They Create Worlds

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 companies set their sights on a full home console. That console had to include its own display because home televisions could not support vector graphics. The idea took shape when engineer John Ross came across a one-inch CRT designed for aircraft instruments, and that sparked the push toward a vector-based home console. GCE knew they were too small to compete in a saturated market on their own, so they sought out a larger company with the manufacturing and marketing muscle to give the Vectrex a real shot. Milton Bradley acquired GCE in September 1982. The Vectrex launched at $199 that holiday season, right into the Video Game Crash, and cost Milton Bradley $31.6 million before Hasbro bought what was left in 1984.   TCW 199 - The History of Handheld Games Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW199-the-history-of-handheld-games-part-2 Major Matt Mason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sNoiDT0BMw Creepy Crawlers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJOd3pPUcEo TCW 025 - Matel Electronics?: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW025-mattel-electronics TCW 177 - The Intellivision Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW177-the-intellivision-part-1 TCW 178 - The Intellivision Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW178-the-intellivision-part-2 GCE Game Time Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bf1ShRP0sU GCE Arcade Time Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sgPMbbyfyw GCE Sports Time Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9K0Ty5MVr0 GCE Chase N Counter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeXaPOwrPq4 GCE Space N Counter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXaBH2hVnZ4 TCW 009 - The History of Mediagenic Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW009-history-of-mediagenic-part-1 TCW 010 - The History of Mediagenic Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW010-history-of-mediagenic-part-ii TCW 225 - Games By Apollo: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW225-games-by-apollo Towering Inferno (Atari): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9E4xYtUmqE Entombed (Atari): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D21cBQ8zPI TCW 080 - Vector Lights: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW080-vector-lights TCW 133 - Rolling Dice With The Parker Brothers: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW133-rolling-dice-with-the-parker-brothers Mine Storm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jPFGKVyD6E Starhawk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjv6lnt98zY Solar Quest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzPwfY82Aok Rip Off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d-fcGnMpI8 Space Wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTxl8WAr2WI Armor Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAShNvM8I9U Blitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qend3Al4Rw Star Trek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzrsb5c8dB4 Cosmic Chasm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkaDXjOKMv0 Cosmic Chasm (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-9ZRSs2ATU Berzerk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tarHYgKekeI Scramble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tDBZwoiblQ Hyperchase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvHKW7dnIUs Clean Sweep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2jpYm6ZwIs Vectrek Accessories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9LLEJ63_Rw Star Castle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29ZYcNK_Fe4 Spinball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpT29NOsASw Fortress of Narzod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYiWPBljWHk Spike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNsyOWHQ71s Pole Position: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxKt4iZgRc     New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: [email protected]  BlueSky: @theycreateworlds.bsky.social Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1   Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode  Outro Music: RoleMusic - 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 261 - StarFox   Before Star Fox, there was a developer in Britain building copy protection tools, a dinner party that opened the right door, and a Game Boy prototype game that could do something it was never supposed to do. Jez San's Argonaut Software caught Nintendo's attention at CES and was invited to Japan. The meeting led to a two million dollar deal to build a custom chip to bring real 3D to the SNES. A team of Argonaut programmers moved to Japan and worked alongside Shigeru Miyamoto and Katsuya Eguchi to build one of the most technically ambitious games on the system. The Super FX chip made it possible, and a Kyoto fox shrine gave it its identity. Star Fox sold well, but its late arrival in the SNES lifecycle meant a nearly completed Star Fox 2 was shelved and not released until the SNES Classic. The collaboration that made it all possible did not end on the warmest terms. Nintendo retained some of Argonaut's programmers, and San walked away feeling the partnership had given Nintendo far more than it had given Argonaut.   TCW 017 - The British 8-bit Computer Market - Hardware: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW017-the-british-8-bit-computer-market-hardware TCW 018 - The British 8-bit Computer Market - Software: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW018-the-british-8-bit-computer-market-software TCW 049 - Old and Elite: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW049-old-and-elite Skyline Attack (C64): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXb1IlVOTVM Star Wars (Atari - Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJv94FPRddA StarGlider (ZX Spectrum): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0nxTSc-4os TCW - 130: Uncle Clive's Radionics: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW130-uncle-clives-radionics TCW 131 - Sir Clive of ZX: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW131-sir-clive-of-zx Sinclair C5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjiiayrKiuk Micro Men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXBxV6-zamM TCW 244 - The History of Commodore Pt 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW244-the-history-of-commodore-pt-1 TCW 245 - The History of Commodore Pt 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW245-the-history-of-commodore-pt-2 TCW 246 - The History of Commodore Pt 3: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW246-the-history-of-commodore-pt-3 TCW 247 - The History of Commodore Pt 4: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW247-the-history-of-commodore-pt-4 Nintendo president Yamauchi gives a speech at Spaceworld 95: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V8tUea4Hbs&t=36s TCW 198 - The History of Handheld Games Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW198-the-history-of-handheld-games-part-1 TCW 199 - The History of Handheld Games Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW199-the-history-of-handheld-games-part-2 TCW 200 - The History of Handheld Games Part 3: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW200-the-history-of-handheld-games-part-3 Pilotwings (SNES): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A1hX1rGRfY X (Game Boy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LETr1NoteMM Scmuplations - Star Fox 1993 Developer Interview: https://shmuplations.com/starfox/ Starblade (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqWhFddNopM Starglider 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg3uQM83dl8 Thunderbirds S1E1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLiH4xrCITI Starfox SNES Box Art: https://gamesdb.launchbox-app.com/games/images/1659-star-fox Fushimi Inari Shrine: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3915.html StarFox Coms (SNES): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkjR_9WVAHc Starfox Prototype: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rsRTCExBLA StarFox (SNES): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EkVHxE0Y8I       New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: [email protected]  BlueSky: @theycreateworlds.bsky.social Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1   Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode  Outro Music: RoleMusic - 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 260 - Vivendi Electric Boogaloo   How does a Canadian liquor company end up owning Universal Studios and, eventually, help create Activision Blizzard? Seagram chased diversification as liquor sales softened, tried to take over Conoco, and instead wound up with a 25% stake in DuPont that generated most of its earnings. Edgar Bronfman Jr. sold that stake to buy MCA from Matsushita, inheriting a mismanaged Universal. He then doubled down on music with a $10.6 billion PolyGram deal just as Napster, the dot com bubble, and changing listening habits blew up the old record business model. With media stocks riding high, the rest of the Bronfman family wanted out, and Jean-Marie Messier at Vivendi stepped in, using Canal+ and an all‑stock transaction to fold Seagram into Vivendi and create Vivendi Universal. On the games side, Havas Interactive and the former CUC and Cendant software assets were combined with Universal’s own games business, including the franchises of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, under a new label: Vivendi Universal Games. Then the bubble burst, Vivendi’s debt and deceptive cash accounting caught up with Messier, and he was forced out, leaving his successors to sell assets and manage the fallout. Inside the games group, Blizzard’s success defined the division, culminating in World of Warcraft’s launch and the later decision to combine Vivendi’s games business with Activision. That deal created Activision Blizzard, gave Vivendi a way to tap cash when its telecom business went bad, and set the stage for Activision Blizzard's eventual separation from Vivendi. Vivendi made one last, mostly unsuccessful push into games through moves on Ubisoft and the takeover of Gameloft.   TCW 064 - Rise and Fall of Infogrames Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW064-rise-and-fall-of-infogrames-part-1 TCW 065 - Rise and Fall of Infogrames Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW065-the-rise-and-fall-of-infogrames-part-2 TCW 114 - The Wizards of Sir-Tech: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW114-the-wizards-of-sir-tech TCW 115 - The Return of the Sdraziw of Sir Tech: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW115-the-return-of-the-sdraziw-of-sir-tech TCW 251 - Virgin Games: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW251-virgin-games TCW 184 - A Very Naughty Dog Pt 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW184-a-very-naughty-dog-pt-1 TCW 185 - A Very Naughty Dog Pt 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW185-a-very-naughty-dog-pt-2 Spyro the Dragon (PSX): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrVKjNR0-SE Crash Bandicoot (PSX): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HtPF0ers1w TCW 162 - Spinnaker Software: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW162-spinnaker-software TCW 071 - A Story of Brøderbund: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW071-a-story-of-broderbund TCW 072 - The Mysteries of Brøderbund: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW072-the-mysteries-of-broderbund TCW 039 - On-Line Systems: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW039-on-line-systems TCW 040 - Sierra On-Line: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW040-sierra-on-line TCW 221 - North to Hellgate London: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW221-north-to-hellgate-london TCW 249 - New World Computing: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW249-new-world-computing TCW 055 - Blizzard Hellfire and the World of Warcraft: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW055-blizzard-hellfire-and-the-world-of-warcraft Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment: https://www.amazon.com/Play-Nice-Future-Blizzard-Entertainment/dp/1538725428 Disney's Dreamlight Valley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOuZFZOVLmc   New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: [email protected]  BlueSky: @theycreateworlds.bsky.social Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1   Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode  Outro Music: RoleMusic - 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 257 - Nine Atari Games   The Atari VCS launched with nine games to entice consumers into the new gaming medium, and Combat set the trend of packing multiple "games" into a single cartridge. Featuring a wide array of game modes, Combat holds its own even today and served as the console's official tie-in title. Atari's partnership with Sears, however, rebranded all but one of the launch titles under different names, including Target Fun, released elsewhere as Air-Sea Battle. Many of the launch games carried multiple modes to stretch their value, and even these early titles pulled clever tricks to push past the VCS's five sprite limit. To justify the console's cost to families, Atari aimed squarely at adults with Blackjack while also including the educational game Basic Math. While many of these early titles were forgotten as more advanced games arrived over the course of the Atari VCS's life, their influence on a foundational system cannot be disputed.   Atari Archive: https://www.atariarchives.org/ Atari Archive (Youtube): https://www.youtube.com/c/AtariArchive Combat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNtI90yiOOU Air-Sea Battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l0AQ5LuvQM Video Olympics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rie4hsUeDuA Indy 500: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_POr4OdHhiI Street Racer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCSYY1kK9so Star Ship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4zySJ96a4U Blackjack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nvWBin7_Rc Basic Math: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv7T4ya9hcg Surround: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhZ1wfGLq1w How to do long form Square Roots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6evC4klO_lI TCW 051 - Sons of Pong: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW051 TCW 201 - Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW201 TCW 202 - Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW202 TCW 009 - History of Mediagenic Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW009 TCW 010 - History of Mediagenic Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW010   New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: [email protected]  BlueSky: @theycreateworlds.bsky.social Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1   Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode  Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love    Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/