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Will Wright's interest in architecture led to what has become the world's best-selling PC game of all time.
The co-founder and chief designer of Maxis, a division of Electronic Arts, created "The Sims," part of a list of simulation games he developed starting with SimCity - The City Simulator, in 1985.
The Sims began as an architectural simulation, but Wright found the people be developed to occupy the living spaces created by the game player were more interesting than the living spaces themselves, and the game grew in popularity. The game allows players to create a neighborhood of simulated people called "The Sims" and control their lives.
Last month, Electronic Arts said it has shipped 6.3 million copies of the game, making it the best-selling PC game.
San Francisco Business Tunes tech reporter Daniel S. Levine recently spoke to Wright about the unusual draw of The Sims, the changing world of video games, and what happens when you fail to empty your Sim's digital bladder.
Q: Electronic Arts recently announced The Sims is now the alltime, best-selling game for the PC. Does that surprise you?
Yeah, it does. When I first started working on the game, I figured it would be a big flop or a pretty big hit but I didn't think it would go as far as it has gone.
Q: Why do you think it's been so successful?
It's been very accessible to a large group of people who don't normally play computer games, but are open to playing. First of all, it's about contemporary life, so you don't have to understand military hardware or fantasy scenarios to play...