Episode Details

TCW Podcast Episode 189 - The Simulations of Will Wright

In part two we look at the Sim craze with the release of Sim Earth, Sim Ant, and others. It was Sim Ant in combination with the loss of Will Wright's home in the Oakland firestorm of 1991 that laid the groundwork for what would become The Sims. The game went through many iterations, and would not see fruition until the acquisition of Maxis by Electronic Arts. The game became a phenomenal success and was as big a hit, if not bigger, than Sim City. Will Wright continued with the creation of the game Spore which, while heavily hyped, was a very shallow amalgamation of five different games. Will Wright is still trying to make games based on systems, but as of yet none have reached the impact of Sim City or The Sims.

Gaia Hypothesis - James Lovelock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIFRg2skuDI

Sim Earth (SNES): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t_foiU3fHo

Sim Earth (PC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOtbazBWijw

SimAnt Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTgrr1PSBaE

E.O. Wilson The Ant "Super Organism": https://ninepbs.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/eow-clip-04/the-ant-super-organism-e-o-wilson-of-ants-and-men/

Oakland Firestorm 1991: https://localwiki.org/oakland/Oakland_Firestorm_1991

Raw Video Oakland Firestorm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NseOhUqZAh0

Oakland Hills Fire Decades Later: https://abc7news.com/oakland-hills-fire-east-bay-1991-department/11141174/

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Kahn Academy): https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/behavior/theories-personality/v/maslow-hierarchy-of-needs

Christopher Alexander - Life in Buildings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKO3vYjZbcs

The Basic principles of Feng Shui: https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-feng-shui-1275060

1998 Preview of the Sims: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC52jE60KjY

1999 The Sims Q&A with Will Wright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIWSJH-0_CQ

Listen Now