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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
Saturday Feb 01, 2025
Saturday Feb 01, 2025
TCW Podcast Episode 227 - Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong, a game and character that stands as one of the foundational elements of video game history, has a popular narrative with some inaccuracies that need correction. Thanks to the efforts of Kate Willaert and Norman Caruso, we can better understand the influences and origins of Donkey Kong. Nintendo’s use of hardware from another game, Radar Scope, imposed technical limitations that prevented them from securing the desired Popeye license. Donkey Kong drew inspiration from games like Crazy Climber and Space Panic, and its four stages even incorporate elements of the Eastern storytelling structure known as Kishōtenketsu. Join us as we delve into the fascinating origins of Donkey Kong like never before!
Futurama - Quarters! A Million Allowances Worth of Quarters!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbPWti2CoRg
"Critical Kate" Willaert: https://www.acriticalhit.com/
Norman Caruso "The Gaming Historian": https://thegaminghistorian.com/
In The Year 2525 - Zager & Evans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb7poHQuMWg
Wikipedia (Donkey Kong - 1981 Video Game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_(1981_video_game)
Space Firebird (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0MSz55Ct-0
Radar Scope (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kbliYx51ok
Galaxian (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0OTi8hLYpg
How the Famicom was Born: https://glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/
Shmuplations - Shigeru Miyamoto – 2000 Developer Interview: https://shmuplations.com/miyamoto2000/
Shmuplations - Donkey Kong - A Record of Struggle: https://shmuplations.com/donkeykong/
Popeye The Sailor Man - A Dream Walking: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2rt7c6
Crazy Climber (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZxndttbLIY
Space Panic (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLd1xABCsaQ
Design Bytes SMB 1-1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La2aGhZxLkQ
Barrel Jumping Championship 1957: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvuK8NNSOnI
Scramble (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk6BTqzLLfk
Kishōtenketsu Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7to8TC5sJVc
Lionel Hutz Explains "The Truth": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nc88_ZEfxg
Gaming Historian - How the Mario Characters Got Their Names: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTyxQfpOEbE
Disinclined to acquiesce…: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SLGgIMCUzk
Donkey Kong (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBHJhla8TO4
Donkey Kong Cereal Commercials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGvDhBdClFY
Donkey Kong Cartoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyfayak2djo&list=PLP9LnKF6J6Lod1PYlsQ2zJ9OsZT-ALBga
New episodes are 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 book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1
Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode
Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love
Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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