In society today, the current generations are intimately familiar with video games. We play them, we watch them, and we love them. Entire Youtube channels are dedicated to learning how to play them, watching people play them, and even the theories behind them. One such video game that has taken the world by storm is The Sims. I’ve watched my sister spend hours and hours and hours on this game. Much to my mother’s unending frustration. So, it seemed only right that I wrote this paper, on the man behind The Sim’s: Will Wright.
The Sims:
The Sim’s is a game loved by many. It’s basically like an electronic version of a doll house. People can create and build their own world surrounding a character they wish. It’s only natural that such a game so heavily uses user-centered design, after all, it’s all about the user. The user customizes the game, the characters, the styles, practically everything. In an interview where Wright was asked about the formation of The Sim’s Weight says “I started to wonder about all the things we have and how we purchased them for a reason. Why do we need x or y or z? Why do we think something will make me happier? It almost came down to Maslow’s pyramid of needs.” Wright used many methods of user-centered design while creating the Sims. Primarily Wright had to think like the player. “My whole career has kind of gotten me closer and closer to the player, I think,” he said. “With Proxi, I started getting into a very deeply personal [space], in terms of can I take the player’s subconscious and make that the landscape for the gameplay?” He explained. He also used quite a bit of psychology. “Design fundamentals have everything to do with psychology. For game design, that psychology is rooted in understanding the human condition and how evolution has shaped our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.” He said.
Whom were the designers target audience? What was their gender, generation, culture, and profession?
The target audience for the Sims was focused on the Millennial generation and the generations after that. Primarily female based and in the American cualture. Most likley the age-range went from teens to young adults.
How did practicing user-centered design add value to the project as a whole?
Practicing user-center design improved the overall user experiance. For the project I interviewed one of the avid game players and learned just how important it was.
Me: What does the User Interface look like?
Player: You can personalize the controls to fit your preferance and the menu selection is great. One of the perks of the game is a series of commands you can enter to help fix the game if needed, overall, I’d say it’s very user-friendly.
Me: How easy is the game to navigate/use?
Player: It’s very easy to use, you learn quickly. At the beginning there’s also a tutorial that goes over everything.
Me: Why do you like this game?
Player: It’s a lot of fun, and the Grapics are really cool. The game has a lot of colleberation and feedback whick leads to great updates.
Overall, players love the Sims however, players still have some frustrations.
Me: What struggles does the user face when using this game?
Player: The game tends to lag a lot. Also there are times when the save files don’t work. Other then that diversity lacks at times.
Sources:
- Taylor, Tracy. “Will Wright Inspired to Make The Sims After Losing a Home.” Berkeleyside, 17 Oct. 2011, www.berkeleyside.com/2011/10/17/will-wright-inspired-to-make-the-sims-after-iosing-a-home.
Brightman, James. “Sims Creator Will Wright Sees Lack Of ‘Fundamental Design Approach’ To Game Design.” GameDaily.biz, 20 Dec. 2018, gamedaily.biz/article/468/sims-creator-will-wright-sees-lack-of-fundamental-design-approach-to-game-design.