One of the biggest reasons The Sims series is successful is due to the fact of user-created content. Without the extra content users are putting out, I doubt many of you would still be playing today. I’ve always been interested in the tools Maxis uses when working on the game, namely the tool known as “Edith“. That tool will never see the daylight, but we can always wish.
According to Vancouver-based EA senior Vice President Glenn Entis, giving gamers programs and tools to create their own content is one of the most important aspects of developing games today. He is quoted:
“More than half of those that play The Sims spend more than half their time building their houses,” he said, going on to point out that videogames are competing for consumers’ hours – if not quite yet dollars – with the likes of Facebook, YouTube, Second Life, and even new technology such as iPods.
There is no doubt that Spore is heavily modified to allow this, which if done correctly, should burst the game into their next successful IP. I just hope The Sims 3 will have easier built-in tools to create your own content as well, we need a good official object-editing tool! Get to it, Maxis!
