The might creator of all that is fun… in the world of games… [ok... maybe i'm exagerating too much].
Will Wright - The creator of EA games like SimCity [one of my favorites, a classic really - I grew up with this one], Spore [the new hit] and the-so-popular, the Sims.
I am very surprised that he’s leaving EA. Not that I think he should not but is just that I spent the last decade knowing that Will Wright was EA’s identity because I always played his games with a startup logo from EA. It’s one of those changes that you’d never think they’d happen but when they do it’s produces an emotional reaction in you.
Will Wright is, according to Eric Krangel, separating from EA to dedicate all his game design mightyness to a personal project called Stupid Fun Club. Stupid Fun Club will be funded by EA itself. I think this might’ve been a “retirement” agreement between WW and EA. SFC is what it looks like a creative studio. It’s a place where Will Wright will create new ideas for games and other entertainment venues.
A curious fact about WW is that he went to a Montessori School – a this point I have to add a comment: the grad school I went to, Teachers College Columbia University, has some faculty and other students going around and saying: Montessori is outdated, and they don’t encourage problem-solving. I didn’t go to a Montessori School – so I can’t critizie much – but it produced a genius guy. WW could come up with game types that change the gaming industry having specific types of player to emerge.
In gaming history, before some specific games he created at Maxis (he co-founded Maxis in the 80′s which was later purchased by EA) a new generation of games: simulation toys – like SimCity.
It always struck me how some game designers can come up with ideas [esp new game genres] that foster the creation of a new play style. Let’s say… when social video games like World of Warcraft, preceeded by Counter Strike, were discovered by a teen population you’d see a whole new world of video game players.
I’d like to have this type of creativity to come up with an interesting educational game…
