I made it on the list of The Daily’s Beast 25 Smartest People of the Decade, coming in at #2, with the co-founders of Google taking the #1 spot! Nah, only kidding…but Will Wright somehow made it on the list at the 20th position. He barely beats out two Fox News bigwigs and the terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri (ZOMG, CONSPIRACY!).
WILL WRIGHT
Field: Game Designer
Position: Leader of the Stupid Fun Club, former designer, Electronic Arts
Why He Was Nominated: Wright, 49, revolutionized how people entertain themselves—an alter ego became a tangible way to have fun. In 2000, building on the success of earlier versions, Wright launched The Sims—100 million units were sold, making it the bestselling computer game of all time. His vision for an open-ended design and world-unto-itself style blurred fantasy and reality. At the end of the decade, Wright designed Spore, a game involving species creation that combines role-playing, action, and strategy. This last year saw Wright leaving his home at Electronic Arts to found a think tank for entertainment, the Stupid Fun Club.