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They Create WorldsAuthor: Alex Smith, and Jeffrey Daum
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! Language: en Genres: Games, History, Leisure Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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PopCap Games
Episode 228
Friday, 14 February, 2025
TCW Podcast Episode 228 - PopCap Games PopCap Games was initially overlooked by the larger gaming industry due to its focus on fun, well-designed, and polished casual games. Their first major hit, Bejeweled, became a consistent source of income, allowing PopCap to invest time in developing new titles. This led to the creation of Peggle, which helped solidify PopCap’s reputation, particularly after developers at Valve became hooked on the game’s deeper skill-based mechanics and puzzles. The success of Bejeweled and Peggle continued with their ports to the iPod and, eventually, the iPad, further expanding PopCap’s popularity. This growth culminated in the release of Plants vs. Zombies, which debuted on PC before being adapted for iOS. The game’s seamless touchscreen integration made it a standout app for the newly launched iPad. As the gaming industry evolved, PopCap struck a deal with EA, which acquired the company, leading to the departure of its founders over the following years. Attack Retrieve Capture: https://alchetron.com/Attack-Retrieve-Capture Shariki Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMwGy1fv41g Play Dimond Mine: https://www.crazygames.com/game/diamond-mine Bejeweled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvLtaf1PFVM Palm OS - PDA Gaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nfg4YIoYas TCW 122 - A Casual World Part 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/a-casual-world-part-1/ TCW 123 - A Casual World Part 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/a-casual-world-part-2/ Zuma Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwpuOhuVnnQ Alchemy Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p902uQ_y3r4 Play Alchemy Deluxe: https://archive.org/details/alchemy-deluxe Bookworm Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA1NSyldUQ8 The Oral History of PopCap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwzxWLonObo Burnout 3 Takedown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6vHTQv9JHY Peggle Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlnieE-h6k8 Peggle Extreme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAKLiepJDrM Peggle Extreme (Steam - Free): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3483/Peggle_Extreme/ Bejeweled (iPod): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7iHTM0ryWm0 Peggle (iPod): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qhWSm0zNSrk Insaniquarium Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U04weIAra20 Plants VS Zombies (PC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XENla8M3910 Plants VS Zombies (iPad): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvopYLzwb90 PopCap Games on Internet Archive: https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22PopCap+Games%22 New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month! TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com Twitter: @tcwpodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: 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/