Rephonic
Artwork for They Create Worlds
Atari
Sega Saturn
Commodore 64
Diablo
Video Game Industry
Commodore
Mass Effect
World Of Warcraft
Exidy
Jack Tramiel
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard North
Street Fighter 2
Dungeons and Dragons
Popcap Games
Vic-20
Nintendo
Diablo 2
Everquest
Baldur's Gate

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 worl... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes265Founded11 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistoryGamesLeisure

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for They Create Worlds

Latest Episodes

TCW Podcast Episode 265 - Hasbro Interactive

Hasbro began as a family business selling textile remnants and pencil boxes before expanding into school supplies, children’s art products, and toys. Innovations such as Mr. Potato Head established the co... more

TCW Podcast Episode 264 - Knights of the Old Republic

Knights of the Old Republic did not simply bring Star Wars to the role-playing game format. It was BioWare’s effort to build a cinematic RPG in a part of the galaxy far enough from the films to t... more

YouTube

TCW Podcast Episode 263 - Howell Ivy

Howell Ivy had a knack for taking familiar arcade ideas and pushing them somewhere new. He discovered video games through Computer Space while serving in the Air Force, and in his off time he built a ball-and-pad... more

TCW Podcast Episode 262 - Vectrex

The Vectrex came with its own screen, plastic color overlays, and roots in the aerospace industry. GCE brought Smith Engineering in to design and develop digital watch games, then calculator games, before the two co... more

Key Facts

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Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Hosts

Jeffrey Daum
Host and co-host; long-running host with a focus on the historical, technical, and business facets of the gaming industry.
Alex Smith
Co-host known for meticulous research, bridging historical context with engaging storytelling.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 209 ratings
  • They dive deep and offer juicy insights on subjects they are obviously passionate about! It's hard to simply call it a "video game" podcast, as you'll learn about so much more.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    moonrunner9
    a month ago
  • Excellent Workmanship

    Riveting storytelling on video games backed up by enormous amounts of research, done by a hardworking researcher. The back catalogue is fantastic, topics are very interesting. Jeffrey and Alex you guys rock! Keep up the amazing work.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AlexLOVESrdio
    United States3 months ago
  • The best there is

    Hands down. This podcast covers the entire history of video games on all platforms and does it so well. I’ve learned a lot and enjoy each new episode.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Shadowlord-72
    United States4 months ago
  • Best Video Game History Podcast

    Jeffrey and Alex do an amazing job of walking us listeners through the in-depth history of video games. On par with a PBS documentary, Alex and his encyclopedic knowledge of video games shines lights on forgotten video game history.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Tomstewdevine
    United Statesa year ago
  • Unbelievable gaming history

    Best retro gaming history show hands down!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    forsby
    Finlanda year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Meticulous and deeply researched history of games with engaging hosts.
Consistently thorough, covering a wide range of topics beyond basics, with strong narration and sourcing.
High-quality storytelling that treats gaming history like serious scholarship.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#195
Chile/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Nintendo: Wii Were Struggling
Q: How bad truly was it for the N64 and the GameCube? How close to that bankruptcy did we get?
Nintendo was not in any danger of bankruptcy during the N64 and GameCube periods. They were financially stable and sold the GameCube at a profit, but they were in danger of losing cultural relevance.
Jordan Mechner and Price of Persia
Q: Did Jordan give any thoughts about how the video game industry changed at this point, where he just was really thankful that he stuck with video games and didn't end up actually going into the movies?
He expressed gratitude for staying in video games and noted that by the end of 1992, he found the medium of video games to be more interesting than movies.
SEGA Saturn Part 2
Q: What specifically were some of the stuff that you pulled in from Japanese sources that most surprised you?
The Japanese perspective showed a collaborative effort between America and Japan, revealing efforts on both sides to meet the needs of their respective markets for the Saturn.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About They Create Worlds

What is They Create Worlds about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deeply researched history-focused show about the people, tech, and business moves that shaped video games. Each episode dives into a particular era, company, console, or designer, weaving together archival details, interviews, and narrative storytelling to explain how culture and industry forces produced the games we know today. The co-hosts bring a calm, documentary-minded approach, balancing rigorous fact-checking with accessible storytelling, often tracing how financial decisions, platform shifts, and creative choices interact to drive innovation and change. A standout trait is its thorough, cross-cutting look at widely varied topics—from hardware engineering to corporate mergers—that helps listeners understand not just what happened, ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to They Create Worlds?

These podcasts share a similar audience with They Create Worlds:

1. Retronauts
2. Video Game History Hour
3. The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)
4. Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast
5. 8-4 Play

How many episodes of They Create Worlds are there?

They Create Worlds launched 11 years ago and published 265 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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