William Ralph "Is" Wright (born January 20, 1960, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American video game designer and founder of game development company Maxis, now part of Electronic Arts. In April 2009, he left Electronic Arts to run 'Stupid Fun Club, "an entertainment think tank in which Wright and EA is a major shareholder.
The first computer game Wright designed the Raid on Bungeling Bay in 1984, but SimCity that brought him fame. The game was released by Maxis, Wright formed a company with Jeff Braun, and he built on the theme of a computer simulation game with a lot of other titles including SimEarth and SimAnt.
Wright's biggest success to date came as a designer for the original Sims game series. The game spawned several sequels and expansion and Wright won many awards for his work. His work recently, Spore, released in September 2008 and features gameplay based on the model of evolution and scientific progress. The game is sold 406 000 copies in three weeks of release
Biography Will Wright
He was born as William Ralph Wright on January 20, 1960 in Atlanta. He is of French, American English, Italian, and Native.
Education
After graduating at 16 from Episcopal High School, he enrolled at Louisiana State University, two years later transferred to Louisiana Tech. Starting with the initial degree in architecture, followed by mechanical engineering, he fell into a computer and robotics. He excelled in the subjects he is interested in architecture, economics, engineering, and military history, but held back by his practical purposes such as language arts. Earlier dream of space colonization remain, and joined with love for robotics. After two years at Louisiana Tech, in the fall of 1980, Wright moved to The New School in Manhattan. He lived in an apartment over Balducci, in Greenwich Village, and spends her free time looking for parts at a local electronics surplus store. After one year at the New School, Wright returned to Baton Rouge without a degree, concluded five years of college study.
During summer vacations from college, he met his first wife Joell Jones, an artist currently living in California, on vacation in her hometown of Baton Rouge. In an interview published in February 2003, Will claims that the game was absorbing so much time, he decided that the game might make is the way to go. Wright's first game is a helicopter action game Raid on Bungeling Bay (1984) for the Commodore 64.
Wright finds that he has a level editor to create more fun with him for the Raid on Bungeling Bay from him while actually playing the game. He created a new game that would later evolve into SimCity, but he had trouble finding a publisher. Structuralist dynamics of the game is partly inspired by the works of two architectural and urban theory, Christopher Alexander and Jay Forrester.
I am interested in the process and design strategies. Architect Christopher Alexander, in his book Pattern Languages of spatial relations formalized into a lot of grammar for the design. I really want to work towards a grammar for complex systems, and someone comes with a tool for designing complex things.
Wright, in an interview with The Times, stating his belief that the computer expands the imagination, and to position the emergence of "metabrain", which states:
. "Any human institutional systems that draw on the intelligence of all its members are metabrain a Until now, we already have a high friction between the neurons of the metabrain; technology that greatly reduce friction Computers allow us to aggregate our intelligence. Ways not possible before . If you look at Spore, the person who made this, and computers to collect, and then decide who to send it to a computer is a broker .. What they really explore the collective creativity of millions of people. They incorporate human intelligence into the system more robust than the we thought would be artificial intelligence.
Game designers
In 1986, he met Jeff Braun, an investor interested in entering the computer gaming industry, what Wright calls "the most important pizza party in the world." Together they form the next Maxis years in Orinda, California. SimCity (1989) was a hit and has been credited as one of the most influential computer games ever made. Wright himself has been widely featured in several magazines, especially PC gamers, who has listed Wright in an annual feature 'God Game', alongside such notables as Roberta Williams and Peter Molyneux.
Following the success of SimCity, Wright designed SimEarth (1990) and SimAnt (1991). He co-designed SimCity 2000 (1993) with Fred Haslam and in the meantime Maxis produced other "Sim" games. The next game is SimCopter Wright (1996). Although none of these games are as successful as SimCity, they further cemented Wright's reputation as a designer of "soft toys"-games that can not be won or lost. In 1992, Wright and his family moved to Orinda, California.
Wright has a great interest in complex adaptive systems and most of its games have been based on a book about them or describe them (SimAnt: EO Wilson, The Ants, SimEarth: James Lovelock's Gaia theory, SimCity: Jay Forrester's Urban Dynamics and World Dynamics , Spore: the Drake equation and the power of ten) Wright's role in the development of the concept of simulation for the game is to empower the players to create what dubs "possibility space", or simple rules and game elements that add up to very complex designs. All Maxis, and then a game that Wright had a hand in designing, adhere to the principles of design.
Maxis went public in 1995 with revenues of U.S. $ 38 million. Stock reaches $ 50 per share and then dropped as Maxis posted a loss. Electronic Arts bought Maxis in June 1997. Wright has been thinking about making a virtual doll house since the early 1990s, similar to SimCity, but focused on the individual. Originally conceived as an architectural design game called Home Tactics, Wright's idea changed when someone suggested the player should be judged on the quality of life experience by the homeowner. That is a difficult idea to sell to EA, because it was 40% of Maxis employees have been laid off.
When Wright took his idea to the board of directors of Maxis, Jeff Braun said, "The board saw The Sims and said, 'What is this? He wanted to do an interactive doll house? Man was out of mind'" doll house for girls., And child women do not play video games. Maxis provides little support or funding for the game. Electronic Arts, which bought Maxis in 1997, more enthusiastic. Wright games are so different from other releases EA that it is difficult to imagine the two together in the same company. But the success of SimCity Sim has been established as a strong brand, and EA, which at that time, fifteen years after its founding, has become a brand of Procter & Gamble company's management style, foresee the possibility of building a Sim franchise.
EA published The Sims in February 2000 and it became Wright's biggest success yet. Eventually surpassed Myst as the best-selling computer game of all time and spawned many expansion packs and other games. He designed a massively multiplayer version of the game called The Sims Online, which is not popular as the original. In November 2006, The Sims franchise has been awarded the EA more than one billion dollars.
In a presentation at the Game Developers Conference on March 11, 2005, he announced his latest game Spore. He uses the current work in this game to demonstrate methods that can be used to reduce the amount of content that needs to be made by game developers. Wright hopes to inspire others to take risks in game creation.
As for his theories about interactive design, Wright said the following:
"Well, one thing I always really enjoy making things. From whatever. It started with modeling as a child, build a model. When the computer arrived, I started to learn programming and to realize the computer is a great tool to make things, make model, dynamic model, and behaviors, not just static models. I think when I started doing games I really want to bring that to the next step, for the players, so you give the player the tools so that they can make something. And then you give some context for the creation of it. You know, what it is, like what kind of world is it to live, what is its purpose? What are you trying to do with this is that you are creating? To really put the player in the role of design. And the world is in fact reactive for their design. So they design something that small world inside the computer to react to. And then they have to re-design and redesign it, or tear it down and build another one, whatever it is. So I guess what really drew me to interactive entertainment and the things I try to stay focused on the creativity of the players is possible. Giving them the solution space is large enough to solve the problem in the game. So this game represents the landscape of the problem. Most games have small solution landscapes, so there is one possible solution and one how to solve it. Other games, games that tend to be more creative, have a much larger solution, so that you can potentially solve this problem in a way that no one else has. If you are building a solution, how big a space the solution is to give players the feeling is stronger than empathy. If they know that what they are doing is unique to them, they tend to treat it more. I think that's the direction I tend to come from. "
Wright believes that the simulation as a game can be used to improve education by teaching children how to learn. With his own words:
"The problem with our education system is we have taken this kind of approach is narrow, reductionist Aristotelian to what learning is. It is not designed to experiment with complex systems and navigate your way through them in an intuitive way, which is what the game teaches. It's not really designed to fail, which is also something to teach the game. I mean, I think that failure is a better teacher than success. Trial and error, reverse-engineering it in your mind all the ways that children interact with the game- It kind of think schools should teach. And I think that this world will become more complex, and as a result of a lack of success or failure, the game better prepare you. education system will realize this sooner or later. This started. Teachers are entering the system who grew up playing games. They would like to be involved with the kids using the game.
Wright will appear as characters in the Mr. T video game, where he will join with Mr. T to fight the Nazis.
History of The Sims
Certainly knew about this one simulation game, a game that can be called a simulation game about life. Build a character with all the good qualities and bad, to interact with the surrounding environment and other things like building a life in the real world. Game called The Sims.
The Sims is a game that eventually became large and became one of the most prolific franchises in gaming history. Exactly ten years ago on February 4, 2000 this game was born. Starting from the cold hands of its creator Will Wright is nicely packaged, published by Maxis studio and distributed by Electronic Arts (EA). From that day on the game The Sims capable of up to 100 million copies sold for a sequel and expansion of the game with total income generating USD 2.5 Billion, so that the sims has been named as a computer game with the biggest sales in history.
All the game The Sims focuses on the lives of virtual people called Sims. Players can control the daily activities of Sims, like him sleeping, eating, reading, or a shower. In order to earn a living, Sims must obtain and maintain employment, all able to occupy their free time socializing, meditation, hygiene and romance, and they should be kept in balance. Each release of the latest series (not expansion) has introduced a capability, a new option for the behavior of your Sims and with better graphics too. For example, sex, birth, aging and death is introduced in the game The Sims series into two. Will Wright, designer of this game states that The Sims as the playhouse games digital (digital Dollhouse) complex.
Ten years is not a short time, Maxis also has created the game The Sims as many as 3 series with a total of 16 expansions available.Many are not? Here are some of The Sims game from the beginning to the new game (The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3) accompanied by the expansion are available for all three series.
The Sims
This is the first game The Sims series that really kicked off the game world and as the basis for the development of the game The Sims Next. The first series was calculated Sism have a lot of the expansion pack has 7 expansion, including;
The Sims: Livin 'Large (31 August 2000)
The Sims: House Party (21 April 2001)
The Sims: Hot Date (12 November 2001)
The Sims: Vacation (28 March 2002)
The Sims: Unleashed (7 November 2002)
The Sims: Superstar (May 13, 2003)
The Sims: Makin 'Magic (October 29, 2003) [/ B]
The Sims 2
New series of the game The Sims was released on September 4, 2004 in North America. As in the previous series, The Sims 2 also has Exspansion pack that does not lose a lot of 8 expansion. Like;
The Sims 2: University (March 1, 2005)
The Sims 2: Nightlife (13 September 2005)
The Sims 2: Open for Business (2 March 2006)
The Sims 2: Pets (October 17, 2006)
The Sims 2: Seasons (1 March 2007)
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage (4 September 2007)
The Sims 2: FreeTime (February 26, 2008)
The Sims 2: Apartment Life (27 August 2008)
The Sims 3
Wednesday series of new franchise The Sims was released on June 2, 2009. The Sims 3 is no less in demand than the previous series, The Sims 3 has sold more than 4.5 million units worldwide since its release and was named a PC game telaris to the United States and Europe in 2009. This game has a new expansion pack, but considering the game is still fairly new, maybe just after this article was written will come again the next expansion.
The Sims 3: World Adventures (17 November 2009)
February 4, 2010, ten years have elapsed since The Sims first born.A long journey full of sweat from all the hard work. But all that has paid off the very maximum. That depiction for the most successful franchises in the history of this game. Finally, Happy birthday to ten for the game The Sims series. Always waiting for new game series is interesting and entertaining.
