Will Wright invented a genre of computer game that involves neither winning nor shooting, yet has generated colossal hits. Among them: SimCity (which earned its publisher $230 million), The Sims, and the forthcoming Spore.
Why you should listen to him:
A technical virtuoso with boundless imagination, Will Wright has created a style of computer gaming unlike any that came before, emphasizing learning more than losing, invention more than sport. With his hit game SimCity, he spurred players to make predictions, take risks, and sometimes fail miserably, as they built their own virtual urban worlds. With his follow-up hit, The Sims, he encouraged the same creativity toward building a household, all the while preserving the addictive fun of ordinary video games. His next game, Spore, which he previewed at TED2007, evolves an entire universe from a single-celled creature.
Wright’s genius is for presenting vital abstract principles -- like evolution, differences of scale, and environmental dynamics -- through a highly personalized, humorous kind of play. Users invest themselves passionately in characters they create (with Wright’s mind-boggling CG tools), and then watch them encounter fundamentals of life and nature.
If it all sounds suspiciously educational, well, it just might be. Wright has created not just an irresistible form of entertainment, but an ingenious, original pedagogy. His latest game, Spore, is set for release Sept. 7, 2008.
See more video of Will Wright, from the 2007 New Yorker Conference >>
"Will Wright -- a legend among gamers, the nerd’s nerd, undisputed king of the simulation."New Statesman
Blog Posts on TED
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Will Wright previews his new game, Spore, on TED.com – July 17, 2007
A technical virtuoso with boundless imagination, Will Wright has created a style of computer gaming unlike any that came before, emphasizing learning more than losing, invention more than sport. With his hit game SimCity, he spurred players to make predictions, take risks, and sometimes fail miserably, as they built their own virtual urban worlds. With his follow-up hit, The Sims, he encouraged the same creativity toward building a household, all the while preserving the addictive fun of ordinary video games. His next game, Spore, which he previews here, evolves an entire universe from a single-celled creature. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 16:49.)
New: Download this talk in high resolution (480p) >>
Watch Will Wright's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
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SimCity plays with One Laptop per Child – November 9, 2007
Game publisher Electronic Arts has donated the original SimCity, Will Wright's groundbreaking 1989 computer game, to Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop per Child initiative.
It's a wonderful example of using games as tools for learning. As EA's Steve Seabolt said in yesterday's press announcement, "SimCity is entertainment that’s unintentionally educational." Back in March, OLPC's SJ Klein talked to game developers about how important games are to the OLPC platform:
"Kids without games can certainly learn," confessed Klein, "but the first way children learn is through gaming... by seeing how things work and remaking their world... Let's give them useful worlds to make."
For more on the vision behind One Laptop per Child, watch Nicholas Negroponte's TEDTalk, given in the days after he stepped down as chair of MIT's Media Lab to work on OLPC "for the rest of my life."
Contact One Laptop per Child here >>
Watch SimCity designer Will Wright's 2007 TEDTalk to see a preview of his next game, Spore. Fresh details on Spore emerged in the UK press late last month, while Wright was in London accepting his BAFTA Fellowship: On the BBC's Radio 5 Live, he said that Spore is now fully playable, and a release is only six months out.
Image is borrowed from the unofficial OLPC news blog, One Laptop Per Child News.
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Will Wright will be named a BAFTA Fellow – October 13, 2007
Game designer Will Wright (watch his TEDTalk) will become a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) this month -- one of only 67 ever named, and the first video game designer, reports Variety. A few other BAFTA Fellows: Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Elizabeth Taylor ...
Since 2006, BAFTA -- essentially the UK equivalent of the American Oscars and Emmies combined -- has been honoring video games on an equal footing with film and television, even down to having a glossy award show. Becoming the "third arm" of BAFTA (which may explain Will's appearance in his TEDTalk) is a significant step for an expanding industry full of innovative minds. This year's nominated games can be seen on the BAFTA site; the awards will be given on October 23.
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