Old School in New Schools

---

A recent trip to Los Angeles reminded me of all the hours I spent creating and learning with Sim City 2000. These memories are timely, given that this month's Wired Magazine special edition, "The New World of Games," is Guest-edited by Sim City's creator, Will Wright.

There will always be a special place in my heart for the Sim City 2000 release. While the game title has evolved over the years, the particular release, with its meticulously detailed, pixel-pushed, dimetric city views, gained my respect when I first launched it. Although Sim City 2000 may now be considered “old school,” I sometimes wonder about the benefits it could offer to today's “new school” students.

While we continue to debate the merits and potential adverse effects of gaming, particularly on our youth, the Sim City series indicates where we should focus more on our “gaming” development efforts. By using Sim City 2000 in classes, students could learn by building something rather than destroying it, which is all too often the focus of too many gaming titles these days. They could explore cause-and-effect relationships quickly, reducing the repressive effects associated with the fear of failure. Students build something else by resolving infrastructure tensions that arise as new commercial zones require larger power plants or underground pipe systems that must be modified to accommodate subway stations. This is significant in today’s “who shall we blame next” society.

After recent events like the Katrina disaster and the California power crisis, developing empathy for the scores of government workers doing a good job is sorely needed. We are training through play by allowing students to experience even a tiny part of what it is like to build and manage a functional city. Bonds must be passed to balance the books. As cities grow, citizens must be alleviated by adding green belts, amusement parks, and other services. Weighing decisions like inviting military bases (a potential source of income) to a city must be carefully considered. Perhaps a spark will be ignited for those who find it most engaging, drawing them into public service. And there is something magical in that process. Aligning youth with the skills and interest to serve is critical to recovering faith in our public institutions. It gets passionate and skilled people into positions that can make a difference. And who would have thought this could all begin with a simple game?

As I looked down during the approach to LAX, I smiled inside and wondered what the city beneath the city looked like. I have to thank Will Wright for knowing it was there and thinking about all the small and large decisions that have gotten the city to where it is today. It is easy to question why things are the way they are, but reflecting upon the cities I built reminds me that urban planning is a tricky business, even in the virtual world. I can only hope that Los Angeles Version X.X is on its way to being incrementally better and more robust than the current version…just like each successive Sim City I built turned out to be.

---