I just downloaded Simcity Deluxe for my iPhone. Sweet.
Without a doubt, SimCity is my favorite game of all time. I’ve played every single version and I’m still just as addicted as I was the first time I played the classic PC version long ago.
Does this bring back memories?
Simcity was more than just a game to me.
I remember bringing paper, pencil crayons and rulers everywhere so I could plan out the cities I wanted to build. If I wasn’t going to be home, I would simply draw them and recreate my drawings in the game later on.
I was obsessed with Simcity.
Note: I really wish I had kept some of those drawings…
What does Simcity have to do with Screenwriting?
A lot of it has to do with the creative freedom and power the game gives you. It provides you with a set of tools and a blank canvas and it’s up to you to create your masterpiece.
You can see how comparing Simcity’s blank canvas to the limitless possibilities of a blank first page makes sense.
To me, it’s much deeper than that.
Build your world.
When I wrote stories as a child, I used Simcity to visualize the cities where my characters lived.
Why not?
For someone who couldn’t draw very well, it was a perfect way to figure out what these locations would look like.
- Were they next to water?
- Surrounded by trees?
- In the slums?
Truthfully, these cities not only gave me an exciting reason to play my favorite game, it allowed me the chance to think about my story.
Have you ever engaged in an activity that lets your mind wander? You go through the motions but really your imagination is somewhere else. Your mind is occupied but your creativity is hard at work.
Make sense?
It’s that trance that I fell in love with.
I may not build the cities in my screenplays anymore but Simcity is still relevant to my screenwriting process.
For me, it’s like playing Basketball. You can shoot a hundred shots in a few hours and plan out an entire script.
Simcity has those same qualities. I can sit back and play for hours without really thinking about what I’m building. I’m off solving story issues and building characters. I’m creating stories.
I’m creating.
I’ve evolved just as Simcity has over the years. It’s been a while since I played.
Perhaps it’s time I come up with something new. Something wonderful.
