Episode 75
Ep.75 – There's A New Mayor In Town: Constructing the City-Building Genre with SimCity
SimCity (1989)
A Trip Down Memory Card Lane · David Kassin and Robert Kassin
February 3, 20221h 0mExplicit
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (r.zencastr.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
In 1989, SimCity transformed the Mac and Amiga into playgrounds for would-be urban planners, swapping high scores for mayors’ mansions and monster attacks. We trace how Will Wright’s fascination with level editors, short stories by Stanisław Lem, and even architecture itself collided with Jeff Braun’s publishing ambitions to form Maxis. Our story highlights quirky early rejections, the pizza party that changed gaming history, and the strange notion of a game without a win state. We explore zoning quirks, natural disasters, and Boston’s simultaneous “toilet flush” meltdown in the SNES scenario. Our conversation explores addicting player stories, critic reviews, and the parade of spin-offs from SimAnt to SimCopter. Join us as we zone, bulldoze, and rebuild the world of SimCity on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.