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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.
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 Jun 01, 2025
Coin-op Legends of Japan
Sunday Jun 01, 2025
Sunday Jun 01, 2025
TCW Podcast Episode 235- Coin-op Legends of Japan
Long before they entered the world of video games, a generation of Japanese entrepreneurs built their fortunes in the coin-operated amusement business. In this episode, we trace the early lives and business ventures of five pioneering founders who helped lay the groundwork for companies like Tehkan (later Tecmo), Sammy, and IPM (later IREM). These are personal stories rarely told in English — tales of hustle, reinvention, and the road from postwar struggle to arcade success.
TCW 052 - The Many Faces of Konami: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-many-faces-of-konami/
TCW 153 - Nintendo Playing With Cards: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/nintendo-playing-with-cards/
TCW 154 - Nintendo Playing with Controversy: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/nintendo-playing-with-controversy/
TCW 155 - Nintendo Playing With Toys: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/nintendo-playing-with-toys/
TCW 008 -
Birth of the Japanese Game Center: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/birth-of-the-japanese-game-center/
TCW 077 - Invading Taito Part 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/invading-taito-part-1/
TCW 078 - Invading Taito Part 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/invading-taito-part-2/
TCW 005 - The Untold History of SEGA: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-untold-history-of-sega/
TCW 033 - The Saga of SEGA: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-saga-of-sega/
TCW 029 - 50 Years of Namco: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/50-years-of-namco/
TCW 201 - Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/advanced-balls-and-paddles-part-1/
TCW 202 - Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/advanced-balls-and-paddles-part-2/
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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