Will Wright: Gaming feeds egos

Will Wright, creator of the Sim City and Sims franchises, is interviewed by John Battelle at the Web 2.0 Expo.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

SAN FRANCISCO--Are video games really all about feeding your ego? Maybe, suggested legendary game designer Will Wright in a keynote interview at the Web 2.0 Expo on Thursday morning.

"Most people are very narcissistic," said Electronic Arts' Wright, creator of the Sim City and Sims franchises and now last year's avant-garde Spore, onstage with Federated Media's John Battelle. "The more you can make the game about that person, the more interested, the more emotionally involved they will get."

Advancements in technology have made it possible for the customization craze of the social-networking world to permeate the console and PC gaming sectors, and that has begun to open up the industry to new users who didn't see the appeal in hardcore gaming or immersive role-playing virtual universes.

He suggested that virtual world Second Life was on the right track by making it possible for members to create elaborate in-game items, but they were too difficult for most members to partake in. "The sophistication...was pretty high," Wright said. "For a lot of people, programming does not sound like entertainment."

Even though games--especially role-playing games--have a reputation for being a lonely form of escapism, Wright suggested that mainstream appeal can be found in, well, getting to be yourself. And that's where it gets back to the narcissism.

"The more this game can be about me, and my real life, and my real experiences and where I live, and my real friends (can mean more than) 'I'm going to go to the game and become an orc and get a real sword'," he suggested. Granted, Spore is all about building and growing strange creatures in a bizarre, science fiction universe. But there's a lot more out there, he said, as we're seeing a "Cambrian explosion" of ways to play and interact.

"The Wii, to me, represents the idea of non-immersive gaming," he said. "When you think about the Wii...most of the entertainment is not happening on the screen, it's about watching your friend act like a doofus swinging the thing around and maybe throw it into the TV set."

So maybe gaming can temper that ego, too.

[Lerianis3]

Yep, the guy is right on the money. Gaming does feed egos. Imagine the pleasure of beating a VERY difficult game without having to use any cheats for the first time....... amazing, to be blunt.

[1363nd0f1337]

Yeah, I agree. Nothing gives you a big head like coming in at the top of the leaderboard once the game is over. It's even more awesome as you K/D ratio climbs over 1:1.

[Len Bullard]

The key contrast was immersive and non-immersive gaming and the different entertainment involved. In his example, one is ego gratification; the other is schadenfreude, gratification of the shadow ego.

[Inconnux]

Will wright makes crappy dumbed down games, what would he know about immersive gaming? Spore was probably the largest disappointment in PC gaming last year... all that hype for a collection of sub par mini games. dumbed down and all that DRM goodness as well!

[sythara]

Why do they always bring second life into this? Is that so called "game" even around anymore?

Anyway, games feed egos, so do sports, volunteering, any contests, or anything that involves competition.

Seriously, what kind of crap for an article is this? If something, anything you do, does not make you feel better about yourself, then why in the world would you do it willingly?

[dreamhunk]

Will right is right by the he's a gaming god! he created games like sims and city sim. Sims is the best selling game of all time. Sims sold alot more games than any tittle on consoles.

http://www.gpriceshop.com/blog/publishers-dont-care-what-gamers-want

[dreamhunk]

Will right is right by the he's a gaming god! he created games like sims and city sim. Sims is the best selling game of all time. Sims sold alot more games than any tittle on consoles.

http://www.gpriceshop.com/blog/publishers-dont-care-what-gamers-want

I highly recomed people to look at that link it fit well withthis article

[TogetherinParis]

Egos do not really exist. They cannot 'feed'. The entire idea is an absurd air castle.