They Create Worlds

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

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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

Tuesday Apr 15, 2025

All the Other Home Pongs

Tuesday Apr 15, 2025

TCW Podcast Episode 232 - All the Other Home Pongs

The home Pong market of the mid-1970s extended far beyond the big three—Atari, Coleco, and Magnavox. Numerous smaller companies entered the scene, not only in the United States but also across Europe and other parts of the world. As the home gaming industry rapidly evolved, many manufacturers introduced unique systems powered by integrated circuits. The market truly took off with the advent of “Pong-on-a-Chip” technology, which made it possible for virtually anyone to build a Pong console. Combined with affordable manufacturing in the Far East, this innovation drove costs down and helped the market reach new heights.

Rocko's Modern Life - Dracula: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ycpsJOtxx8

TCW 105 - The Big Voice of Magnavox: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-big-voice-of-magnavox/

TCW 106 - The Small Voice of Magnavox: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-small-voice-of-magnavox/

TCW 027 - The Magnavox Patent Lawsuits: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-magnavox-patent-lawsuits-friday-september-16-2016-1003-am/

TCW 051 - Sons of Pong: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/sons-of-pong/

Overkal: https://prehistoricgaming.com/en/overkal-history/

TCW 165 - Allied Leisure: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/allied-leisure/

Universal Research Laboratory (URL) Video Action Systems: https://www.pong-story.com/url.htm

Mike the TV 99.99.99: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt2xW8nh864

Executive Games: https://www.pong-story.com/executivegames.htm

First Dimension: https://www.pong-story.com/firstdim.htm

Executive Games - Face Off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB-pSaZ1e28