10 Video Game Origins You Never Knew
8. Will Wright Conceived The Sims After His House Burned Down
The Sims was one of the biggest pop-culture phenomenons of the early 2000s, capturing the imaginations of even the most casual-minded players with its winningly relatable aspirationalism.
The series was the brainchild of designer Will Wright, and was actually inspired by a life-changing event he suffered through almost a decade prior.
Wright was close to the epicenter of 1991's Oakland firestorm, which destroyed more than 3,000 homes - including his - and caused around $1.5 billion in damage.
As Wright rebuilt his life following the fire, he began to ponder how little material possessions really meant to him, causing him to consider what truly constituted human happiness, and what he actually needed in life.
This ended up sewing the seeds for what would become The Sims a year later, a game focused not only on acquiring goods and building a home, but keeping your Sims happy - or not, if you so wish. In a 2011 interview, Wright said of his experience:
"When something like this happens, you get a big picture. Where do I want to live? What sort of things do I need to buy? You see your life almost as a project in process. When you're embedded in your day-to-day life you don't get that perspective."