![]() ![]() Although none of these games were as successful as SimCity, they further cemented Wright's reputation as a designer of " software toys"-games that cannot be won or lost, but played indefinitely. He co-designed SimCity 2000 (1993) with Fred Haslam and, in the meantime, Maxis produced other "Sim" games. Wright himself has been widely featured in several computer magazines-particularly PC Gamer, which has listed Wright in its annual 'Game Gods' feature, alongside such notables as Roberta Williams and Peter Molyneux.įollowing the success of SimCity, Wright designed SimEarth (1990) and SimAnt (1991). SimCity (1989) was a hit and has been credited as one of the most influential computer games ever made. In 1986, Wright met Jeff Braun- an investor interested in entering the computer game industry- at what Wright has called "the world's most important pizza party." Together they formed Maxis the following year in Orinda, California. From left: Rod Humble, Louis Castle, David Perry, Brenda Brathwaite, John Romero, Will Wright, Tim Schafer, Chris Hecker. Wright and other game developers at a BAFTA event in Los Angeles in July 2011. The structuralist dynamics of the game were in part inspired by the work of two architectural and urban theorists, Christopher Alexander and Jay Forrester. He created a new game based on this idea that would later evolve into SimCity, but he had trouble finding a publisher. Wright found that he had more fun creating the islands with his level editor for Raid on Bungeling Bay than he had actually playing the game. The gameplay involves the player flying over islands while dropping bombs. His first game was the helicopter action game Raid on Bungeling Bay (1984). While other game designers such as Bill Budge and Nasir Gebelli were producing Apple video games, Wright decided to develop for the newer Commodore 64. After one year at the New School, Wright concluded five years of collegiate study without a degree and returned to Baton Rouge. While living in New York City, he purchased an Apple II+ and taught himself Applesoft BASIC, Pascal, and assembly language in order to implement Conway's Game of Life. During this time, he lived in an apartment in Greenwich Village, and spent his free time "searching for spare parts in local electronics surplus stores." Two years later, in the fall of 1980, he would transfer again to The New School in New York City. He then transferred to Louisiana Tech where he switched to mechanical engineering, with a particular interest in robotics, space exploration, military history, and language arts. In his own words, the game has a "simple set of rules" yet "the strategies in it are so complex" and he was "fascinated with the idea that complexity can come out of such simplicity." As a teenager, Wright enjoyed playing board wargames such as PanzerBlitz.Īfter graduating high school, Wright studied architecture at Louisiana State University for two years. Wright's interest in game design began in childhood with the Chinese strategy board game Go. ![]() He graduated from the Baton Rouge Episcopal High School at the age of 16. When his father died of leukemia the same year, Wright moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his mother and his younger sister. He attended a Montessori school until the age of nine. The son of a plastics engineer and an actress, Wright was born on January 20, 1960, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2007, he became the first game designer to receive the BAFTA Fellowship, which had previously only been presented to those in the film and television industries. The game sold 406,000 copies within three weeks of its release. ![]() His latest work, Spore, released in September 2008 and features gameplay based upon the model of evolution and scientific advancement. The game spawned multiple sequels, including The Sims 2, The Sims 3, The Sims 4 and their expansion packs. He is best known for being the original designer of The Sims series, of which Maxis developed the first entry in 2000. Wright has earned many awards for his work in game design. Wright continued to innovate on the game's central theme of simulation with numerous other titles including SimEarth and SimAnt. The game was published by Maxis, which Wright co-formed with Jeff Braun. The first computer game Wright designed was Raid on Bungeling Bay in 1984, but it was SimCity that brought him to prominence. In April 2009, he left EA to run Stupid Fun Club Camp, an entertainment think tank in which Wright and EA are principal shareholders. William Ralph Wright (born January 20, 1960) is an American video game designer and co-founder of the game development company Maxis, which later became part of Electronic Arts. ![]()
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