They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 118 - The Whole Video Game Industry Part 1   This is part one of our four part series looking at the entire video game industry at a very macro level.  We look at the start of computers all the way through to the early video arcades and beyond!  We see the evolution of games on PC, the arcade, and the initial forays into the home.  We even see a hybrid of sorts with games like...

TCW Podcast Episode 117 - Wing Commander   We look at one of the great space flight simulators of the 90's!  Wing Commander is largely attributed to Chris Roberts. However we find out in this episode the many other people who were instrumental in not just the story, but gameplay of Wing Commander.  We can see the true potential of the Siliwood era with the live action cut scenes used in both Wing...

TCW Podcast Episode 116 - The Atari Games You Are Looking For   In this episode we continue our tradition of looking at Atari!  This time a deep look at Atari Games.  We look at the company starting with it's acquisition by Namco.  We look at its progression through the 80's and 90's with many notable games.  Unfortunately during the Siliwood era Atari was reacquired by Time Warner.  After limited...

TCW Podcast Episode 115 - The Return of the Sdraziw of Sir-Tech   Our second part look at Sir-Tech Software!  The company continues to struggle with the release of wizardry V, but makes the transition away from the Apple II with the release of Wizardry VI.  The Wizardry franchise is a major hit in the Japanese PC space.  This leads to Wizardry anime, manga, and Japanese only games.  Sir-Tech still...

TCW Podcast Episode 114 - The Wizards of Sir-Tech   We look at the company Sir-Tech.  Known as "the Wizardry company", and founded by Norman Sirotek and Robert Woodhead.  The company was originally founded to market Info Tree, a database program.  The shift was made into video games starting with the release of Galactic Attack.  With the heavy influences of the games on the PLATO system.  Andrew G...

TCW Podcast Episode 113 - Primordial Computer Game Industry   A big episode looking at two major companies that bridged the gap between the mainframe time sharing age, and the trinity of home computers.  We also look at the lead up to those companies with type in listings in books, and magazines.  We look at the evolution of early PCs, and the eventual development of video display cards designed t...

TCW Podcast Episode 112 - And Landing on it!   We continue our dive into platforming games.  We look at the three main "schools" of thought brought about in the 2-D era.  We start with the fast platforming pioneered by Sonic with Crash Bandicoot.  The cinematic platformer of Prince of Persia is continued with Tomb Raider.  Nintendo, makes its shift into 3-D with Starfox, and the development of the...

TCW Podcast Episode 111 - Jumping to It!   We leap around to the myriad of games that were influential in the development of  platformer genre.  Starting with an evolution from Space Invaders into Heiankyo Alien; the concept was thrown onto its side with Space Panic.  Further refinement brought in jumping with Donkey Kong.  Platformers were not as suited for the arcade scene, and ended up truly fi...

TCW Podcast Episode 110 - Books of History   We look at the many books dealing with video game history.  Starting off with books that were primarily strategy guides, and had tidbits of historical interest woven in.  As time progressed journalists, and industry insiders started to write books that included more history and even interviews with the people involved.  As time moved on more comprehensi...

TCW Podcast Episode 109 - Adventuring with LucasArts Part 2   This our second half looking at LucasArts adventure games.  We look at a company that for a time could do no wrong!  Innovative storytelling, and gameplay with Monkey Island 2, Day of the Tentacle, and Sam & Max hit the Road being prime examples.  However due to retail outlets, competition, and the continuing technological advanceme...

TCW Podcast Episode 108- Adventuring with LucasArts Part 1   We look at LucasFilm games, AKA LucasArts.  Not the company as a whole, but their influence on adventure games.  Not only were they instrumental in advancing adventure games, they were able to affect the industry as a whole.  We look briefly at the formation of the company, and get into some of their early projects.  A young contractor,...

TCW Podcast Episode 107 - Storytime with a Book   We read from chapter 18 of "They Create Worlds: The People and Companies that Shaped the Video Game Industry Vol. 1," which discusses the impact of Breakout on Japan.  There are some tangents, other story times, and we bring a lot of things discussed over the years into a more complete perspective.  We also learn about the mysteries of magnets.   S...

TCW Podcast Episode 106 - The Small Voice of Magnavox   Magnavox continues to strive for survival as an axillary of Philips.  While people close to the video game division continue to be optimistic about their offerings; management at Philips was not so.  The company continued to be plagued with production shortfalls with new chips, FCC approval problems, and new competition.  They were able to ma...

TCW Podcast Episode 105 - The Big Voice of Magnavox   We look at the company of Magnavox.  Started around the turn of the century getting into electronics with voice amplification, and eventually radios.  Magnavox continued with home  electronics in televisions and stereo systems.  Unfortunately their visionary leader died unexpectedly, and with the rise of non-American television manufacturers pu...

TCW Podcast Episode 104- A Holistic View of ET   The game that has become so shrouded in myth and legend is brought to light in this holiday episode!  We look at how E.T. was thrust upon Atari by Warner in a bid to bring Stephen Spielberg in to makes movies for Warner.  With a massive royalty overhead, a short five week production time, and a massive brain drain at Atari Howard Scott Warshaw stepp...

TCW Podcast Episode 103 - Elite Systems   We look at one of the British software companies Elite Systems.  The company was originally named Richard Wilcox software, and was founded as a collaboration between two brothers with the encouragement of their father.   Owing to Richard still being a teenager, had schooling, and could not make programing a full-time career at the time the decision was mad...

TCW Podcast Episode 102 - Stern Electronics   We look at the short history of Stern Electronics.  A company that has influenced and been influenced by multiple other companies through its people.  We cover the paths of many of these people including the founder Gary Stern.  During the transition to video games in the late 70's and early 80's Stern was the American arm for Konami bringing over many...

TCW Podcast Episode 101 - Infocom We look at the short life of Infocom.  A company that fell into the videogame sphere.  Best known for their text adventure games, including the renowned game Zork.  They started off as a company to keep creative minds together from MIT, and brought forth unique developments including using virtualization for video games.  Due to lack of innovation, combined with i...

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 tw...

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, MM...

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, b...

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...

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 ye...

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 le...

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 Olymp...