As part of the 25th anniversary of The Sims, the New York Times interviewed Will Wright, the original game’s lead designer, to share insights into the AI programming of The Sims. He revealed that some of his inspiration originated from a devastating event: his house caught fire in 1991.

Unlike the often humorous fiery mishaps players encounter in The Sims, Wright’s experience was the result of the Oakland Hills firestorm. He reminisced, “When I returned to the ashes of my house, I noticed that the only things still alive were ants. They had burrowed deep into the ground to survive the fire and were living off the dead carcasses of what they could forage.”

This traumatic experience influenced Wright in rebuilding his life and developing ideas for The Sims. The AI for the Sims was inspired partly by SimAnt, where ants prioritize their tasks based on pheromone markers in their environment, whereas the Sims cared about their surrounding objects. For instance, the fridge signifies its capability to satisfy hunger, while the bed signifies its effectiveness in alleviating tiredness.

However, Wright noted an issue with the original game – the Sims were too capable. “In early versions of the game, the autonomy was too good,” he commented, adding, “Almost anything the player did was worse than the Sims running on autopilot.”

To address this, the team adjusted the AI, allowing each Sim to randomly select from their top priorities. This led to humorous scenarios where Sims would rather ignore their needs, such as not using the toilet or making a bowl of cereal instead of cleaning their mess.

As the series developed, later games moderated this autonomy slightly, enabling players to watch their Sims interact with fewer calamities.

Having been shaped by the original game, many players still find themselves micromanaging the lives of their Sims out of concern – what if they cause another disaster like a house fire?