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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

Monday Apr 15, 2019
Gotta Go Fast!
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Monday Apr 15, 2019
TCW Podcast Episode 088 - Gotta Go Fast!
Since we covered Mario a few episodes ago, it is only fair that we cover his great rival, not Bowser, but Sonic! We go at not quite sonic speed over the creation of the character and franchise. Sonic's interesting inception was brought about through a character submission process. Sonic is the melding of a rabbit, a character called "Mr. Needlemouse," and Michael Jackson! Yes, this is true. Look there is a music video referenced below. Though Sonic suffered from rapid over exposure he is still beloved by many fans. After all these fans pay homage with a Sega Tower of Power to Sonic!
Alex Kidd in Miracle World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yasiyS7dkcU&t=495s
Ghouls and Ghosts Mega Drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5CGfah2IEI
Michal Jackson 'Smooth Criminal': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_D3VFfhvs4
Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1FEHo_RcNw
Classic Game Postmortem: Sonic the Hedgehog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYO1ZmRuZ_U
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Genesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cr1rqVcIhA
Kitsune: Japanese Mythology Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0arkgpNDuJg
SonicCD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apPGHEZxu6s
Pinball Dreams Amiga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNGMiPETXo
Sonic Spinball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzPpRPDRQvA
Sonic The Hedgehog 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhExIWa0R-4
Sonic 3 and Knuckles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soXPc-fvd90
Sega Tower of Power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y55ZBT_UcmU
Sonic Game Gear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D00HFMfmro
Sonic Master System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQPvA0OvR24
Sonic 2 Master System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6RtXmMN9Og
Sonic Mania: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNJLX15aEn4
New episodes 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 forthcoming book will be released through CRC Press!
Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download:http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode
Outro Music: RolemMusic - 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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