August 1, 2026
Headlines

SimCity

will wright gsummit

Will Wright on Gamifying the World: From SimCity to the Future

Ivan Kuo22 mins

One of the most phenomenal experiences of GSummit SF 2013 happened with Will Wright’s keynote talk. As the creator of SimCity and countless other games and simulations, Wright’s talk goes deeply into games’ and their effect on us as humans in society and what that means for gamification in the grand scheme of things.

He touches on the lessons can we take from games — and decades of experience designing for fun — to create engagement for large audiences with complex models and issues? How can we make simple everyday interactions more compelling and use them as teachable moments to energize society? Can everything really be fun — and what are the secrets for balancing detail and simplicity? Check out Will Wright’s full talk as he re-imagines how the world becomes a more fun and engaging place, sharing his vision for the future and powerful design insight.

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get our latest gamification videos and talks. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More

The Oculus Rift’s Potential in Virtual Reality and Gamification

Alex Landa06 mins

For decades, science-fiction films, television shows, and literature have all featured the concept of virtual reality. Virtual reality (VR) has been a topic of modern lore and a goal unattainable in our lifetimes. Now in 2013, the technological dream of VR will soon be a reality with the Oculus Rift.

Following a successful KickStarter campaign, the Oculus Rift (OR) virtual reality headset has been making waves on tech sites around the world. It goes without saying that for video games, this means a leap into the future and a sense of immersion yet to be seen.

Read More

SimCity as a Game to Inspire Young Engineers and City Planners

Alex Landa09 mins

SimCity is an urban-planning game that is now being used for education in the form of SimCity EDU. The game can teach anything from economics, urban planning, and even environmental studies. The goal with SimCity EDU is to make the game a common part of the classroom experience; students can learn a wide variety of subjects, while working work together, and teachers can create detailed curricula that adhere to learning standards. However, that isn’t to say that the standard SimCity game couldn’t be just as educational as the version designed for classrooms. 

Because of the realistic nature of the game as an urban city simulator, one clever gamer by the name of Mike Rose, has been experimenting with using SimCity as a tool to address problems in cities. 

Read More

SimCity EDU Combines STEM Education and Management Simulations

Ivan Kuo03 mins

Some light-hearted approaches of educating through simulating have been interesting, like the Killer Flu game, for example.  But a new collaboration by Electronic Arts and GlassLab is aiming to take management sim education to the next level, with SimCity EDU.

Coming this March, SimCity EDU will be a special version of the beloved SimCity game designed to teach STEM Education in classrooms.

Read More