They Create Worlds

12

Love of the worlds created by video game designers and personalities drives Alex Smith & Jeffrey Daum (history, law, CS degrees) to provide a scholarly yet light-hearted discussion of how arcade, home console, and PC games merged into a Video Game Industry. Emphasis is on the combination of business and creative elements needed for financial success. Interviews of Atari, EA, Activision, & other execs with detailed source evaluations produce the insights you hear in these 140+ hours!

Recent Episodes
  • Jordan Mechner and Karateka
    Jun 15, 2025 – 01:23:51
  • Coin-op Legends of Japan
    Jun 1, 2025 – 01:21:08
  • Yu Suzuki
    May 15, 2025 – 01:32:23
  • Baldur's Gate
    May 1, 2025 – 01:17:28
  • All the Other Home Pongs
    Apr 15, 2025 – 01:28:41
  • Street Fighter 2
    Apr 1, 2025 – 01:28:50
  • Crafting the World of WarCraft
    Mar 15, 2025 – 01:27:07
  • US Gold
    Mar 1, 2025 – 01:09:51
  • PopCap Games
    Feb 15, 2025 – 01:39:01
  • Donkey Kong
    Feb 1, 2025 – 01:28:22
  • Ray Kassar
    Jan 15, 2025 – 01:27:11
  • Games by Apollo
    Jan 1, 2025 – 01:29:55
  • D&D & Video Games 3E
    Dec 15, 2024 – 01:28:31
  • D&D & Video Games 2E
    Dec 1, 2024 – 01:42:05
  • D&D & Video Games 1E
    Nov 15, 2024 – 01:24:45
  • North to Hellgate London
    Nov 1, 2024 – 01:30:11
  • Diablo 2
    Oct 15, 2024 – 01:12:36
  • Diablo 1
    Oct 1, 2024 – 01:29:10
  • The 100 Games Redux - The Revival
    Sep 15, 2024 – 01:40:23
  • The Games of Ed Logg
    Sep 1, 2024 – 01:26:45
  • The 100 Games Redux - The Removal
    Aug 15, 2024 – 01:30:31
  • Final Fantasy VII
    Aug 1, 2024 – 01:39:31
  • The Neo Geo
    Jul 15, 2024 – 01:16:07
  • The Exidy of the 80's and 90's
    Jul 1, 2024 – 01:31:21
  • The Exidy of the 70's
    Jun 15, 2024 – 01:36:37
  • Ramtek
    Jun 1, 2024 – 01:30:15
  • Accolade Part 2
    May 15, 2024 – 01:33:09
  • Accolade Part 1
    May 1, 2024 – 01:21:28
  • Two Dunes: The Battle for Arrakis
    Apr 15, 2024 – 01:29:55
  • SEGA Saturn Part 2
    Apr 1, 2024 – 01:08:08
  • SEGA Saturn Part 1
    Mar 15, 2024 – 01:10:33
  • Shepherd's Mass Effect 2 & 3
    Mar 1, 2024 – 01:40:27
  • Exploring the Mass Effect
    Feb 15, 2024 – 01:32:33
  • Alone In The Dark
    Feb 1, 2024 – 01:35:48
  • Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 2
    Jan 15, 2024 – 01:27:33
  • Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 1
    Jan 1, 2024 – 01:24:34
  • The History of Handheld Games Part 3
    Dec 15, 2023 – 02:20:00
  • The History of Handheld Games Part 2
    Dec 1, 2023 – 01:22:41
  • The History of Handheld Games Part 1
    Nov 15, 2023 – 01:34:53
  • The ID Of Game Development
    Nov 1, 2023 – 01:31:40
  • The Sumerian Game
    Oct 15, 2023 – 01:12:08
  • Finding Video Game Copyright
    Oct 1, 2023 – 01:31:33
  • The 7th Guest
    Sep 15, 2023 – 01:39:36
  • Microprose Part 2
    Sep 1, 2023 – 01:38:57
  • Microprose Part 1
    Aug 15, 2023 – 01:24:26
  • SEGA and CSK Part 2
    Aug 1, 2023 – 01:27:35
  • SEGA and CSK Part 1
    Jul 15, 2023 – 01:23:30
  • The Simulations of Will Wright
    Jul 1, 2023 – 01:35:55
  • Will Wright’s Sim City
    Jun 15, 2023 – 01:37:31
  • Atari’s Sinking Ship
    Jun 1, 2023 – 01:21:31
Recent Reviews
  • Tomstewdevine
    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.
  • The.worst.of.the.best
    Great show!
    You ability to tell a store is fantastic and always interesting. Thanks for all these podcasts, it’s obvious this is a labor of love from these guys.
  • 8bitsteve
    Great!
    Always informative and in depth. These guys know their stuff in detail and it shows. One of my favorites.
  • WrecklessInSeattle
    A gaming history must
    I’m a life long gamer. Born into an Atari 2600 and healthy collection of all the greats of the time. I’ve been fortunate enough to work for the arcade division of SEGA and worked in the family entertainment industry. Listening to Alex and Jeffery cover so much of gaming history and by default much of the early electronics of the time makes me very happy. I love hearing the stories of how this industry rose from humble coin op amusement to the worlds most profitable media. They do such a great job of digging deep to bring these stories to life. A must for anyone interested in the history of video games.
  • Quesadillas999
    The BEST video game podcast!!
    I’ve been listening for about two years and my god have I learned about ENDLESS amounts of stories, people, companies, games, challenges, loop holes, discoveries, breakthroughs, everything. I feel so nostalgic for everything they talk about and I’ve come to appreciate video games SO much more from listening to the stories behind the people and endeavors that made them possible. I love how the podcast jumps between Europe, the US, and Japan, and how it’s across all consoles and platforms, discovering how people find themselves creating worlds. Moreover, Alex is very meticulous about making sure to clear the air with the facts, and making clear what is absolutely true, what is false, what is still not too sure, and being honest about his findings, his personal interviews, and his fellow historians. And of course the show would not be possible without Jeffrey, who I love hearing just as much :) If you like video games at all and have any sort of interest in hearing their backstory, listen to ANY episode!
  • @legendarypuns
    The Definitive Video Game History Podcast
    Not only is this podcast consistently jam-packed with historical facts and anecdotes from video games past, but the hosts’ voices are so soothing, they make some legitimately boring stories immensely enjoyable to listen to. I’m not even kidding—these guys make the dullest of topics worth listening to. Highly recommended!
  • jl22222222
    The Best History Podcast Out There
    I’m a college professor and have been studying video games for years. This podcast is fantastic - it’s meticulously researched, and fun to listen to. Alex really does his homework for each episode, interviewing industry figures, reading annual reports, you name it. Alex and Jeffrey are passionate about games, and each episode is a delight to listen to.
  • Terry Hanson
    Outstanding
    If you like gaming history this is for you. What an outstanding detailed account of the history of so many companies!!
  • Are Pee Gee Fan
    How did I miss this podcast!?!?
    Beautifully put together and in depth looks into the wonderful and exciting history of video games! Another wonderful resource to consume fully as I continue my personal venture into the lifestyle of game design. I can’t wait to make it through the entire back catalog this year while still keeping up with the mew episodes. Keep it up! 😋
  • VeroDeb
    Interesting, historical info from past CEOs and other business leaders
    I am amazed that Alex has been able to interview corporate leadership-present and deceased-to capture their perspective on why their corporations succeeded or failed. Kudos to Alex and his co-host Jeffrey for bringing this info to our ears for the last 4 years. Congrats on the debut of a your first Volume in bookstores and on Amazon.
  • Aboissonneau
    Best Podcast related to Video Game History
    This is head and shoulders above anything else I’ve seen related to the history of video games.
  • Plasmic Steve
    Scholarly and Entertaining
    These guys did deep into video game history from angles that aren’t usually covered - like the financial and retail aspects of the industry. Their knowledge is formidable and when they cover a topic, like the video game crash of the early 80s, they cover it so thoroughly that the listener is left feeling like they were a part of the events being discussed. Great podcast - highly recommended!
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