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

Monday Sep 15, 2025

Fumito Ueda

Monday Sep 15, 2025

TCW Podcast Episode 242- Fumito Ueda

Fumito Ueda entered game design through art rather than a love of traditional play. Influenced by titles like Flashback and Another World, he sought to tell stories with minimal interfaces and expansive environments rich in mood. After early work on D and Enemy Zero, Sony gave him a trial period that led to ICO, a game shaped by surreal landscapes inspired by Giorgio de Chirico and a hand-holding mechanic to convey emotional connection. ICO struggled in Japan but became a critical hit abroad, influencing games from Uncharted 3, The Last of Us, Dark Souls, and Journey. Ueda expanded his ideas in Shadow of the Colossus, a meditation on cruelty and consequence that inspired epic boss battles in other franchises such as God of War. His long-delayed The Last Guardian explored companionship through a giant creature, though with mixed reception. Now independent, Ueda continues to shape gaming with projects yet to be revealed.

Punch Out (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T8hoeVpdV0

Space Harrier (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEWGnj12GO4

The Legend of Zelda (Famicom Disc System): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsmXV06PwnM

Smash Ping Pong (Famicom): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd5QSxyG3Z0

Flashback (Amiga): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNTnRM77XuE

Another World (Amiga): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLC_Un9lNPw

D's Diner - Director's Cut (3DO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7G1NuWciEE

Enemy Zero (SEGA Saturn): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmkfgDNihZ0

PaRappa the Rapper (PSX): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97k0Dy8JweM

Prince of Persia (Game Boy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thAmYGc37pA

Virtua Fighter (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7HQ2vspMHA

Hello Pac-Man (SNES): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5IOwrutZmM