Unfortunately many setbacks including a fire, the death of  Robert Braun, the stigma of the company being known as Allied Looser, and the near liquidation of the company when the bankruptcy was declared. Allied Leisure had a fascinating history and would be reborn as Centuri when David Braun sold the company.   Slot Cars in the 60's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFQWsUABpPk Monkey Bizz Flyer: https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=arcadedb&id=1088&image=1 Picture of Unscramble: http://www.pinrepair.com/arcade/unscram.htm Wild Cycle Cabinet Unboxing and Tour: https://www.youtube.co

TCW Podcast Episode 164 - Fallout   History. History is always changing. Greek historians recorded tales in scrolls, and simple books. Historians of the modern era use interviews, micro-film, and court documents to decipher history. In this episode Alex and Jeffrey look at the Fallout of all that historical work. How they can shape and mold it into the continuing narrative of the video game industry. Fallout almost was not a thing and possibly could not be made today. The game faced many challenges in its creation, but ended up being a very influential work affecting not just video games but role playing games as a whole.   Wasteland 1 DOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v17LQ7Ukrsk GURPS Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZMLhphjB-g GURPS Lite: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/ Wiz-War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP5vZQJG1Vo Isometric VS Oblique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tAXW_xn6rU Oblique VS Isometric Drawings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w503xvjt7mA Short Video of Knight Demo: h

TCW Podcast Episode 163 - California Pacific   We look at the company California Pacific. Founded by Al Remmers the company played a large role in launching the careers of Bill Budge and Richard Garriott. Al Remmers was in a unique position as a publisher. He had contacts with retailers spanning the entire country. In a way California Pacific was both one of the first distributors and used the EA model of programmers as rock stars. Promoting the games made by talented people, and promoting the individuals themselves. Unfortunately California Pacific had a too high royalty to those same programmers, and once dedicated distribution companies started to take over business declined. Al Remmers struggled with delegation, and unfortunately he developed a drug addiction.  Though not well known today California Pacific did play a vital role during a crucial stage of the computer video game industry.   A little Energon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_6yo04Hjc Overview of the S100 BUS: https://www.youtube.com/watch

TCW Podcast Episode 162 - Spinnaker Software   Often we laugh at educational games and software.  We tend to view the products as jokes and something that cannot fully succeed.  In our look at Spinnaker Software, we learn that there is more to it.  The company was short-lived but was founded by people with a deep passion for technology and gaming. They released games, and software that helped to show that there is more one can do with a computer than just drills.  If one of them went on to become a major World Of Warcraft raid leader it can't all be bad right?   Facemaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seh6DyUPV8w Story Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpbrcpfVwPY Snooper Troops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJOFAPPfZ2I Alphabet Zoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1m4Lt-7cY8 Adventure Creator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb_7-rlocKo Rendezvous with Rama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VMbPzf_pq8 Fahrenheit 451: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnET12whCYs Dragonworld: https://www.youtube.c

TCW Podcast Episode 161 - The 100,000 Part 2   Part two of our look at the SPA's list of top programs of the 1990s!  We cover more games, and focus on the ones that made it gold with 100,000 sold!  We wrap up the episode with a few honorable mentions from the silver list of 50,000.  We see some old favorites re-appear on the list.  We also see some names we have not seen yet!  Thank you again to all the fans for helping us to reach the milestone of 100,000 downloads!   Alphabet Zoo (C64): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNVNn5e3I3k TCW 079 - The Six Children of EA: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-six-children-of-ea/ Awardware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aVdGKKYS6A Pray for Mojo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlDEzmSff3M Choplifter (Apple II): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvDnUHW_pjg FaceMaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aM6m9YqJlQ Kids on Keys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yat8qhR41us C64 KidWriter(Explicit): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzk6glFJ5Lg KinderComp: https://www.you