You can find a new article with Will Wright discussing Spore at AFP. He goes on to describe Spore as the first game that puts all of the power into the player’s hands, as most of it is user-created.
The game culminates with what Wright describes as a “toy galaxy” for players to explore.
“We want players excited about creative, free-form play,” Wright said. “Anyone can make the creative process part of the fun, much the way Lego is.”