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

Thursday May 15, 2025

Yu Suzuki

Thursday May 15, 2025

TCW Podcast Episode 234 - Yu Suzuki

Often called SEGA’s Shigeru Miyamoto, Yu Suzuki redefined arcade gaming through innovation and ambition. He pioneered immersive cabinets like Hang-On's rideable motorcycle and After Burner’s flight sim, and used sprite scaling to simulate 3D in hits like Space Harrier and OutRun. His work culminated in the R360 G-LOC—a gyroscopic cabinet offering full 360° motion. Suzuki later led SEGA into 3D with Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter, and pushed console design forward with Shenmue. Though he didn’t invent Quick Time Events, he coined the term—and created a living, interactive world filled with dynamic conversations, a fully explorable city, and unprecedented detail for 1999. His vision helped shape what players now expect from immersive game worlds.

Champion Boxing (SC 1000): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkDpaSXTGwE

Hang On (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TopLKeDqYhw

Hang On (Bike Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KV6gWzBnJw

Space Harrier (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXO7HOUaHaQ

Space Harrier (Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ljkKcDsKs

Roger Dean Album Covers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Albums_with_cover_art_by_Roger_Dean_(artist)

OutRun (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp3GLGu7cfg

OutRun (Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK3CpGLk0VU

The Cannonball Run (Trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8BNVDUslcE

Ferrari Testarossa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvfx5z4uMOo

After Burner (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSvxN7nMNwo

After Burner Deluxe (Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGWesvT9z8Q