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

Thursday Aug 01, 2024

Final Fantasy VII

Thursday Aug 01, 2024

TCW Podcast Episode 215 - Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. For some, it was the first time they really connected with a JRPG. For others, it marked the transition from pixel art games to 3D gaming. Final Fantasy VII owes much to the storytelling work of its predecessor, Final Fantasy VI, led by Yoshinori Kitase. Kitase used his love of filmmaking to add an artistic flair to games, improving on the static scenes most games relied on. With Final Fantasy VII, Kitase aimed to overcome hardware limitations in storytelling. This desire to push beyond hardware constraints also led SquareSoft to break ties with Nintendo and join Sony with their new PlayStation. The marketing of FF VII in the West as more than just an RPG helped it become the first Final Fantasy game to sell more in the West than in Japan, thereby cementing JRPGs in the public's mind.

TCW 157 - Final Fantasy's Tale: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/final-fantasy-s-tale/

FFVI - Sand on my boots!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W79EPTyL7Pc

FFVI - Opera Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwHrQdC02FY

FFVI - Cid's Death and Celes Reaction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHNcwGol0zo

FFVI - Loke and Rachel's Backstory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl7urWIrQTU

FFVI - The Falcon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZA9om3Ezww

The Original Trilogy ILM Special Effects Makers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85MK2GDkoxo

Star Wars Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJguy6wSYyI

Spaceballs Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dZveoBfiww

TCW 053 - This History and Merger of Enix and Square: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-history-and-merger-of-enix-and-square/

TCW 011 - The Genesis of JRPGs: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-genesis-of-jrpgs/

FF IV - Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njl7aBS0Ah4