They Create Worlds

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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

Sunday Dec 15, 2024

D&D & Video Games 3E

Sunday Dec 15, 2024

TCW Podcast Episode 224 - D&D & Video Games 3E

In our final look at D&D & Video Games, we explore the early PC and mainframe computer scene, as well as the games created by fans of D&D. Various aspects of D&D were incorporated into these games, ranging from puzzles and light combat to full-on dungeon dives to claim treasure from the deepest levels. These games grew in popularity and led to others iterating on the aspects they enjoyed. Games on the PLATO system—such as Pedit5, D&D, and Orthanc—paved the way for reimagining these games on home computers, including the Apple II. This foundation led to the creation of seminal titles like Ultima and Wizardry, which would influence RPGs on PCs for over a decade. D&D has a long history of collaborating with different systems and ideas to create innovative forms of gaming, with the potential to continue transforming video games well into the future.

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

Colossal Cave Adventure: https://rickadams.org/adventure/

Play Zork Online: https://textadventures.co.uk/games/view/5zyoqrsugeopel3ffhz_vq/zork

TCW 170 - A Rogue's Survival Part 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/a-rogue-s-survival-part-1/

TCW 171 - A Rogue's Survival Part 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/a-rogue-s-survival-part-2/

Pedit5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedit5

M199h: https://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2023/10/m199h-new-findings-both-solve-and.html

Everything We Know About 1970s Mainframe RPGS We Can No Longer Play: https://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2021/06/brief-everything-we-know-about-1970s.html

Orthanc (1975): https://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2013/11/game-123-orthanc-1977.html