SimCity
Overview
SimCity is a city-building and urban planning simulation video game series, originally designed by developer Will Wright. Developed in Orinda, California, it was first published by Maxis (now a division of Electronic Arts) in 1989. The game's objective is to create and manage a city, facing challenges such as maintaining the city's budget, population, health, happiness, and employment.
Gameplay
In SimCity, players are tasked with developing and managing a city from a patch of undeveloped land. The player controls where to place development zones, infrastructure like roads and power plants, landmarks, and public services such as schools, parks, hospitals, and fire stations. Players can also manage the city's budget, its sources of income, and its expenditures. The player also has the ability to adjust tax rates and initiate city ordinances.
The game provides a series of scenarios, which have specific objectives and constraints. For example, a player may be tasked with achieving a certain population level, recovering from a disaster, or balancing the city's budget. Each scenario represents a different city from around the world and its unique challenges.
Development
The development of SimCity was led by game designer Will Wright. Inspired by a feature of the game Raid on Bungeling Bay that allowed Wright to create his own maps, he decided to create a game that revolved around building rather than destroying. He was also inspired by reading "The Seventh Sally" by Stanisław Lem, in which an engineer encounters a deposed tyrant, and creates a miniature city with artificial citizens for the tyrant to oppress.
The game was developed using a combination of assembly language and the C programming language. It was initially developed for the Commodore 64, a popular home computer at the time, but was later ported to a variety of different platforms.
Reception and Legacy
SimCity was met with widespread critical acclaim upon its release. It was praised for its innovative gameplay, depth, and replayability, and has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. The game has been recognized for its influence on the city-building game genre and has inspired numerous sequels and spin-offs, including the popular SimCity 2000, SimCity 3000, and SimCity 4.
The game also had a significant cultural impact. It was used as a tool in classrooms, for urban planning and sociology courses, and even in professional urban planning situations. In 1991, it won the inaugural Software Publishers Association Excellence in Software Award for Best Entertainment Program.