They Create Worlds

https://feed.theycreateworlds.com/feed.xml

522.4K

Downloads

257

Episodes

The games we love reveal something true about who we are, and about the world that made them. They Create Worlds is a podcast about the people, technology, and forces that built the video game industry.

Through video game history, the show looks at how culture, business, and technology shaped what we play, tracing the choices and circumstances that led to the games so many people around the world enjoy.

Each episode digs into where games came from, who made them, and why they were made the way they were. Business decisions, technological shifts, and creative choices all shaped what ended up on screen, and the show covers all of it together, not just one piece in isolation.

Hosted by Alex Smith and Jeffrey Daum, They Create Worlds grew out of long conversations about the strange corners of the industry and the patterns that only show up when you look across companies, platforms, and decades. That conversational feel remains, built on careful research, clear structure and editing that makes even the deepest topics easy to listen to.

History turns out to be less settled than it looks. New documents surface, memories conflict, and the clean stories about why things happened the way they did rarely survive contact with the evidence. The show digs into all of that, following the creative and business forces that pushed and pulled on each other, and uncovering the human stories that lie beneath the games so many people around the world enjoy.

New episodes are released twice a month.

Episodes

Friday Nov 15, 2024

D&D & Video Games 1E

Friday Nov 15, 2024

TCW Podcast Episode 222 - D&D & Video Games 1E

In the first part of this series, we explore the various influences leading to the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. This episode is an edited version of our livestream, delving into the rise in popularity of war games, board games, and miniatures. Avalon Hill, a major company in this field, published The General magazine, which helped players connect for games. Through opponent-wanted ads resembling today’s unmoderated forums and the discovery of games like Kriegsspiel and Stratego, we witness the evolution of elements that would eventually lead to the early role-playing game (RPG).

Livestream 2024 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahP86-2H8lc

Playing at the World - Jon Peterson (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/3YokLZC

The Elusive Shift - Jon Peterson (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/3C8cHVq

Game Wizards - Jon Peterson (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/48uCtzi

Afrika Korps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHOtUG4JvlQ

SGS Afrika Korps: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1266640/SGS_Afrika_Korps/

Gettysburg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7Cw6nzrPgw

The General Magazine: https://www.vftt.co.uk/ah_mags.asp?ProdID=PDF_Gen

What is Kriegsspiel?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKVeR4n-u1w

Chancellorsville: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmJjNI4CO70

Computer Chronicles Revisited: https://www.smoliva.blog/

Strategos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategos_(game)