They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 059 - Williams' Crazy Story

Part one of a look at the history of Williams Manufacturing Company.  Starting with Harry Williams' monumental contributions to the pinball industry with the creation of the tilt mechanism and later on adding electromechanical elements to the machines.  We cover the sordid history of the company as it changes hands multiple times, and the pinball/video games that made them a valuable asset to be traded around.  We continue with looking at the designers responsible for some of the major hits Williams had in both pinball and video.  Finally we note how because they invested in the development of pinball during the rise of video before the crash this uniquely helped them weather the crash by being able to rely on pinball for revenue.

All American Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4nOA2S2KTw

Flash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWUERAj0ROo

Firepower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBJNag4OmrY

Gorgar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vylGtiR0HVA

Defender Cabinet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZiUH41fZ2c

Defender Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gss3lxeqCok

Stargate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i20vwYTf6mI

Robotron 2084: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOVA2Axxfdk

Joust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWoiLNri0OM

Space Shuttle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZx9-S5SGxU

High Speed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoSDLKe1dQo

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month!

 

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 058 - EA Sports: It's in the Game!

We revisit EA with a deep dive into EA Sports.  Some information that was in our EA: The Teenage Years episode, but with more detail!  We start off with some of the early ventures into sports, and how EA evolved into the sports juggernaut it is today.  We cover the origins of the EA sports brand, how hats were a deciding factor in getting the name to be accepted by other developers, and how a trademark dispute with ESPN led to the mass market appeal of Madden Football.  We also cover the origin of EA Sports hockey, and FIFA.  Finally wrapping up with how the current head of EA being from the sports division is taking those concepts and trying to apply them to the rest of the industry. 

C64 one on one Dr. J VS Larry Bird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URobcuTcBFU

John Madden Miller Lite Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD81-vYUt2E

John Madden Football Apple II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EbPghLpK6c

Gridiron Bethesda Softworks (Atari ST): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvzLpJkY5e0&t=18s

Amiga Earl Weaver Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKp_fP06f0Q

Space Jam Website: http://spacejam.com

5 Version of Jordan VS Bird One on One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQS5VuUANJg

PC Lakers vs Celtics NBA Playoffs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHw9Xu89jEM

TV Sports Football: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvA0qlecPNI

Sega Joe Montana Football: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNYZuJ_Lblg

Sega John Madden Football: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaSTAGEGwB4

PGA Tour Golf (PC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAQDRc8H8Wg

Madden '92 Ambulance Montage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_138p6uzhUk

Genesis NHL Hockey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdwS6-TELIo

NHLPA '93: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4ZbynfAJFU

NHL '94: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQ59_u_9TU

FIFA Soccer Genesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0uV9QWA8kM

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month!

 

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 057 - Foundation of the Japanese Video Arcade Game Industry

We go over the games, companies, and events that lead to the foundation of the Japanese Video Arcade Game Industry.  We extensively cover breakout, and how the cloning of that game lead to the start of many companies that would come to power during the 90's.  With Space Invaders, we see a full blown encouragement of smaller manufactures to make enough games to meet demand.  Finally with Galaxian, and Head On we see the introduction of sprite technology that allows each of these smaller companies to stand on their own.

Breakout Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW7Sg5pXAok&t=290s

Taito Space Invaders Arcade (UK): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJMr36hLY38

Namco Galaxian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz9_1al9N70

History of Graphics Pt1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzN2pgL0zeg

Head On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYDrd9jE4WU

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month!

 

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 056 - Revisions and Updates

We go over our past episodes and provide updates, if we have any, on each one.  There are a lot of little tidbits, and expansion on a variety of topics.  Some of the big ones are Namco, the Nutting Associates, and James Morgan.  Happy Holidays everyone!

Episode 1 "All I can do is ask why?": 0:02:54

Episode 2 "You talked to whom?": 0:07:07

Episode 3 "What makes and Industry?": 0:12:49

Episode 4 "A Tale of Cycles": 0:13:54

Episode 5 "The Untold History of Sega": 0:20:03

Episode 6 "The Early History of Electronic Arts": 0:22:55

Episode 7 "History of the Arcade": 0:31:22

Episode 8 "Birth of the Japanese Game Center": 0:31:45

Episode 9 & 10 " History of Mediagenic Parts I &II": 0:32:11

Episode 11 "The Genesis of JRPGs": 0:39:25

Episode 12 & 13 "History of Acclaim": 0:40:45

Episode 14 "Nintendo Playing with Power!": 0:42:40

Episode 15 "The Story of Chuck E Cheese": 0:43:24

Episode 16 "Early Computer Game Platforms: The Trinity, and The Disciples": 0:45:03

Episode 17 & 18 "The British 8-Bit Computer Market Hardware & Software": 0:45:20

Episode 19, 20, & 21 "The Great Video Game Crash": 0:46:00

Episode 22 "The Galaxy Game": 0:51:40

Episode 23 "The Complete Tetris Story": 0:52:12

Episode 24 "The Project and Others in the Field": 0:52:45

The Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/

Sega-16: http://www.sega-16.com/

Episode 25 "Mattel Electronics?": 0:56:01

Episode 26 & 27 "The Magnavox Odyssey & Patent Lawsuits": 0:58:05

Episode 28 "Picking up the Pieces: The US Arcade Industry After the Crash": 0:58:25

Episode 29 "50 Years of Namco": 0:58:40

Episode 30 "Doom!": 1:09:17

Episode 31 "An Epic Game": 1:09:47

Episode 32 "History of the Atari Brand": 1:09:59

Episode 33 "The Saga of Sega": 1:12:02

Episode 34 The Nutting Associates": 1:12:11

Episode 35 "EA - The Teenage Years":  1:27:38

Episode 36 "Raiding Eidos": 1:30:25

Episode 37 "Nintendo and Gunpei Yokoi": 1:30:33

Episode 38: "Origin Story":  1:30:40

Atari James Morgan Update: 1:31:15

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month! 

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 055 - Blizzard: Hellfire and The World… of WarCraft 

Part two of our look into Blizzard Entertainment.  We start in the late 90's with the finishing of Diablo, and the development of StarCraft.  We see the evolution and cross influences of the Blizzard cinematics department on the course of Diablo.  This is also the same time we learn of how Blizzard is not afraid to kill an essentially finished game if it is not up to their standards, Lord of the Clans, and StarCraft: Ghost being the more famous examples of this.  We see how Blizzard employees' love for games influences where they take projects.  The influence of the game Sacrifice on WarCraft III, Quake on Overwatch, and EverQuest with World of WarCraft.  On the business side of things we see how Blizzard is not fully immune from the influences of the parent company that controls them at the time.  Conversely, we see how Blizzard's success, specifically with WoW, managed to reshape the entire game industry before finishing with the creation of Activision-Blizzard.  We will see how their decisions involving modern game trends may affect things in the future!

 

Diablo 1 Lore Books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWXozMHrxrM

Diablo 1 Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w44SmMFy5Dc

Diablo 1 Ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGRGxt2-7rc

StarCraft Development Pictures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52XKCuxDMzo

StarCraft Remastered: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOW9uACXPTo 

Lord of the Clans trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gslAG2OEO1c

Curse of Monkey Island Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh3R8SC6PMc

Diablo II Retrospective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv12StvWjX8

Sacrifice Gameplay and Commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7jw6tord7Q

The Wrathgate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch4rc5W4dKY

Everquest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJJT-PZIUwU

World of Warcraft Evolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8tAa-MsNjY

Quake Rocket Jump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw7xztglYyw

Overwatch Development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH0GsOKZHMQ

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month!

 

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 054 - Blizzard: Vikings and WarCraft

Part one of our dive into one of the most influential computer game companies in existence.  We cover the founding of Blizzard, which started as Silicon and Synapse, with their start by being independent contractors for PC and console.  With the company wanting to transition into being full developers, they accepted an offer to be acquired by Davidson and Associates.  Blizzard's first big hit was WarCraft: Orcs and Humans.  The first game saw the start of the Blizzard cinematics department, and the voice studio.  With Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness we saw the true founding of the legendary Blizzard Lore that accompanies all their games that followed.  We wrap up with Blizzard meeting another company at CES, Condor, that was working on a little game called Diablo…

Battle Chess II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz4_5Wv6yiY

R.P.M. Racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JFofJsuEFM

Swords and Serpents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXlt0XY1tOY

Adventures of Rad Gravity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b3-LSC4Vko

Rock N' Roll Racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8OgEzbJY7s

The Lost Vikings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZItppVpUwwc

Blackthorne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPsJEtO86VI

WarCraft Orcs and Humans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqczlhTpT2I

WarCraft II Cinematic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU-n8UZM5Cc

WarCraft III All Cinematics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfkiJXnSRM8

SNES Justice League Task Force: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJgY9BCYP8o

Genesis Justice League Task Force: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q42W0cD7OKk

Diablo Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGaYW-6zOKk&list=PLC6688FBC7423D09A

 

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 053 - The History and Merger of Enix and Square

We cover the individual histories of the companies Enix and Square.  Everything from early projects to influences that helped shape them into the companies they would become.  We delve into the dream teams for each company that created their seminal hits, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.  We cover how they each had problems getting market penetration in the West until Square was able to with the release of Final Fantasy VII.  We cover the massive financial disaster that was Final Fantasy The Spirits Within and how it led to Square being acquired by Enix. 

 

The Portopia Serial Murder Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh0Vg0s-pR8 

Dragon Quest/Warrior Random Facts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvCVAp2jE1E

Final Fantasy VII Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD_GqlNtNjo 

Final Fantasy IV (II US) Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi7So5VlB6M 

Final Fantasy VI (III US) Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDMWp1oLoA0

Cruise Chaser Blassty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXwLebC8s2I

3D World Runner NES: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTbH25YNxE4

Rad Racer NES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ngD3ZC1z8

Final Fantasy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veEn0k5u5Ko

Dragon Warrior Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qL5_3EhqK8

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxl_-WPwA0A

7th Saga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XihYszbkf60

Secret of Evermore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdV79VbxWOc

Final Fantasy The Spirits Within: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaI7ZPA9I1c

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month!

 

TCW Email: tcwpodcast@gmail.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 052 - The Many Faces of Konami

We go over the whole history of Konami at the macro level.  The origin, founding, and the initial setup that continues to influence the company to the present day.  Though much of the history is shrouded behind a language barrier, or simply lost, there is still plenty of information out there.  We cover the hits they had in the video game arena, and show how they are in the middle of another transition to mobile.

Konami Logo: https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/7/70/Old-Konami-Logo.jpg

Scramble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pmC_reyGpI

Defender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjgu1JtWbA4

Why VHS beat Betamax: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddYZITaxlTQ

Frogger Cabinet Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ebybyW-ozE

Track and Field: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKPYPV4BuFo

Gradius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz9OkKo9rW0

Metal Gear NES VS MSX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLDAxu5Tmg

The Goonies NES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn63XyKp80U

The Goonies 2 NES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdpmDqR4ZDc

Top Gun NES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCXNXGvYfVk

Original Comic TMNT Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuuHANeSLxg

TMNT NES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kK8mFYbl1s

Simpsons Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yw43-DbT84

DDR Modern Japan Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jywza4So-eU

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month! 

TCW Email: tcwpodcast@gmail.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 051 - Sons of Pong

Starting off with a discussion of the unique setting of the time leading into Pong's debut, we transition over to the various companies that created clones of Pong, and their reasons for doing so.  We discover that the company that created the most Pong-style games was not Atari, nor one of the big Chicago companies, but a company based in Florida called Allied Leisure.  We then cover the various innovations that occurred to try to keep the fad market alive as long as possible ending with a stop at Big Jeffery's Cocktail Pong Emporium.

Pong Cabinet in detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGu7sMAoOUo

Computer Space Ball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U33oajPSzyc

Wild Cycle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjSKnPjnhyc

Paddle Battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu7LAP3ug6E

Pong Doubles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqtp1bxIA8s

Ramtek Volly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAc41mFmP3k

Elimination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOV9c8WkWsw

Ramtek Wipe Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_TmOD0IHFM

Clean Sweep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTO5JjwbXv0

Flim Flam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVKOjKl3dPU

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month! 

TCW Email: tcwpodcast@gmail.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/

TCW Podcast Episode 050 - Civilizing Sid Meier

We go over Sid's transition into the video game industry.  Starting with meeting "Wild Bill" and their break out game HellCat Ace, and the iterations that lead to F-15 Strike Eagle that cemented MicroProse as a company.  We cover the how/why of Sid Meier's name being on the boxes particularly for the simulation and 4X games.  We wrap it all up with the seminal piece Sid Meier's Civilization, the industry changing  concepts it brought to the table, and Sid's leaving to form Firaxis where he works today!

Interview with Sid Meier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyH24CHTlHA

Atari Red Baron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oa7_mdJLUw

HellCat Ace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwYaQS59UGQ

Solo Flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqjQscY_IZQ

F-15 Strike Eagle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC0FPKCSWhM

Floyd of the Jungle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKuH6oXD8Pg

Seven Cities of Gold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57qE1arvo3U

Sid Meier's Pirates!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ro-1dXuRBM

Covert Action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-VAwGlghoU

Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ths0tQL2qu4

Sid Meier's Civilization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3bA818U15c

Sid Meier's Gettysburg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS986jTnWBA

FreeCiv: http://www.freeciv.org/

 

New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Alex's Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

 

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/