They Create Worlds

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 countdown of the 100 most influential video games of all time.  This time, we look at only 20 games, but these are the games we have deemed the absolutely most essential for shaping the video game industry as it exists today.  We present these final twenty games in chronological order by original release date.  Now that we have made all our picks, what do you think?  Let us know on Twitter!   Games: Spacewar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EWQYAfuMYw Pong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut6Rh-rmGAo Colossal Cave Adventure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhFrWH0na0A Space Invaders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uSzmzZP1s8 MUD (Core MUD): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-yhk0chxyk Donkey Kong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp2aMs38ERY Super Mario Bros.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87ViRBWz4-E Elite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJvdZWhNL

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 of all time! Presented in no particular order, this list of hits and obscurities provides an overview of video game history through some of the most important milestone titles.  This batch of forty games tend to be of more recent vintage, with RPGs, MMOs, Real-Time strategy, and shooters dominating the list.     Games Rescue Raiders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_XsRYTO-0 Herzog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU2FDnKzt5I Dune 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOscXf0Fpmk StarCraft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j3X3EuCf98 Seven Cities of Gold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57qE1arvo3U Dynasty Warriors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2SARDWdZIM Fire Emblem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp2NqY3M6fI DikuMUD: https://dikumud.com/ Neverwinter Nights:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwFv_LerIAg World of Warcraft: https://www.youtube.com/w

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 influential games.  Starting off with the first 40 games!  These are 100 games that we consider influential or important to the development of the modern industry. Some are popular, some are obscure, some you will wonder why we were crazy enough to pick them, but here they are.  This episode covers largely early video games on time-sharing systems, in the arcade, and on early consoles.  They are presented in no particular order.   Games: Pot Shot (Scorched Earth DOS video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDw_mpjKlpg Star Trek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6f9_9kzuzk Star Raiders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_VDM8nC9sM Empire (Plato): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qodf2AjrEQo The Dungeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm53IKtL9zw Computer Space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3BQsCCwo8w Gran Trak 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYEcDpBLDpc Sp

TCW Podcast Episode 097 - Revisions and Updates 2   The podcast is four years old!  We celebrate by looking back at past episodes, and revising subjects that Alex has found new information on!  There is, of course, more and new information in regards to Atari.  We also do some speculation into the origin of Scramble, some commentary on what has been going on at Blizzard Entertainment, and some new information in relation to the origins of Galaxian.  We make a note of the earliest known commercial ester egg, some new information on the first Japanese original game creation for the arcade, and wrap up with some more book updates.  We look forward to the countdown to episode 100!   TCW 43 - Personal Gaming Histories: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/personal-gaming-histories/ Dragon Warrior Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qL5_3EhqK8 Dragon Quest I Android: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmQqcf0ziSI Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tyuIh12_HU TC

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 how IBM had to deal with the eye of the government still looking at them for monopolistic practices.  Eventually IBM found out they needed to enter the micro-computer market.  They spun off a group that had a mandate to get a computer together in a year.  However because of this it led to the rise of the PC clones.  Compaq, for instance,  computers started off with a laptop computer clone of the IBM PC.  Later on IBM would try to dominate the market with new standards, that ultimately led to IBM leaving the personal computer field.   IBM 360 Promotional Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4kyTg9Cw8g IBM 360 Control Program Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=378S5Owi-BI Compaq 110 Laptop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em-oE8BCu-0 Compaq Computer Laptop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YO-BCqPqs4 PC JR Overview and Review: https://www.youtube.c

TCW Podcast Episode 095 - Hello Little Blue   A sorted history involving scams, monopolies, and acts of petty revenge predate the company the world would see dominate the computer industry in the 70's and 80's.  What started as an umbrella company became, under Tom Watson St's leadership, a tabulating company that grew to prominence in the great depression.  Later on his son Tom Watson Jr would lead the company forward in the transition from punch card tabulation machines into computers that IBM would become famous for!   Herman Hollerith Punch Card Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoUK2_vXqQk Conductor Punching Tickets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euxu97ZM5XM IBM Once Upon a Punch Card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlUWg2nxCz0 History of Looms and Punch Cards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itd-4lMoXgI Harvard Mark I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ObouwCHk8w Harvard Mark I Original Video and Pictures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN7AdQmd8So IBM 650 Promo: https://www.youtube.

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, and the many bits of software that had influences at the dawn of home computing.  Everything from the first RPGs to action games that are remembered fondly, especially in Europe.   Not to mention the worldwide appeal of the Games series featuring Olympic events.  Sadly the company lost sight of its goals with management changes, and was gone by the early 90's.  However employees of Epyx continued to influence the video game industry for many years to come.   Starfleet Orion Manual: https://archive.org/details/Starfleet_Orion_1979_Automated_Simulations Invasion Orion Manual: https://archive.org/details/Invasion_Orion_1979_Automated_Simulations DunDraCon Website: https://www.dundracon.com/ Temple of Apshai TRS 80: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiMtY5BxdM0 The Datestones of Ryn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BxkFETqcEA Crush Crumble and Chomp: https://w

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 the integration of traditional media and the computer revolution.  There are parallels between bookware and the Siliwood era that came after.  Many of the games were stifled by the limitations in hardware at the time.  Still there are some notable collaborations between programmers and writers that provide an interesting take on what was to come.   The Digital Antiquarian - Bookware: https://www.filfre.net/2013/09/bookware/ The Hobbit Text Adventure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WJW-xB4mwg HGTTG Babel fish Puzzle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf_2faXuxEo Ford puts Babel fish in Arthur's ear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuumnjJWFO4 HGTTG Text Adventure Game 30th Anniversary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1g84m0sXpnNCv84GpN2PLZG/the-game-30th-anniversary-edition HGTTG Walkthroughs: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/564459-the-hitchhik

TCW Podcast Episode 092 - Citing Apologies   A filler episode, with some updates on upcoming podcast items, and Alex's first book.  Due to Alex trying to meet a deadline for the book we were unable to record until a few days before release.  Nothing really historical covered, however a few interesting tidbits in this short episode!   Simpsons "Brownest of the brown liquors": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n39897a9hNk Nokia Snake Game from the 90's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Rk4JQwtL4 Overview of Chicago Style formatting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvgtbrg-qRo Overview of Chicago Citing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NdT4Y620nE   New episodes 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 forthcoming book will be released through CRC Press!   Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "

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 gambling machines.  This is not to mean that pinball was neglected.  Bally, with an eye to innovation and technology, introduced some of the first sold state pinball machines!  They were also, through some luck, brought in with licensing deals with The Who, and Elton John.  This led to some of the most popular pinball machines in the post WWII era.   We did have to see the departure of Bill O'Donnell from Bally because his ties to organized crime were deemed too great to allow Bally to get a gambling license in Atlantic City.  With Bally under new management it then started diversifying, buy buying up various venues.  These included, Six Flags, a fitness center, and others.  However with a lot of properties not turning a profit, and being tricked into  buying more as a defensive we move against a ploy employed by Donald Trump, Bally was stretched too thin to really

TCW Podcast Episode 090 - Lion and Bally Manufacturing   What will they do in '32? Ballyhoo! We examine the origins of the Bally Manufacturing Company, makers of pinball and slot machines and operators of fitness centers. While Bally rarely ever created video games under its own name, the company was a domineering force in the coin-operated amusement and gambling spaces and through its subsidiaries nurtured a diverse array of talent that introduced many video game innovations. In this first part, we chart the early years of the company from its start as a printing company subsidiary to the formation of a new Bally out of the ashes of the original in the 1960s by Bill O'Donnell.   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/ Punch Board example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvaCjRM_oJE&t=117s Gottlieb Baffle Ball: https://www.youtube.c

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