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{{All Game Nav|game=The Sims}}
{{All Game Nav|game=The Sims}}
==How to unlock the Did You Know? window==
To unlock the '''Did You Know?''' mode, you have to play the game in a family through 100 Simdays and more. If you have a neighborhood with several families, you DO NOT NEED to have all of them playing 100 days, just have a single family and it will do. The window, of course, will only be available for the family with 100 days (i.e. while the others who haven't reach it won't). Not that it matters for you, right?
First and foremost, you have to play the game in a family through 100 Simdays
and more. If you have a neighborhood with several families, you DO NOT NEED
to have all of them playing 100 days, just have a single family and it will
do. The window, of course, will only be available for the family with 100 days
(i.e. while the others who haven't reach it won't). Not that it matters for
you, right?


Now the next part is to find it. DUH. First thing first. Exactly at the 100th
Now the next part is to find it. DUH. First thing first. Exactly at the 100th day, you will get this question icon on the very upper-right corner of your screen (i.e. the one that used to be QuickTips and such). There will be a message from the Maxis folks, and you'll be prompted to decide whether to accept the Did You Know? window or not. You, obviously, will want to accept. You can have the text here, but not pictures.
day, you will get this question icon on the very upper-right corner of your
screen (i.e. the one that used to be QuickTips and such). There will be a
message from the Maxis folks, and you'll be prompted to decide whether to
accept the Did You Know? window or not. You, obviously, will want to accept.
You can have the text here, but not pictures.


Now for the Did You Know? Window. It also appears as the Question mark icon on
Now for the Did You Know? Window. It also appears as the Question mark icon on the upper-right corner of your screen by 10 AM every morning. If you missed a day, it will keep the unlocked information (i.e. it won't skip to the next person in the list). But just in case, you might want to keep an eye everytime you're playing.
the upper-right corner of your screen by 10 AM every morning. If you missed a
day, it will keep the unlocked information (i.e. it won't skip to the next
person in the list). But just in case, you might want to keep an eye everytime
you're playing.


==The List==
==Did You Know?==
<pre>
Congratulations! this house has been running for 100 days! you must really like this game. we are glad since we do too. if you like the game this much then you must be interested in knowing how it was made. each day you continue to keep this family going a new "did you know?" box will appear until you know all about us.. if you are not interested then click "don't show this again" but come on you want to know... you know you do!
1.2.0. Did You Know?


      Congratulations! This house has been running for 100 days! You must
==Will Wright - Game Designer==
      really like this game. We are glad since we do too. If you like the
Will first thought of "The Sims" shortly after the original SimCity. It took this long for technology to catch up with Will's vision. In Maxis Offices we have a mock-up design for the original idea of the Sims. Though the technology is far more advanced, the actual game does not vary much from this prototype. Will makes wicked excel sheets, and likes to zip around the Maxis offices on a bright red electric scooter.
      game this much then you must be interested in knowing how it was made.
      Each day you continue to keep this family going a new "Did You Know?"
      box will appear until you know all about us.. If you are not
      interested then click "Don't Show This Again" but come on you want to
      know... you know you do!


            -OK-        -Don't Show-
;Fun Fact: Will purchased a couple of real pink flamingo lawn ornaments for the team so we could properly model both the complex 3D shape of the birds and the physics and emotional algorithms needed for kicking them.
;Image Description: Showing Will Wright (presumably in a thinking stance) in a Japanese room (wallpaper and flooring) with computer, train set, recliner, VR set and some decoration which name I fail to remember.


1.2.1. Will Wright - Game Designer
==Kana Ryan - Producer==
Kana was the glue that held the Sims project together and moved things forward. Rarely seen without a Diet Coke (r) in hand, Kana is also known for her "Saga of Kana" which was a test house she used to mark progress in the game and to find the remaining bugs. It is rumored that Kana gained her production skills testing IBM workstation software in a previous life.


      Will first thought of "The Sims" shortly after the original SimCity.
;Fun Fact: The wedding picture the Sims paint on the easel is her wedding picture.
      It took this long for technology to catch up with Will's vision. In
;Image Description: Showing Kana Ryan, painting (her Creativity bar is slighty filled) in a room with decorative plant and the boombox.
      Maxis Offices we have a mock-up design for the original idea of the
      Sims. Though the technology is far more advanced, the actual game does
      not vary much from this prototype. Will makes wicked excel sheets, and
      likes to zip around the Maxis offices on a bright red electric scooter.


      Fun Fact:
==Jeff Charvat - Development Director==
      Will purchased a couple of real pink flamingo lawn ornaments for the
Came to us late in the project to lead the programmers to Alpha and Final. He inherited our somewhat brutal schedule as well as our notorious game database. Likes to assign bugs with a smile. Jeff and Claire worked on another non-Maxis game together long ago, but would not let us print the title here for some reason.
      team so we could properly model both the complex 3D shape of the birds
      and the physics and emotional algorithms needed for kicking them.


      Image Description:
;Fun Fact: At E3 we showed off our first career suit, an astronaut suit. Shortly thereafter we stole Jeff from the "SimMars" team. By the end of the project we had also, um, borrowed a programmer and two artists from "SimMars". A little SimForeshadowing?
      Showing Will Wright (presumably in a thinking stance) in a Japanese
;Image Description: Jeff Charvat is pointing his arm to the TV he's currently watching, in a room where there also lies a PC, floor lamp and a painting is on the wall.
      room (wallpaper and flooring) with computer, train set, recliner, VR
      set and some decoration which name I fail to remember.  


1.2.2. Kana Ryan - Producer
==Charles London - Art Director==
      Kana was the glue that held the Sims project together and moved things
Charles led an ever growing art team that began with just him and grew to three artists, three animators, and a contracted company. He is responsible for designing and drawing the game's interface as well as the whole look of "The Sims". Charles is worshipped by some for his work on PC classics such as Panzer General and Allied General. We love him because he brings us chocolate marbled bread from his favorite deli.
      forward. Rarely seen without a Diet Coke (r) in hand, Kana is also
      known for her "Saga of Kana" which was a test house she used to mark
      progress in the game and to find the remaining bugs. It is rumored that
      Kana gained her production skills testing IBM workstation software in a
      previous life.


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: How many interfaces has "The Sims" had? Even we don't know. As we tried to achieve both graphically outstanding AND functional interface, many were tried. Each time a new feature was added, Charles had to redesign the interface.
      The wedding picture the Sims paint on the easel is her wedding picture.
;Image Description: Charles London is sitting, gazing at some sort of mini-screen displaying The Sims game interface (i.e. the thing he himself created).
 
      Image Description:
      Showing Kana Ryan, painting (her Creativity bar is slighty filled)
      in a room with decorative plant and the boombox.  


1.2.3. Jeff Charvat - Development Director
==James (Jamie) Doornbos - Programmer==
      Came to us late in the project to lead the programmers to Alpha and
Besides writing the majority of the actual game code, Jamie wrote the "tree" language that is used to code the objects in "The Sims". Because this "tree" code resides in the actual objects and the Sims run the code from the objects, the game is incredibly expandable. This is why you can just drop objects into the game from the Web or create them in HomeMaster. A.K.A. "Jamers."
      Final. He inherited our somewhat brutal schedule as well as our
      notorious game database. Likes to assign bugs with a smile. Jeff and
      Claire worked on another non-Maxis game together long ago, but would
      not let us print the title here for some reason.


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: Jamie originally was the only tree programmer as well as the game programmer. It took four objects programmers to complete the objects shipped with "The Sims." Some of Jamie's original objects still exist in the game such as the Pool Table and the Fire.
      At E3 we showed off our first career suit, an astronaut suit. Shortly
;Image Description: Some sort of programming software showing the game's "tree" code (too little to read, though), while the mini-screen at the corner shows Jamie, apparently doing a little work-out.
      thereafter we stole Jeff from the "SimMars" team. By the end of the
      project we had also, um, borrowed a programmer and two artists from
      "SimMars". A little SimForeshadowing?


      Image Description:
==Patrick Buechner - Director of Marketing==
      Jeff Charvat is pointing his arm to the TV he's currently watching,
Patrick is responsible for getting us all that early press. We were really impressed when he got "The Sims" in U.S. News & World Report. Little did we know that it was just the beginning of all the press we would get thanks to him. He was largely responsible for keeping the momentum and excitement going.
      in a room where there also lies a PC, floor lamp and a painting is
      on the wall.  


1.2.4. Charles London - Art Director
;Fun Fact: Patrick can usually be found watching Will Wright demonstrate the game to various reporters and reviewers.
      Charles led an ever growing art team that began with just him and grew
;Image Description: Patrick is playing games in a room with the paper, another garbage newspaper on the floor, the Tragic Clown painting and an alarm clock.
      to three artists, three animators, and a contracted company. He is
      responsible for designing and drawing the game's interface as well as
      the whole look of "The Sims". Charles is worshipped by some for his
      work on PC classics such as Panzer General and Allied General. We love
      him because he brings us chocolate marbled bread from his favorite
      deli.


      Fun Fact:
==Chris Trottier - Associate Producer==
      How many interfaces has "The Sims" had? Even we don't know. As we tried
Chris has done a little of almost everything on "The Sims." Most notably heading the tuning team to get us from Alpha fo Final. Though not exactly her job, she is also known as the best bug hunter in the game. Very few people in the team know the entire game as well as she does. We call her "The Database Goddess."
      to achieve both graphically outstanding AND functional interface, many
      were tried. Each time a new feature was added, Charles had to redesign
      the interface.


      Image Description:
;Fun Fact: "The Sims" wasn't always the title. At various times the game was known as "Project X," The Dollhouse Simulator," "Tactical Domestic Simulator," and others. The meeting room for "The Sims" team at Maxis is called "The Doll House".
      Charles London is sitting, gazing at some sort of mini-screen
;Image Description: She is playing with the dollhouse, with cans of beans lying on the floor, along with the toybox and aquarium.
      displaying The Sims game interface (i.e. the thing he himself created).  


1.2.5. James (Jamie) Doornbos - Programmer
==Luc Barthelet - General Manager of Maxis==
      Besides writing the majority of the actual game code, Jamie wrote the
Luc believed in the game through its development when even some of the team members questioned it. Luc built most of the early support for the game by establishing "The Sims Neighborhood Watch." Luc is a card carrying member of the Fancy French Shirt Society.
      "tree" language that is used to code the objects in "The Sims". Because
      this "tree" code resides in the actual objects and the Sims run the
      code from the objects, the game is incredibly expandable. This is why
      you can just drop objects into the game from the Web or create them in
      HomeMaster. A.K.A. "Jamers."


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: Luc would stop by each team member's work area and ask "What's new and cool?" each day. This one-on-one interaction made each team member feel important to the entire project.
      Jamie originally was the only tree programmer as well as the game
;Image Description: Luc is playing with the VR set, in some sort of office room with PC and that expensive floor lamp. A fountain is shown outside, through the window.
      programmer. It took four objects programmers to complete the objects
      shipped with "The Sims." Some of Jamie's original objects still exist
      in the game such as the Pool Table and the Fire.


      Image Description:
==Patrick J. Barrett III - Object programmer==
      Some sort of programming software showing the game's "tree" code (too
Patrick is responsible for the majority of the object programming. Between Patrick pushing the "tree" programming to its limits and Jamie increasing the strength of the "tree" programming language, all the game play takes place. Patrick's first game was made in 1982, but he won't say how many years he has been in the industry.
      little to read, though), while the mini-screen at the corner shows
      Jamie, apparently doing a little work-out.  


1.2.6. Patrick Buechner - Director of Marketing
;Fun Fact: Eating was a lonely experience in "The Sims" and used to look funny. Patrick was told that was how it had to be with the constraints of the sim. He found this unacceptable and made it so the Sims place their plates in front of them, pull in their chairs, and can talk to each other while eating. The designers when crazy with this using it as an example to make the interactions more rewarding..
      Patrick is responsible for getting us all that early press. We were
;Image Description: Shown working on the computer, with newspaper, a desk phone and opened chocolate box nearby. It appears that the PC is broken is on repair...
      really impressed when he got "The Sims" in U.S. News & World Report.
      Little did we know that it was just the beginning of all the press we
      would get thanks to him. He was largely responsible for keeping the
      momentum and excitement going.


      Fun Fact:
==Eric "BoBo" Bowman - Programmer==
      Patrick can usually be found watching Will Wright demonstrate the game
Eric was the graphics guru on "The Sims." In charge of the graphical system programming, he made everything you see possible. Though maybe not a great programming achievement in code, one of his best effects is the fading roof on the neighborhood screen. The roofs fade away so you can see inside the houses. By the way, besides coding the fading roofs, he also came up with the idea. He is famous on the team for "Wouldn't it be really neat if.... Now what if I told you it is already done."
      to various reporters and reviewers.


      Image Description:
;Fun Fact: People run up to him on the street and offer him wads of cash for his stylin' Datsun 280Z.
      Patrick is playing games in a room with the paper, another garbage
;Image Description: The Neighborhood screen, with a mini-screen showing the fading roof and another with Eric in the Hot Tub.
      newspaper on the floor, the Tragic Clown painting and an alarm clock.  


1.2.7. Chris Trottier - Associate Producer
==Don Hopkins - Programmer==
      Chris has done a little of almost everything on "The Sims." Most
Don wrote the animation engine in the game. His code is what makes the Sims look so lifelike when running hundreds of animations. Don also ported the editor for the "tree" programming from the Mac to Windows.
      notably heading the tuning team to get us from Alpha fo Final. Though
      not exactly her job, she is also known as the best bug hunter in the
      game. Very few people in the team know the entire game as well as she
      does. We call her "The Database Goddess."


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: Sean said that Don reminded him of Santa Claus. Don has been known to dance horizontally on the floor with his shirt stuffed with hot air balloons. It is rumored he used to work at Sun Microsystems on some super secret project.
      "The Sims" wasn't always the title. At various times the game was known
;Image Description: Simply shown reading, sitting on the green sofa near the kiddie end table with a table lamp on it.
      as "Project X," The Dollhouse Simulator," "Tactical Domestic
      Simulator," and others. The meeting room for "The Sims" team at Maxis
      is called "The Doll House".


      Image Description:
==Trevor Perrin - Object Programmer==
      She is playing with the dollhouse, with cans of beans lying on the
Trevor came to us near the end of the project. Without him many of the last coded objects would have been cut from the game such as the Basketball Court. He also adopted the Installer to "The Sims".
      floor, along with the toybox and aquarium.  


1.2.8. Luc Barthelet - General Manager of Maxis
;Fun Fact: Some of his objects were reassigned to Patrick so that Trevor could work on the installation. Instead, Trevor stayed until late at night to work on them.
      Luc believed in the game through its development when even some of the
;Image Description: Shown playing basketball outside, with a pale-green mood crystal over the head.
      team members questioned it. Luc built most of the early support for the
      game by establishing "The Sims Neighborhood Watch." Luc is a card
      carrying member of the Fancy French Shirt Society.


      Fun Fact:
==Alex Zvenigorodsky - Programmer==
      Luc would stop by each team member's work area and ask "What's new and
Stolen from "SimMars," Alex came to us first to help with some object programming then wrote the file system used in "The Sims" to combine all the files into single files. He also wrote "SLANG" the tool used to translate "The Sims" into the many languages it ships with.
      cool?" each day. This one-on-one interaction made each team member feel
      important to the entire project.


      Image Description:
;Fun Fact: While on the "SimMars" team, Alex helped Jami Becker make the chess table so that it uses real moves. When the Sims play chess against one another they actually play different stages of a real game.
      Luc is playing with the VR set, in some sort of office room with PC
;Image Description: Simply playing chess against himself.
      and that expensive floor lamp. A fountain is shown outside, through
      the window.  


1.2.9. Patrick J. Barrett III - Object programmer
==Robi Kauker & Kent Jolly - Sound Engineers==
      Patrick is responsible for the majority of the object programming.
They are responsible for the sound effects and voices in "The Sims". You can thank these two for the hilarious TV channels and commercials. Unfortunately, we had to cut "VOX_choke_heimlich" and "VOX_throwup" sounds from the game. Maybe that was fortunate actually...
      Between Patrick pushing the "tree" programming to its limits and Jamie
      increasing the strength of the "tree" programming language, all the
      game play takes place. Patrick's first game was made in 1982, but he
      won't say how many years he has been in the industry.


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: The singer of some of the "Rock" songs claims, "I sing nonsense words anyway...so it wasn't that hard to sing Sims lyrics." Some of the country music on the stereo was from "Streets of SimCity" but has been remastered to sound more Sims like.
      Eating was a lonely experience in "The Sims" and used to look funny.
;Image Description: Two computers, two different audio sets, somebody is playing the piano while the other is apparently dancing (can't really tell who's who).
      Patrick was told that was how it had to be with the constraints of the
      sim. He found this unacceptable and made it so the Sims place their
      plates in front of them, pull in their chairs, and can talk to each
      other while eating. The designers when crazy with this using it as an
      example to make the interactions more rewarding..


      Image Description:
==Eric "Chin" Chin - Graphic Artist==
      Shown working on the computer, with newspaper, a desk phone and opened
Eric made all the people in the game and their clothing. He also made the mock-up of the neighborhood screen as well as numerous art works for magazines showcasing "The Sims." Only Eric knows what a naked Sim looks like. Some of us prefer it that way.
      chocolate box nearby. It appears that the PC is broken is on repair...  


1.2.10. Eric "BoBo" Bowman - Programmer
;Fun Fact: All told we had three Eric's on the team. Hence, each also had a nickname so we could tell them apart.
      Eric was the graphics guru on "The Sims." In charge of the graphical
;Image Description: A quick snapshot seconds before the guy change clothes.
      system programming, he made everything you see possible. Though maybe
      not a great programming achievement in code, one of his best effects is
      the fading roof on the neighborhood screen. The roofs fade away so you
      can see inside the houses. By the way, besides coding the fading roofs,
      he also came up with the idea. He is famous on the team for "Wouldn't
      it be really neat if.... Now what if I told you it is already done."


      Fun Fact:
==Eric "Irk" Hedman - Animator==
      People run up to him on the street and offer him wads of cash for his
Yet another Eric. This Eric made a large portion of our animations which give the Sims their realistic look and emotion. A snappy dresser and Swing dance aficionado, he also displays a keen interest in inflatable office furniture and wrestling masks. Don't ask him about video games starring sloths.
      stylin' Datsun 280Z.


      Image Description:
;Fun Fact: When one of our programmers was hired, he thought all our animations were motion captured due to the high quality. As it turns out, we tried that and it didn't look as good as Eric's!
      The Neighborhood screen, with a mini-screen showing the fading roof
;Image Description: Euh, brushing teeth?
      and another with Eric in the Hot Tub.


1.2.11. Don Hopkins - Programmer
==Jami Becker - Artist==
      Don wrote the animation engine in the game. His code is what makes the
Jami produced a large portion of the object graphics. Some of her work includes the aquarium and the animated phones. She also produced the infamous "SimSafari" Zebra Couch that, despite what Will may claim, is not the zebra from SimSafari. Actually, no SimCreatures were injured or hurt while making "The Sims."
      Sims look so lifelike when running hundreds of animations. Don also  
      ported the editor for the "tree" programming from the Mac to Windows.


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: Though spelled differently Jamie and Jami sound alike. This caused Patrick who had to work with both to call them "Programmer Jamie" and "Graphic Jami."
      Sean said that Don reminded him of Santa Claus. Don has been known to
;Image Description: Jami is apparently feeding the fish in the aquarium.
      dance horizontally on the floor with his shirt stuffed with hot air
      balloons. It is rumored he used to work at Sun Microsystems on some
      super secret project.


      Image Description:
==Michael "Mike" Lawson - Product Analyst==
      Simply shown reading, sitting on the green sofa near the kiddie end
Mike is a man of all trades. He worked on testing, tuning, maintained the test neighborhoods, mnned the SimWatch web cam, and more numerous tasks that can be named. Mike claims he is a "survivor" of the Streets of Sim City testing process. He is also the youngest member of the team.
      table with a table lamp on it.  
   
;Fun Fact: His band performed the music in the Electronic Arts game "MotoRacer 2."
;Image Description: Mike is playing with the VR set.


1.2.12. Trevor Perrin - Object Programmer
==Melissa Bachman-Wood - Assistant Producer==
      Trevor came to us near the end of the project. Without him many of the
Melissa was instrumental in specifying how the objects in the game would look and leading the massive testing effort, often commuting 100+ miles a day between Maxis and EA. Melissa proudly displays a sign reading, "I wasn't hired for my demeanor." above her desk.
      last coded objects would have been cut from the game such as the
      Basketball Court. He also adopted the Installer to "The Sims".


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: Every object in the game was a group effort requiring an object designer, an object programmer, an animation artist, an object artist, a writer, a sound designer and a sound programmer. Oh, and lots of testers.
      Some of his objects were reassigned to Patrick so that Trevor could
;Image Description: Melissa is shown taking quick nap on the recliner.
      work on the installation. Instead, Trevor stayed until late at night to
      work on them.


      Image Description:
==Tim LeTourneau - Associate Producer & Chris Baena - Assistant Producer==
      Shown playing basketball outside, with a pale-green mood crystal over
Tim and Chris came on board to handle the localization of "The Sims" into many languages and to help with the development and testing of our free SimShow and HomeMaster tools. Both started in testing and Customer Support at EA. Chris is still the only Maxis employee with a a handlebar mustache.
      the head.  


1.2.13. Alex Zvenigorodsky - Programmer
;Fun Fact: Though the catalog text was written by Sean and the other text by Roxy, Tim had to adjust the language of the text as well as maintain the text database for the entire game. This help system you are reading now was added just two weeks before the deadline for localizations and contains almost a third of the text in the game! Now maybe Tim will be able to go home at night. Maybe...
      Stolen from "SimMars," Alex came to us first to help with some object
;Image Description: Both are having a game of chess, Chris takes it as a social interaction while Tim is getting his Logic bar filled.
      programming then wrote the file system used in "The Sims" to combine
      all the files into single files. He also wrote "SLANG" the tool used to
      translate "The Sims" into the many languages it ships with.


      Fun Fact:
==Sean Baity - Assistant Producer==
      While on the "SimMars" team, Alex helped Jami Becker make the chess
Chief of the SimWatch, Sean also was in charge of the sound effects and catalog text in the game. It is amazing that Sean and Claire can still hear anymore after hours upon hours of listening to all the sounds in the game and verifying that they worked. Sean was a lead tester at EA for three years at EA before coming to Maxis.
      table so that it uses real moves. When the Sims play chess against one
      another they actually play different stages of a real game.


      Image Description:
;Fun Fact: Leading the SimWatch group also required Sean to come up with new weekly downloadables from our Web Site including a Desktop Theme, Chatter Box and the Mini Aquarium.
      Simply playing chess against himself.  
;Image Description: In the same sort of stance with Will Wright, Sean is standing in the middle of a real messy room with broken PC, dirty aquarium, junks, dead plants, a gift cake on the floor. There's also another PC and a glimpse of audio set nearby.


1.2.14. Robi Kauker & Kent Jolly - Sound Engineers
==Paul Wilkinson - Programmer==
      They are responsible for the sound effects and voices in "The Sims".
Paul is responsible for the Sound System used in the Sims. Sims say different things depending on their age, sex, mood and skill. That is all Paul. You may have heard his work in a little game called SimCity 3000. Paul started at Distinctive Software before it became EA Canada. Even though he is Canadian, we still enjoy working with him.
      You can thank these two for the hilarious TV channels and commercials.
      Unfortunately, we had to cut "VOX_choke_heimlich" and "VOX_throwup"
      sounds from the game. Maybe that was fortunate actually...


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: Paul ends his email with the note "PEACE OUT"
      The singer of some of the "Rock" songs claims, "I sing nonsense words
;Image Description: Paul is shown repairing the computer, while a boombox, desk phone, lamps, decor plants and the Tragic Clown painting are found around.
      anyway...so it wasn't that hard to sing Sims lyrics." Some of the
      country music on the stereo was from "Streets of SimCity" but has been
      remastered to sound more Sims like.


      Image Description:
==Roxy Wolosenko - Designer==
      Two computers, two different audio sets, somebody is playing the piano
Roxy was one of three designers on the game along with Claire and Will. She wrote all the dialogs on the phone as well as the catalog descriptions used in Build Mode. It was her idea to have social interactions in the game.
      while the other is apparently dancing (can't really tell who's who).  


1.2.15. Eric "Chin" Chin - Graphic Artist
;Fun Fact: Roxy was a producer on Maxis children's software before working on the Sims.
      Eric made all the people in the game and their clothing. He also made
;Image Description: Roxy in a little gardening session.
      the mock-up of the neighborhood screen as well as numerous art works
      for magazines showcasing "The Sims." Only Eric knows what a naked Sim
      looks like. Some of us prefer it that way.


      Fun Fact:
==Claire Curtain - Designer==
      All told we had three Eric's on the team. Hence, each also had a
Though a majority of the design of the game came from Will Wright, Roxy and Claire picked up the other tasks such as documenting the design. Claire found the voice actors and directed recording sessions. Claire also specified every sound in the game and there are a lot of them! Together with Sean she made sure "The Sims" has a lot of sound in very interesting places.
      nickname so we could tell them apart.


      Image Description:
;Fun Fact: Claire is also from the former Kids Group working on titles such as SimTown.
      A quick snapshot seconds before the guy change clothes.  
;Image Description: Claire is sitting in a room with an audio set.


1.2.16. Eric "Irk" Hedman - Animator
==Bob King - Animator & B.J. West - Graphic Artist==
      Yet another Eric. This Eric made a large portion of our animations
Another couple of Martians we abducted. Bob and B.J. helped with the nearly impossible task of getting every animation and object done in time and on schedule. The Sims team had originally hoped to include 100 objects with the game. With the help of others such as B.J. we were able to ship with over 200. Bob is still the only Maxis employee with a Delorean.
      which give the Sims their realistic look and emotion. A snappy dresser
      and Swing dance aficionado, he also displays a keen interest in
      inflatable office furniture and wrestling masks. Don't ask him about
      video games starring sloths.


      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: "The Sims" has over 1,400 animations.
      When one of our programmers was hired, he thought all our animations
;Image Description: Truth be told, the artists are in a messy room with rotten pizza, the easel and again, someone's is playing with the computer and a skill bar is shown...while the other is simply applausing the guy with the computer.
      were motion captured due to the high quality. As it turns out, we tried
      that and it didn't look as good as Eric's!


      Image Description:
==The Sims Testing Team==
      Euh, brushing teeth?
Guided by Jamil, Gabe and Etienne, finding well over 4,000 bugs was the job of this intrepid team. (Only a minimum of duplicates) Working under the motto "(Quis simulatiet ipsos simulates?)" they made sure to find as many problems as possible, so you wouldn't have to.
 
1.2.17. Jami Becker - Artist
      Jami produced a large portion of the object graphics. Some of her work
      includes the aquarium and the animated phones. She also produced the
      infamous "SimSafari" Zebra Couch that, despite what Will may claim, is
      not the zebra from SimSafari. Actually, no SimCreatures were injured or
      hurt while making "The Sims."
 
      Fun Fact:
      Though spelled differently Jamie and Jami sound alike. This caused
      Patrick who had to work with both to call them "Programmer Jamie" and
      "Graphic Jami."
 
      Image Description:
      Jami is apparently feeding the fish in the aquarium.
 
1.2.18. Michael "Mike" Lawson - Product Analyst
      Mike is a man of all trades. He worked on testing, tuning, maintained
      the test neighborhoods, mnned the SimWatch web cam, and more numerous
      tasks that can be named. Mike claims he is a "survivor" of the Streets
      of Sim City testing process. He is also the youngest member of the
      team.
   
      Fun Fact:
      His band performed the music in the Electronic Arts game "MotoRacer 2."
 
      Image Description:
      Mike is playing with the VR set.
 
1.2.19. Melissa Bachman-Wood - Assistant Producer
      Melissa was instrumental in specifying how the objects in the game
      would look and leading the massive testing effort, often commuting 100+
      miles a day between Maxis and EA. Melissa proudly displays a sign
      reading, "I wasn't hired for my demeanor." above her desk.
 
      Fun Fact:
      Every object in the game was a group effort requiring an object
      designer, an object programmer, an animation artist, an object artist,
      a writer, a sound designer and a sound programmer. Oh, and lots of
      testers.
 
      Image Description:
      Melissa is shown taking quick nap on the recliner.
 
1.2.20. Tim LeTourneau - Associate Producer & Chris Baena - Assistant Producer
      Tim and Chris came on board to handle the localization of "The Sims"
      into many languages and to help with the development and testing of
      our free SimShow and HomeMaster tools. Both started in testing and
      Customer Support at EA. Chris is still the only Maxis employee with a
      a handlebar mustache.
 
      Fun Fact:
      Though the catalog text was written by Sean and the other text by Roxy,
      Tim had to adjust the language of the text as well as maintain the text
      database for the entire game. This help system you are reading now was
      added just two weeks before the deadline for localizations and contains
      almost a third of the text in the game! Now maybe Tim will be able to
      go home at night. Maybe...
 
      Image Description:
      Both are having a game of chess, Chris takes it as a social interaction
      while Tim is getting his Logic bar filled.
 
1.2.21. Sean Baity - Assistant Producer
      Chief of the SimWatch, Sean also was in charge of the sound effects and
      catalog text in the game. It is amazing that Sean and Claire can still
      hear anymore after hours upon hours of listening to all the sounds in
      the game and verifying that they worked. Sean was a lead tester at EA
      for three years at EA before coming to Maxis.
 
      Fun Fact:
      Leading the SimWatch group also required Sean to come up with new
      weekly downloadables from our Web Site including a Desktop Theme,
      Chatter Box and the Mini Aquarium.
 
      Image Description:
      In the same sort of stance with Will Wright, Sean is standing in the
      middle of a real messy room with broken PC, dirty aquarium, junks,
      dead plants, a gift cake on the floor. There's also another PC and
      a glimpse of audio set nearby.
 
1.2.22. Paul Wilkinson - Programmer
      Paul is responsible for the Sound System used in the Sims. Sims say
      different things depending on their age, sex, mood and skill. That is
      all Paul. You may have heard his work in a little game called SimCity
      3000. Paul started at Distinctive Software before it became EA Canada.
      Even though he is Canadian, we still enjoy working with him.
 
      Fun Fact:
      Paul ends his email with the note "PEACE OUT"
 
      Image Description:
      Paul is shown repairing the computer, while a boombox, desk phone,
      lamps, decor plants and the Tragic Clown painting are found around.
 
1.2.23. Roxy Wolosenko - Designer
      Roxy was one of three designers on the game along with Claire and Will.
      She wrote all the dialogs on the phone as well as the catalog
      descriptions used in Build Mode. It was her idea to have social
      interactions in the game.
 
      Fun Fact:
      Roxy was a producer on Maxis children's software before working on the
      Sims.
 
      Image Description:
      Roxy in a little gardening session.
 
1.2.24. Claire Curtain - Designer
      Though a majority of the design of the game came from Will Wright, Roxy
      and Claire picked up the other tasks such as documenting the design.
      Claire found the voice actors and directed recording sessions. Claire
      also specified every sound in the game and there are a lot of them!
      Together with Sean she made sure "The Sims" has a lot of sound in very
      interesting places.
 
      Fun Fact:
      Claire is also from the former Kids Group working on titles such as
      SimTown.
 
      Image Description:
      Claire is sitting in a room with an audio set.
 
1.2.25. Bob King - Animator & B.J. West - Graphic Artist
      Another couple of Martians we abducted. Bob and B.J. helped with the
      nearly impossible task of getting every animation and object done in
      time and on schedule. The Sims team had originally hoped to include
      100 objects with the game. With the help of others such as B.J. we were
      able to ship with over 200. Bob is still the only Maxis employee with a
      Delorean.
 
      Fun Fact:
      "The Sims" has over 1,400 animations.
 
      Image Description:
      Truth be told, the artists are in a messy room with rotten pizza,
      the easel and again, someone's is playing with the computer and a
      skill bar is shown...while the other is simply applausing the guy with
      the computer.
 
1.2.26. The Sims Testing Team
      Guided by Jamil, Gabe and Etienne, finding well over 4,000 bugs was the
      job of this intrepid team. (Only a minimum of duplicates) Working under
      the motto "(Quis simulatiet ipsos simulates?)" they made sure to find
      as many problems as possible, so you wouldn't have to.
   
   
      Fun Fact:
;Fun Fact: The Sims has had 20 different full-time testers since the first build back in July. As with any game, "The Sims" would not be here without their hard work.
      The Sims has had 20 different full-time testers since the first build
;Image Description: The most obvious image you could get from full-time testers; a room filled with computers, some people are in heavy need of rest while somebody is extremely lying on the floor, apparently due to the empty energy bar.
      back in July. As with any game, "The Sims" would not be here without
      their hard work.
 
      Image Description:
      The most obvious image you could get from full-time testers; a room  
      filled with computers, some people are in heavy need of rest while
      somebody is extremely lying on the floor, apparently due to the empty
      energy bar.
 
1.2.27. Jim Mackraz - Former Development Director
      Jim left us shortly after E3 to join an Internet start-up. Jim affected
      the game in too many ways to mention.


      Fun Fact:
==Jim Mackraz - Former Development Director==
      The Foosball table in the Maxis Multi-Purpose Room is named in memory
Jim left us shortly after E3 to join an Internet start-up. Jim affected the game in too many ways to mention.
      of Jim. It is rumored when you walk by that you can still hear him
      playing, but usually it is just Paul and the sound team.        


       Image Description:
;Fun Fact: The Foosball table in the Maxis Multi-Purpose Room is named in memory of Jim. It is rumored when you walk by that you can still hear him playing, but usually it is just Paul and the sound team.        
      Jim is inside the Hot Tub with two other neighbors, talking to each
;Image Description: Jim is inside the Hot Tub with two other neighbors, talking to each other.
      other.
</pre>

Revision as of 01:10, 19 March 2007

Template:All Game Nav To unlock the Did You Know? mode, you have to play the game in a family through 100 Simdays and more. If you have a neighborhood with several families, you DO NOT NEED to have all of them playing 100 days, just have a single family and it will do. The window, of course, will only be available for the family with 100 days (i.e. while the others who haven't reach it won't). Not that it matters for you, right?

Now the next part is to find it. DUH. First thing first. Exactly at the 100th day, you will get this question icon on the very upper-right corner of your screen (i.e. the one that used to be QuickTips and such). There will be a message from the Maxis folks, and you'll be prompted to decide whether to accept the Did You Know? window or not. You, obviously, will want to accept. You can have the text here, but not pictures.

Now for the Did You Know? Window. It also appears as the Question mark icon on the upper-right corner of your screen by 10 AM every morning. If you missed a day, it will keep the unlocked information (i.e. it won't skip to the next person in the list). But just in case, you might want to keep an eye everytime you're playing.

Did You Know?

Congratulations! this house has been running for 100 days! you must really like this game. we are glad since we do too. if you like the game this much then you must be interested in knowing how it was made. each day you continue to keep this family going a new "did you know?" box will appear until you know all about us.. if you are not interested then click "don't show this again" but come on you want to know... you know you do!

Will Wright - Game Designer

Will first thought of "The Sims" shortly after the original SimCity. It took this long for technology to catch up with Will's vision. In Maxis Offices we have a mock-up design for the original idea of the Sims. Though the technology is far more advanced, the actual game does not vary much from this prototype. Will makes wicked excel sheets, and likes to zip around the Maxis offices on a bright red electric scooter.

Fun Fact
Will purchased a couple of real pink flamingo lawn ornaments for the team so we could properly model both the complex 3D shape of the birds and the physics and emotional algorithms needed for kicking them.
Image Description
Showing Will Wright (presumably in a thinking stance) in a Japanese room (wallpaper and flooring) with computer, train set, recliner, VR set and some decoration which name I fail to remember.

Kana Ryan - Producer

Kana was the glue that held the Sims project together and moved things forward. Rarely seen without a Diet Coke (r) in hand, Kana is also known for her "Saga of Kana" which was a test house she used to mark progress in the game and to find the remaining bugs. It is rumored that Kana gained her production skills testing IBM workstation software in a previous life.

Fun Fact
The wedding picture the Sims paint on the easel is her wedding picture.
Image Description
Showing Kana Ryan, painting (her Creativity bar is slighty filled) in a room with decorative plant and the boombox.

Jeff Charvat - Development Director

Came to us late in the project to lead the programmers to Alpha and Final. He inherited our somewhat brutal schedule as well as our notorious game database. Likes to assign bugs with a smile. Jeff and Claire worked on another non-Maxis game together long ago, but would not let us print the title here for some reason.

Fun Fact
At E3 we showed off our first career suit, an astronaut suit. Shortly thereafter we stole Jeff from the "SimMars" team. By the end of the project we had also, um, borrowed a programmer and two artists from "SimMars". A little SimForeshadowing?
Image Description
Jeff Charvat is pointing his arm to the TV he's currently watching, in a room where there also lies a PC, floor lamp and a painting is on the wall.

Charles London - Art Director

Charles led an ever growing art team that began with just him and grew to three artists, three animators, and a contracted company. He is responsible for designing and drawing the game's interface as well as the whole look of "The Sims". Charles is worshipped by some for his work on PC classics such as Panzer General and Allied General. We love him because he brings us chocolate marbled bread from his favorite deli.

Fun Fact
How many interfaces has "The Sims" had? Even we don't know. As we tried to achieve both graphically outstanding AND functional interface, many were tried. Each time a new feature was added, Charles had to redesign the interface.
Image Description
Charles London is sitting, gazing at some sort of mini-screen displaying The Sims game interface (i.e. the thing he himself created).

James (Jamie) Doornbos - Programmer

Besides writing the majority of the actual game code, Jamie wrote the "tree" language that is used to code the objects in "The Sims". Because this "tree" code resides in the actual objects and the Sims run the code from the objects, the game is incredibly expandable. This is why you can just drop objects into the game from the Web or create them in HomeMaster. A.K.A. "Jamers."

Fun Fact
Jamie originally was the only tree programmer as well as the game programmer. It took four objects programmers to complete the objects shipped with "The Sims." Some of Jamie's original objects still exist in the game such as the Pool Table and the Fire.
Image Description
Some sort of programming software showing the game's "tree" code (too little to read, though), while the mini-screen at the corner shows Jamie, apparently doing a little work-out.

Patrick Buechner - Director of Marketing

Patrick is responsible for getting us all that early press. We were really impressed when he got "The Sims" in U.S. News & World Report. Little did we know that it was just the beginning of all the press we would get thanks to him. He was largely responsible for keeping the momentum and excitement going.

Fun Fact
Patrick can usually be found watching Will Wright demonstrate the game to various reporters and reviewers.
Image Description
Patrick is playing games in a room with the paper, another garbage newspaper on the floor, the Tragic Clown painting and an alarm clock.

Chris Trottier - Associate Producer

Chris has done a little of almost everything on "The Sims." Most notably heading the tuning team to get us from Alpha fo Final. Though not exactly her job, she is also known as the best bug hunter in the game. Very few people in the team know the entire game as well as she does. We call her "The Database Goddess."

Fun Fact
"The Sims" wasn't always the title. At various times the game was known as "Project X," The Dollhouse Simulator," "Tactical Domestic Simulator," and others. The meeting room for "The Sims" team at Maxis is called "The Doll House".
Image Description
She is playing with the dollhouse, with cans of beans lying on the floor, along with the toybox and aquarium.

Luc Barthelet - General Manager of Maxis

Luc believed in the game through its development when even some of the team members questioned it. Luc built most of the early support for the game by establishing "The Sims Neighborhood Watch." Luc is a card carrying member of the Fancy French Shirt Society.

Fun Fact
Luc would stop by each team member's work area and ask "What's new and cool?" each day. This one-on-one interaction made each team member feel important to the entire project.
Image Description
Luc is playing with the VR set, in some sort of office room with PC and that expensive floor lamp. A fountain is shown outside, through the window.

Patrick J. Barrett III - Object programmer

Patrick is responsible for the majority of the object programming. Between Patrick pushing the "tree" programming to its limits and Jamie increasing the strength of the "tree" programming language, all the game play takes place. Patrick's first game was made in 1982, but he won't say how many years he has been in the industry.

Fun Fact
Eating was a lonely experience in "The Sims" and used to look funny. Patrick was told that was how it had to be with the constraints of the sim. He found this unacceptable and made it so the Sims place their plates in front of them, pull in their chairs, and can talk to each other while eating. The designers when crazy with this using it as an example to make the interactions more rewarding..
Image Description
Shown working on the computer, with newspaper, a desk phone and opened chocolate box nearby. It appears that the PC is broken is on repair...

Eric "BoBo" Bowman - Programmer

Eric was the graphics guru on "The Sims." In charge of the graphical system programming, he made everything you see possible. Though maybe not a great programming achievement in code, one of his best effects is the fading roof on the neighborhood screen. The roofs fade away so you can see inside the houses. By the way, besides coding the fading roofs, he also came up with the idea. He is famous on the team for "Wouldn't it be really neat if.... Now what if I told you it is already done."

Fun Fact
People run up to him on the street and offer him wads of cash for his stylin' Datsun 280Z.
Image Description
The Neighborhood screen, with a mini-screen showing the fading roof and another with Eric in the Hot Tub.

Don Hopkins - Programmer

Don wrote the animation engine in the game. His code is what makes the Sims look so lifelike when running hundreds of animations. Don also ported the editor for the "tree" programming from the Mac to Windows.

Fun Fact
Sean said that Don reminded him of Santa Claus. Don has been known to dance horizontally on the floor with his shirt stuffed with hot air balloons. It is rumored he used to work at Sun Microsystems on some super secret project.
Image Description
Simply shown reading, sitting on the green sofa near the kiddie end table with a table lamp on it.

Trevor Perrin - Object Programmer

Trevor came to us near the end of the project. Without him many of the last coded objects would have been cut from the game such as the Basketball Court. He also adopted the Installer to "The Sims".

Fun Fact
Some of his objects were reassigned to Patrick so that Trevor could work on the installation. Instead, Trevor stayed until late at night to work on them.
Image Description
Shown playing basketball outside, with a pale-green mood crystal over the head.

Alex Zvenigorodsky - Programmer

Stolen from "SimMars," Alex came to us first to help with some object programming then wrote the file system used in "The Sims" to combine all the files into single files. He also wrote "SLANG" the tool used to translate "The Sims" into the many languages it ships with.

Fun Fact
While on the "SimMars" team, Alex helped Jami Becker make the chess table so that it uses real moves. When the Sims play chess against one another they actually play different stages of a real game.
Image Description
Simply playing chess against himself.

Robi Kauker & Kent Jolly - Sound Engineers

They are responsible for the sound effects and voices in "The Sims". You can thank these two for the hilarious TV channels and commercials. Unfortunately, we had to cut "VOX_choke_heimlich" and "VOX_throwup" sounds from the game. Maybe that was fortunate actually...

Fun Fact
The singer of some of the "Rock" songs claims, "I sing nonsense words anyway...so it wasn't that hard to sing Sims lyrics." Some of the country music on the stereo was from "Streets of SimCity" but has been remastered to sound more Sims like.
Image Description
Two computers, two different audio sets, somebody is playing the piano while the other is apparently dancing (can't really tell who's who).

Eric "Chin" Chin - Graphic Artist

Eric made all the people in the game and their clothing. He also made the mock-up of the neighborhood screen as well as numerous art works for magazines showcasing "The Sims." Only Eric knows what a naked Sim looks like. Some of us prefer it that way.

Fun Fact
All told we had three Eric's on the team. Hence, each also had a nickname so we could tell them apart.
Image Description
A quick snapshot seconds before the guy change clothes.

Eric "Irk" Hedman - Animator

Yet another Eric. This Eric made a large portion of our animations which give the Sims their realistic look and emotion. A snappy dresser and Swing dance aficionado, he also displays a keen interest in inflatable office furniture and wrestling masks. Don't ask him about video games starring sloths.

Fun Fact
When one of our programmers was hired, he thought all our animations were motion captured due to the high quality. As it turns out, we tried that and it didn't look as good as Eric's!
Image Description
Euh, brushing teeth?

Jami Becker - Artist

Jami produced a large portion of the object graphics. Some of her work includes the aquarium and the animated phones. She also produced the infamous "SimSafari" Zebra Couch that, despite what Will may claim, is not the zebra from SimSafari. Actually, no SimCreatures were injured or hurt while making "The Sims."

Fun Fact
Though spelled differently Jamie and Jami sound alike. This caused Patrick who had to work with both to call them "Programmer Jamie" and "Graphic Jami."
Image Description
Jami is apparently feeding the fish in the aquarium.

Michael "Mike" Lawson - Product Analyst

Mike is a man of all trades. He worked on testing, tuning, maintained the test neighborhoods, mnned the SimWatch web cam, and more numerous tasks that can be named. Mike claims he is a "survivor" of the Streets of Sim City testing process. He is also the youngest member of the team.

Fun Fact
His band performed the music in the Electronic Arts game "MotoRacer 2."
Image Description
Mike is playing with the VR set.

Melissa Bachman-Wood - Assistant Producer

Melissa was instrumental in specifying how the objects in the game would look and leading the massive testing effort, often commuting 100+ miles a day between Maxis and EA. Melissa proudly displays a sign reading, "I wasn't hired for my demeanor." above her desk.

Fun Fact
Every object in the game was a group effort requiring an object designer, an object programmer, an animation artist, an object artist, a writer, a sound designer and a sound programmer. Oh, and lots of testers.
Image Description
Melissa is shown taking quick nap on the recliner.

Tim LeTourneau - Associate Producer & Chris Baena - Assistant Producer

Tim and Chris came on board to handle the localization of "The Sims" into many languages and to help with the development and testing of our free SimShow and HomeMaster tools. Both started in testing and Customer Support at EA. Chris is still the only Maxis employee with a a handlebar mustache.

Fun Fact
Though the catalog text was written by Sean and the other text by Roxy, Tim had to adjust the language of the text as well as maintain the text database for the entire game. This help system you are reading now was added just two weeks before the deadline for localizations and contains almost a third of the text in the game! Now maybe Tim will be able to go home at night. Maybe...
Image Description
Both are having a game of chess, Chris takes it as a social interaction while Tim is getting his Logic bar filled.

Sean Baity - Assistant Producer

Chief of the SimWatch, Sean also was in charge of the sound effects and catalog text in the game. It is amazing that Sean and Claire can still hear anymore after hours upon hours of listening to all the sounds in the game and verifying that they worked. Sean was a lead tester at EA for three years at EA before coming to Maxis.

Fun Fact
Leading the SimWatch group also required Sean to come up with new weekly downloadables from our Web Site including a Desktop Theme, Chatter Box and the Mini Aquarium.
Image Description
In the same sort of stance with Will Wright, Sean is standing in the middle of a real messy room with broken PC, dirty aquarium, junks, dead plants, a gift cake on the floor. There's also another PC and a glimpse of audio set nearby.

Paul Wilkinson - Programmer

Paul is responsible for the Sound System used in the Sims. Sims say different things depending on their age, sex, mood and skill. That is all Paul. You may have heard his work in a little game called SimCity 3000. Paul started at Distinctive Software before it became EA Canada. Even though he is Canadian, we still enjoy working with him.

Fun Fact
Paul ends his email with the note "PEACE OUT"
Image Description
Paul is shown repairing the computer, while a boombox, desk phone, lamps, decor plants and the Tragic Clown painting are found around.

Roxy Wolosenko - Designer

Roxy was one of three designers on the game along with Claire and Will. She wrote all the dialogs on the phone as well as the catalog descriptions used in Build Mode. It was her idea to have social interactions in the game.

Fun Fact
Roxy was a producer on Maxis children's software before working on the Sims.
Image Description
Roxy in a little gardening session.

Claire Curtain - Designer

Though a majority of the design of the game came from Will Wright, Roxy and Claire picked up the other tasks such as documenting the design. Claire found the voice actors and directed recording sessions. Claire also specified every sound in the game and there are a lot of them! Together with Sean she made sure "The Sims" has a lot of sound in very interesting places.

Fun Fact
Claire is also from the former Kids Group working on titles such as SimTown.
Image Description
Claire is sitting in a room with an audio set.

Bob King - Animator & B.J. West - Graphic Artist

Another couple of Martians we abducted. Bob and B.J. helped with the nearly impossible task of getting every animation and object done in time and on schedule. The Sims team had originally hoped to include 100 objects with the game. With the help of others such as B.J. we were able to ship with over 200. Bob is still the only Maxis employee with a Delorean.

Fun Fact
"The Sims" has over 1,400 animations.
Image Description
Truth be told, the artists are in a messy room with rotten pizza, the easel and again, someone's is playing with the computer and a skill bar is shown...while the other is simply applausing the guy with the computer.

The Sims Testing Team

Guided by Jamil, Gabe and Etienne, finding well over 4,000 bugs was the job of this intrepid team. (Only a minimum of duplicates) Working under the motto "(Quis simulatiet ipsos simulates?)" they made sure to find as many problems as possible, so you wouldn't have to.

Fun Fact
The Sims has had 20 different full-time testers since the first build back in July. As with any game, "The Sims" would not be here without their hard work.
Image Description
The most obvious image you could get from full-time testers; a room filled with computers, some people are in heavy need of rest while somebody is extremely lying on the floor, apparently due to the empty energy bar.

Jim Mackraz - Former Development Director

Jim left us shortly after E3 to join an Internet start-up. Jim affected the game in too many ways to mention.

Fun Fact
The Foosball table in the Maxis Multi-Purpose Room is named in memory of Jim. It is rumored when you walk by that you can still hear him playing, but usually it is just Paul and the sound team.
Image Description
Jim is inside the Hot Tub with two other neighbors, talking to each other.
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