Editing Will Wright (game designer)

{{short description|American video game designer and entrepreneur (born 1960)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Will Wright
| image              = Will Wright - Game Developers Conference 2010 (2) (cropped).jpg
| image_size         = 
| caption            = Wright speaking at the 2010 [[Game Developers Conference]]
| birth_name         = William Ralph Wright
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1960|1|20}}
| birth_place        = [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], U.S.
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| occupation         = [[Game designer]]
| alma_mater         = {{plainlist|
* [[Louisiana State University]]
* [[Louisiana Tech University]]
* [[The New School]]
}}
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|Joell Jones|1984|end=div}}
* Anya Zavarzina
}}
| children = 1
| known              = {{plainlist|
* ''[[SimCity]]''
* ''[[The Sims]]''
* ''[[Spore (2008 video game)|Spore]]''}}
}}

'''William Ralph Wright''' (born January 20, 1960) is an American [[video game designer]] and co-founder of the [[video game developer|game development]] company [[Maxis]], which later became part of [[Electronic Arts]]. In April 2009, he left EA to run Stupid Fun Club Camp, an entertainment [[think tank]] in which Wright and EA are principal shareholders.<ref name="stupidfun">{{cite web | title=Will Wright Leaves EA, Does Something Stupid | url=http://kotaku.com/5204010/will-wright-leaves-ea-does-something-stupid | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410135504/http://kotaku.com/5204010/will-wright-leaves-ea-does-something-stupid | archive-date=April 10, 2009 | website=Kotaku | date=April 8, 2009 | access-date=April 8, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="sporums">{{cite web | title=Stupid Fun News | url=http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/25461.page#672954 | date=April 8, 2009 | publisher = spore.com | access-date=April 8, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Will Wright Leaves Electronic Arts">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamercenteronline.net/2009/04/08/will-wright-leaves-electronic-arts/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090412065338/http://www.gamercenteronline.net/2009/04/08/will-wright-leaves-electronic-arts/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = April 12, 2009 | title = Will Wright Leaves Electronic Arts | publisher = GamerCenterOnline | access-date = April 8, 2009 | date = April 8, 2008 | first = Kemuel | last = Stewart }}</ref>

The first computer game Wright designed was ''[[Raid on Bungeling Bay]]'' in 1984, but it was ''[[SimCity (1989 video game)|SimCity]]'' that brought him to prominence. The game was published by Maxis, which Wright co-formed with Jeff Braun. Wright continued to innovate on the game's central theme of [[computer simulation|simulation]] with numerous other titles including ''[[SimEarth]]'' and ''[[SimAnt]]''.

Wright has earned many awards for his work in game design. He is best known for being the original designer of ''[[The Sims]]'' series, of which Maxis developed [[The Sims (video game)|the first entry]] in 2000. The game spawned multiple sequels, including ''[[The Sims 2]]'', ''[[The Sims 3]]'', ''[[The Sims 4]]'' and their expansion packs. His latest work, ''[[Spore (2008 video game)|Spore]]'', released in September 2008 and features gameplay based upon the model of [[evolution]] and scientific advancement.<ref name="seed">{{Cite journal|url=http://seedmagazine.com/news/2008/09/the_creation_simulation.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909010118/http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2008/09/the_creation_simulation.php|url-status=unfit|archive-date=2008-09-09|title=The Creation Simulation|author=Margaret Robertson|date=2008-08-09|publisher=Seed}}</ref> The game sold 406,000 copies within three weeks of its release.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gibson |first=Ellie |title=September Sales 08  |website=Eurogamer |date=September 25, 2008 | url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/152396/npd_xbox_360_soars_past_ps3_in_september_sales.html|access-date=October 8, 2008}}</ref>

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.

==Early life and education==
The son of a plastics engineer and an actress, Wright was born on January 20, 1960, in Atlanta, Georgia.<ref name="Guardian2008">{{cite web|first=Ajesh|last=Partalay|title=Master of the universe|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/sep/14/games|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=September 14, 2008|access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref><ref name="SFC">{{cite news|first=Matthew|last=Yi|url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/PROFILE-Will-Wright-Unsimulated-success-2579300.php|title=Will Wright: Unsimulated success|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=November 3, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031123165238/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2003%2F11%2F03%2FBUGD42O8JT1.DTL&type=business|archive-date=November 23, 2003|access-date=April 12, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> He attended a [[Montessori]] school until the age of nine.<ref name="Guardian2008"/> When his father died of leukemia the same year, Wright moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his mother and his younger sister.<ref name="Guardian2008"/> He graduated from the Baton Rouge [[Episcopal High School (Baton Rouge)|Episcopal High School]] at the age of 16.<ref name="Guardian2008"/>

Wright's interest in game design began in childhood with the Chinese [[strategy game|strategy]] board game [[Go (game)|Go]]. 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."<ref>{{cite news |title=Will Wright on creating 'The Sims' and 'SimCity' |url=http://edition.cnn.com/chat/transcripts/2000/12/1/wright.chat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202194423/http://edition.cnn.com/chat/transcripts/2000/12/1/wright.chat/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 2, 2011 |access-date=30 October 2021 |work=[[CNN]] |date=November 30, 2000}}</ref> As a teenager, Wright enjoyed playing [[board wargames]] such as ''[[PanzerBlitz]]''.

After graduating high school, Wright studied architecture at [[Louisiana State University]] for two years. 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Family tree of Will WRIGHT |url=https://en.geneastar.org/genealogy/wrightw0/will-wright |access-date=2023-01-22 |website=Geneanet |language=en}}</ref> Two years later, in the fall of 1980, he transferred again to [[The New School]] in New York City. 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."<ref name=":0" />

While living in New York City, he purchased an [[Apple II+]] and taught himself [[Applesoft BASIC]], [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]], and [[assembly language]] in order to implement [[Conway's Game of Life]].<ref name="wright2011" /> After one year at the New School, Wright concluded five years of collegiate study without a degree and returned to Baton Rouge.<ref name="SFC"/><ref name="YORK">{{cite news|url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/11/06/061106fa_fact|title=Game Master|last=Seabrook|first=John|date=November 6, 2006|access-date=September 21, 2007|magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref>

==Career==
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]]. His first game was the helicopter action game ''[[Raid on Bungeling Bay]]'' (1984).<ref name="wright2011">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bCjollo4ng  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/7bCjollo4ng| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Classic Game Postmortem – Raid On Bungeling Bay |last=Wright |first=Will |type=YouTube |publisher=Game Developers Conference |year=2011 |time=3:25 |access-date=2020-04-09}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The gameplay involves the player flying over islands while dropping bombs.

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.<ref>{{cite journal|title=75 Power Players|journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=11|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=November 1995|page=54}}</ref> He created a new game based on this idea that would later evolve into ''[[SimCity (1989 video game)|SimCity]]'', but he had trouble finding a [[video game publisher|publisher]]. The structuralist dynamics of the game were in part inspired by the work of two architectural and urban theorists, [[Christopher Alexander]] and [[Jay Forrester]].

{{quote box | quote=I'm interested in the process and strategies for design. The architect Christopher Alexander, in his book ''[[A Pattern Language]]'' formalized a lot of spatial relationships into a grammar for design. I'd really like to work toward a grammar for complex systems and present someone with tools for designing complex things.<ref name=WIRED>Kelly, Kevin. "[https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.01/wright.html?topic=&topic_set= Will Wright. The Mayor of Sim City]". ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', 1994</ref>}}
{{clear}}

In an interview with ''[[The Times]]'', Wright expressed his belief that computers extend the imagination, and posits the emergence of the "[[Collective intelligence|metabrain]]", stating:

{{quote box | quote=Any human institutional system that draws on the intelligence of all its members is a metabrain. Up to now, we have had high friction between the neurons of the metabrain; technology is lowering that friction tremendously. Computers are allowing us to aggregate our intelligence in ways that were never possible before. If you look at ''[[Spore (2008 video game)|Spore]]'', people are making this stuff, and computers collect it, then decide who to send it to. The computer is the broker. What they are really exploring is the collective creativity of millions of people. They are aggregating human intelligence into a system that is more powerful than we thought artificial intelligence was going to be.<ref>{{cite news| author=Bryan Appleyard | title = Bryan Appleyard tries out Spore and creates his own species | url=http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article3541864.ece |work=The Times |location=London |date=March 16, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>}}
{{clear}}

===Game design===
[[File:BAFTA2011 GameDevs.jpg|right|thumb|Wright and other game developers at a [[BAFTA]] event in Los Angeles in July 2011. From left: [[Rod Humble]], [[Louis Castle]], [[David Perry (game developer)|David Perry]], [[Brenda Brathwaite]], [[John Romero]], Will Wright, [[Tim Schafer]], [[Chris Hecker]].]]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]]. ''[[SimCity (1989 video game)|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 computer magazines—particularly ''[[PC Gamer]]'', which has listed Wright in its annual 'Game Gods' feature, 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 (video game designer)|Fred Haslam]] and, in the meantime, Maxis produced other "Sim" games. Wright's next game was ''[[SimCopter]]'' (1996). Although none of these games were as successful as ''SimCity'', they further cemented Wright's reputation as a designer of "[[software toy]]s"—games that cannot be won or lost, but played indefinitely. In 1992, Wright moved to [[Walnut Creek, California]].

Wright is known for his great interest in complex adaptive systems, with most of his games having been based around them or books that describe them, e.g. ''SimAnt'': E.O. Wilson's ''[[The Ants]];'' ''[[SimEarth]]'': [[James Lovelock]]'s ''[[Gaia Theory]]''; ''SimCity'': [[Jay Forrester]]'s ''[[Urban Dynamics]]'' and ''[[World Dynamics]]''; ''[[Spore (2008 video game)|Spore]]'': ''[[Drake's Equation]]'' and ''[[Powers of Ten (film)|Powers of Ten]]''. Wright's role in the development of concepts from simulations to games is to empower the players by creating what he dubs "possibility spaces", or simple rules which combine with game elements to form complex designs. All games that Wright had a hand in designing adhere to these design principles.<ref name="newyorker.com">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/11/06/061106fa_fact?currentPage=all|title=Profiles: Game Master: The New Yorker|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=October 29, 2006}}</ref>

Maxis went public in 1995 with revenue of US$38 million. The stock reached $50 a share and then dropped as Maxis posted a loss. EA bought Maxis in June 1997.

After losing his home in the [[Oakland firestorm of 1991]], Wright was inspired to turn the experience of rebuilding his life into a game. He began developing an idea of a virtual [[doll house]], similar to ''SimCity'' but with focus on individual people. This idea would evolve into ''[[The Sims (video game)|The Sims]]'', which was based on Wright's firsthand experience rebuilding and furnishing his home.<ref name="NewYorker20061106">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/11/06/game-master | title=Game Master: Will Wright changed the concept of video games with the Sims. Can he do it again with Spore? | first=John | last=Seabrook | magazine=The New Yorker | date=November 6, 2006 | access-date=January 10, 2015}}</ref> The game was originally conceived of as an architectural design game called ''Home Tactics'', though Wright's idea changed when someone suggested the home should be rated on the quality-of-life experience by virtual homeowners. Themes such as carpentry, home construction, and bare ground in need of landscaping are common throughout the game.

The board at Maxis was not interested in the idea, but Wright found an unlikely publisher in Electronic Arts, who was impressed by Wright's work on SimCity and saw potential for the ''Sim'' franchise.<ref>{{cite magazine
| title=Game Master
| url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/11/06/game-master
| author=John Seabrook
| date=2006-11-06
| magazine=The New Yorker
| access-date=2014-11-05}}</ref><ref name="Technology Writing">{{cite book |first=Steven|last=Levy |date= 2007|title=The Best of Technology Writing 2007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BaFfljaaaooC |publisher= University of Michigan|page=198|isbn=978-0-472-03266-2 |access-date=2014-11-05}}</ref> EA published ''[[The Sims (video game)|The Sims]]'' in February 2000 and it became Wright's biggest success at the time. It eventually surpassed ''[[Myst]]'' as the best-selling [[PC game|computer game]] of all time and spawned numerous [[expansion pack]]s and spin-offs. He designed a [[massively multiplayer]] version of the game called ''[[The Sims Online]]'', which was not as popular as the original. By November 2006, the [[The Sims|''Sims'' franchise]] had earned EA more than a billion dollars.<ref name="newyorker.com" />

In a presentation at the [[Game Developers Conference]] on March 11, 2005, Wright announced his latest game ''[[Spore (2008 video game)|Spore]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8372603330420559198&q=spore|title=Spore Gameplay Video|access-date=June 1, 2008|date=February 21, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224150427/http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8372603330420559198&q=spore|archive-date=February 24, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He used the current work on this game to demonstrate methods that can be used to reduce the amount of content that needs to be created by the [[video game developer|game developer]]s. Wright hopes to inspire others to take risks in game creation.

As for his theories on interactive design, Wright has said:

{{quote box | quote=Well, one thing I've always really enjoyed is making things. Out of whatever. It started with modeling as a kid, building models. When computers came along, I started learning programming and realizing the computer was this great tool for making things, making models, dynamic models, and behaviors, not just static models. I think when I started doing games I really wanted to carry that to the next step, to the player, so that you give the player a tool so that they can create things. And then you give them some context for that creation. You know, what is it, what kind of <!--duplicate in original-->kind of world does it live in, what's its purpose? What are you trying to do with this thing that you're creating? To really put the player in the design role. And the actual world is reactive to their design. So they design something that the little world inside the computer reacts to. And then they have to revisit the design and redesign it, or tear it down and build another one, whatever it is. So I guess what really draws me to interactive entertainment and the thing that I try to keep focused on is enabling the creativity of the player. Giving them a pretty large solution space to solve the problem within the game. So the game represents this problem landscape. Most games have small solution landscapes, so there's one possible solution and one way to solve it. Other games, the games that tend to be more creative, have a much larger solution space, so you can potentially solve this problem in a way that nobody else has. If you're building a solution, how large that solution space is gives the player a much stronger feeling of empathy. If they know that what they've done is unique to them, they tend to care for it a lot more. I think that's the direction I tend to come from.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/pearce/|title=Game Studies 0102: Sims, BattleBots, Cellular Automata, God and Go. By Celia Pearce|website=Gamestudies.org|access-date=December 15, 2021}}</ref>}}

Wright has said that he believes that simulations, as games, can be used to improve education by teaching children how to learn. In his own words:

{{quote box | quote=The problem with our education system is we've taken this kind of narrow, [[reductionist]], [[Aristotelianism|Aristotelian]] approach to what learning is. It's not designed for experimenting with complex systems and navigating your way through them in an intuitive way, which is what games teach. It's not really designed for failure, which is also something games teach. I mean, I think that failure is a better teacher than success. Trial and error, reverse-engineering stuff in your mind—all the ways that kids interact with games—that's the kind of thinking schools should be teaching. And I would argue that as the world becomes more complex, and as outcomes become less about success or failure, games are better at preparing you. The education system is going to realize this sooner or later. It's starting. Teachers are entering the system who grew up playing games. They're going to want to engage with the kids using games.<ref name="newyorker.com"/>}}
{{clear}}

===Post-Maxis career===
After building his reputation as one of the most important game designers in the world, Wright left Maxis in 2009. His first post-EA venture was the Stupid Fun Club startup company and experimental entertainment development studio, with a focus on "video games, online environments, storytelling media, and fine home care products", as well as toys.<ref>{{cite web|last=Terdiman |first=Daniel |url= https://www.cnet.com/news/will-wright-speaks-about-his-stupid-fun-club-start-up/|title=Will Wright speaks about his Stupid Fun Club start-up |publisher=CNET |date=October 7, 2009 |access-date=November 4, 2021}}</ref>

In October 2010, [[Current TV]] announced that Will Wright and his team from Stupid Fun Club will produce a new show for the network.<ref>{{cite web|last=Daw |first=David |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/207286/bar_karma_is_will_wrights_first_collaborative_tv_show.html |title=Bar Karma is Will Wright's First Collaborative TV Show &#124; TechHive |publisher=Pcworld.com |date=October 8, 2010 |access-date=November 29, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/5/7/8564891/will-wright-sim-city-the-sims-spore|title=How Will Wright is turning your life into his next simulation|first=Brian|last=Crecente|date=May 7, 2015|website=Polygon}}</ref> The program, entitled ''[[Bar Karma]]'', began airing in February 2011, and featured scenes and twists pitched by an online community, using an online story creator tool designed by Wright.<ref>{{cite web|last=Terdiman |first=Daniel |url= https://www.cnet.com/news/so-will-wright-walks-into-a-bar-karma-see/ |title=So Will Wright walks into a Bar Karma, see |publisher=CNET |date=February 10, 2011 |access-date=November 4, 2021}}</ref> Stupid Fun Club ran for four years before closing down, with much of the team following Wright to found the social media app and graphic novel builder Thred.

In October 2011, Will Wright became a member of the board of directors of [[Linden Lab]], the creators of ''[[Second Life]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lindenlab.com/about/management#wright|title=Management &#124; Linden Lab|date=March 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317230722/http://lindenlab.com/about/management#wright|access-date=December 15, 2021|archive-date=March 17, 2010}}</ref>

At the [[Game Developers Conference]] in March 2018, Will Wright announced a new project, the upcoming mobile game ''[[Proxi]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/what-is-proxi-the-new-game-from-the-sims-creator-will-wright-uses-your-memories-its-so-creepy-8588902|title='The Sims' Creator Is Making A New Game — With A Super Creepy Twist|last=Hale|first=James Loke|work=Bustle|access-date=2018-04-30|language=en}}</ref>

At GalaVerse on December 11, 2021, Wright announced a new project, in partnership with Gala Games, called ''VoxVerse''. Wright said ''VoxVerse'' will be a [[blockchain game]], where players will be able to create areas to explore and interact with and share these with other players of the game, incentivizing creators through the ability to trade or sell their works as [[non-fungible token]]s (NFTs) using [[cryptocurrency]]. Wright stated that the use of blockchain and NFTs are mechanisms needed to support the vision he has, but has no interest in selling NFTs directly to players as other blockchain games or NFT schemes have had done in the past. He likened it to early players in ''The Sims'' that found ways to modify the game to include their own creation. The game is being developed by Gallium Games, a studio he co-founded with [[Lauren Elliott]], and being created in the [[Unity (game engine)|Unity]] engine.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.axios.com/2022/10/20/will-wright-voxverse-gala-gallium-blockchain | title = Sims pioneer Will Wright is making a blockchain game, but is down on NFTs  | first= Stephan | last = Tolito | date = October 20, 2022 | access-date = October 23, 2022 | work = [[Axios (website)|Axios]] }}</ref>

===Awards===
Wright was given a "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the [[Game Developers Choice Awards]] in 2001. In 2002, he became the fifth person to be inducted into the [[Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame]]. Until 2006, he was the only person to have been honored this way by both of these industry organizations. In 2007 the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] awarded him a fellowship, the first given to a game designer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=29471|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216144047/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=29471|archive-date=February 16, 2008|title=Will Wright inducted into BAFTA Fellowship|access-date=October 23, 2007 |work=gamesindustry.biz}}</ref>

He has been called one of the most important people in gaming, technology, and entertainment by publications such as ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', ''[[Time magazine|Time]]'', ''[[PC Gamer]]'', ''[[Discover (magazine)|Discover]]'' and [[GameSpy]]. Wright was also awarded the ''[[PC Magazine]]'' Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2005.  Later that year, Wright earned the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Progress and Service awarded by the Georgia Institute of Technology.  He delivered a forward looking acceptance speech entitled "Stealth Communities".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wright|first1=Will|title=Stealth Communities|url=http://vimeo.com/7905018|website=vimeo|access-date=2015-01-21}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Wright lives in [[Oakland, California]]. He is an atheist.<ref name="Guardian2008"/> In 1984, he married artist Joell Jones, with whom he had a daughter named Cassidy in 1986.<ref name="SFC"/> The family lost their home and most records of Wright's early career in the [[Oakland firestorm of 1991]].{{r|wright2011}} Wright and Jones separated in 2008.<ref name="Guardian2008"/> He has since married Anya Zavarzina.

Wright is on the board of trustees of the [[X Prize Foundation]], a non-profit organization that designs and hosts public competitions intended to encourage technological development to benefit humanity.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Alexander|first=Leigh|title=Will Wright Joins X Prize Board Of Trustees|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/will-wright-joins-x-prize-board-of-trustees|access-date=2021-01-16|website=Gamasutra.com|date=November 15, 2007 |language=en}}</ref> Amid the [[2008 United States presidential election]], Wright donated to the campaigns of [[Rudy Giuliani]] and later [[John McCain]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Owen|last=Good|title=Will Wright Backs McCain; Zelnick? Duh, Obama.|url=https://kotaku.com/will-wright-backs-mccain-zelnick-duh-obama-5059145|website=[[Kotaku]]|date=October 5, 2008|access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref>

===Hobbies===
In 1980, along with co-driver and race organizer Rick Doherty, Wright participated in the U.S. Express, a cross-country race that was the successor to [[Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash|The Cannonball Run]]. Wright and Doherty drove a specially outfitted [[Mazda RX-7]] from [[Brooklyn]], New York to [[Santa Monica, California]] in 33:39, winning the illegal race. Wright only competed once in the race, which continued until 1983.<ref>[https://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/news/2007/10/will_wright Sims Designer Had the Wright Stuff for Street Racing Way Back When] from ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]''</ref>

{{quote box | width=25% | align=right | quote=I'm uncollecting. I buy collections on ebay, and I disperse them out to people again. I have to be like an [[entropic]] force to collectors, otherwise all of this stuff will get sorted.<ref name=SPI/>}}

Since 2003, in his spare time, Wright has collected leftovers from the [[Soviet space program]], "including a {{convert|100|lb}} hatch from a space shuttle, a seat from a [[Soyuz spacecraft|Soyuz]] ... control panels from the [[Mir]]",<ref name="SPI">{{cite news| url=https://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/amp/Sims-creator-is-Livin-Large-1145410.php|title='Sims' creator is Livin' Large |last=Kent|first=Stephen L.|date=May 22, 2001|access-date=November 4, 2021|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> and the control console of the [[Soyuz 23]],<ref name=YORK/> as well as dolls, dice, and fossils.<ref name=SPI/>

Wright used to build competitive robots for ''[[BattleBots]]'' with his daughter,<ref name="STUDY">{{cite news|url=http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/pearce/|title=Sims, BattleBots, Cellular Automata God and Go|last=Pearce|first=Celia|date=November 5, 2001|access-date=December 18, 2006|work=Game Studies}}</ref> but no longer does. {{As of|2006|11}}, Wright still had remnant bits of machined metal left over from his ''BattleBots'' days strewn about the garage of his home.<ref name=YORK/> Following his work in ''BattleBots'', he has taken steps into the field of human-robot interactions:

{{quote box | quote=We build these robots and we take them down to Berkeley and study the interactions that people have with the robots... We built this newer one that has a rapid-fire pingpong cannon. It will fire about 10 per second. So we give people this plastic bat and we say, "It's set up to play baseball. Do you want to play baseball? It's going to shoot a little ball and you try to hit it." And all of a sudden it's like da-da-da-da, and it's pelting them with balls.<ref name=SPI/>}}

Wright was a former ''[[Robot Wars (TV series)|Robot Wars]]'' champion in the Stupid Fun Club, a Berkeley-based robotics workshop.<ref name=SPI/> "Kitty Puff Puff", one of Wright's bots designed with the help of his daughter Cassidy, fought against its opponents by sticking a roll of tape onto its armature and circling around them, encapsulating them and denying them movement. The technique, "cocooning", was eventually banned.<ref name=YORK/>

==Games==
{|class=wikitable
!Year !! Title !! Developer
|-
| 1984 || ''[[Raid on Bungeling Bay]]'' || Will Wright
|-
| 1989 || ''[[SimCity (1989 video game)|SimCity]]'' || rowspan=10 | [[Maxis]]
|-
| 1990 || ''[[SimEarth]]''
|-
| 1991 || ''[[SimAnt]]''
|-
| 1992 || ''[[SimLife]]''
|-
| 1993 || ''[[SimCity 2000]]''
|-
| 1996 || ''[[SimCopter]]''
|-
| 2000 || ''[[The Sims (video game)|The Sims]]''
|-
| 2002 || ''[[The Sims Online]]''
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Spore (2008 video game)|Spore]]''
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Spore Creature Creator]]''
|-
| {{dtba}} || ''[[Proxi]]'' || Gallium Studios
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050520/cifaldi_01.shtml|title=E3 Report: The Path to Creating AAA Games| website=[[Gamasutra]]|first=Frank|last=Cifaldi|date=May 20, 2005|access-date=May 26, 2007}}
*{{cite magazine|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1744186,00.asp|title=Lifetime Achievement|magazine=[[PC Magazine]]|date=December 22, 2004|access-date=May 26, 2007}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18935|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610025205/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18935|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 10, 2008|date=June 9, 2008|author=Huck, James|author2=Remo, Chris |title=Will Wright – Video Games Close To 'Cambrian Explosion' Of Possibilities|website=[[Gamasutra]]|access-date=June 9, 2008}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.americancity.org/article.php?id_article=21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041211091031/http://www.americancity.org/article.php?id_article=21|archive-date=December 11, 2004|date=October 2004|author=Lobo, Chris|author2=Schooler, Larry|title=Playing With Urban Life: How Simcity Influences Planning Culture|access-date=May 26, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.shacknews.com/extras/2005/111605_willwright_1.x|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017132328/http://www.shacknews.com/extras/2005/111605_willwright_1.x|archive-date=October 17, 2006|title=Will Wright Feature Interview|first=Chris| last=Remo|date=November 16, 2005|access-date=May 26, 2007|publisher=[[Shacknews]]}}
*{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/wright.html|title=Dream Machines|first=Will|last=Wright|date=April 2006| access-date=May 26, 2007|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}
*{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/business/14corner.html|title= On His Team, Would You Be a Solvent, or the Glue?| work=The New York Times | date=June 14, 2009|access-date=November 4, 2021}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Will Wright}}
{{Wikiquote|Will Wright}}
*{{moby developer|id=4217|name=Will Wright}}

===Audio/Video===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdgQyq3hEPo Presentation] at SDForum, ''Lessons from Game Design'', November 20, 2003 ([http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail195.html audio])
*[http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail376.html Presentation] at Accelerating Change 2004, ''Sculpting Possibility Space'', November 7, 2004 (audio only)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070102011200/http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv/ Keynote] at the [[Game Developers Conference]], August 31, 2005 (view video after registration)
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/4997036.stm Interview] with the [[BBC]], ''User-generated future for gaming'', May 19, 2006
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070221014957/http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=451 Presentation]}} at the [[Long Now Foundation]] with [[Brian Eno]], ''Play With Time'', June 26, 2006
*[http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2006/12/05/will-wright-talks-sims-and-spore-on-colbert-report.htm Interview] on the [[Colbert Report]], talking about Spore, December 5, 2006
*[http://www.ted.com/talks/will_wright_makes_toys_that_make_worlds Presentation] at [[TED (conference)|TED]], Spore, ''birth of a game'', March 2007
*[http://vimeo.com/22963088 Presentation] at the Inventing the Future of Games Symposium, ''Reality, Perception, and Culture'', April 15, 2011

{{BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award}}
{{BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards}}
{{Sim series|all=yes}}

{{Electronic Arts}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Will}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male video game actors]]
[[Category:American video game designers]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:BAFTA winners (people)]]
[[Category:BAFTA fellows]]
[[Category:Electronic Arts employees]]
[[Category:Episcopal High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) alumni]]
[[Category:Louisiana State University alumni]]
[[Category:Louisiana Tech University alumni]]
[[Category:Maxis]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Atlanta]]
[[Category:Artists from Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]
[[Category:People from Oakland, California]]
[[Category:American technology company founders]]
[[Category:Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:People from Orinda, California]]
[[Category:Game Developers Conference Lifetime Achievement Award recipients]]
[[Category:American atheists]]