Will Wright heads to Hall of Fame

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) has announced that it will induct Will Wright, the creator of The Sims and founder of Maxis, into the Academy's Hall of Fame at the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards on February 28, 2002, in Las Vegas.

While Wright is best known for creating the SimCity city-management game series and the virtual-life game The Sims, he has also created a number of other games, including SimEarth and SimAnt, and he is currently working on The Sims Online.

"Will Wright is a visionary in the truest sense of the word, and the natural choice for this year's award," said Academy president Paul Provenzano. "In creating gaming experiences that are constructive, socially responsible, truly original, and totally entertaining, the wide appeal of Wright's games have introduced people of all ages to the interactive art form, redefining the popular perception of the audience for games."

Previous recipients of the Hall of Fame award include Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo, Sid Meier of Firaxis Games, Hironobu Sakaguchi of Square USA, and John Carmack of id Software. Each year, nominations are submitted by a Hall of Fame committee formed by the AIAS board of directors, and are then voted on by the entire board of directors to determine the winner.

In addition to receiving the award, Wright will take part in the first annual D.I.C.E. Summit, which will be held in conjunction with the Interactive Achievement Awards. The D.I.C.E. Summit was formed in part to help the Academy provide a place where people in the game industry can meet and discuss ideas about their craft. For more information about the AIAS and the D.I.C.E. Summit, visit the official AIAS Web site.