The player will interact with some 150 different objects in the game as well as other characters. Yes, it's entirely possible to fall in love with another player, start a fight, or do the mundane such as buying a new stereo. Players queue up actions for their characters and plan their daily lives - everything from going to the bathroom to taking a shower to watering the plants.

An affectionate moment between two characters in The Sims.

Not that you must plan everything. The characters are autonomous and will act of their own accord if necessary. So, you don't have to dictate their every move, but if you want your family to be truly happy, you must be involved in their lives. But it won't always be easy. For instance, say you have Mr. Sim strike up a conversation with the neighbor down the street and try to plant a kiss on her. You might be met with a kiss back - or a slap in the face. In either case, don't forget to get him back to bed at a reasonable hour, or else he'll be sleep deprived and have trouble at work tomorrow. Everything is related.

A partial list of actions and the possible reactions in The Sims.

How does it work? The game is programmed to let objects in the environment advertise their capabilities and "draw" the Sims to them. "What we did was make the people really dumb," explains Wright, "and make the environment and objects really smart." Objects will always advertise to the Sims about what they can do for them. Depending on your character's personality needs relative to what the objects can offer, it will make a selection about how to spend time. "This all happens behind the scenes," explains Wright, "but basically the fridge yells at the player, 'I can satisfy hunger five!' and the chair says, 'But I'm all about comfort four!' and the bath says, 'Hygiene seven right here!'" In the end, all these factors tie into the happiness of the character.

Players can have a hot tub or BBQ outside.

There will also be unpredictable situations in the games - akin to the disasters in SimCity - including events such as the boss inviting himself over to dinner. Take up his invitation and a promotion might come your way, but reject his offer and who knows what might happen. Wright's goal is to make sure no two games are ever the same.

"The answer is yes, you can have a voodoo family and starve the characters." - Will Wright

Finally, perhaps the question everyone is wondering, is if this can work in reverse - can you go in and destroy a family? Wright is quick to answer. "Everyone is going to want to come in and do that," he admits in a don't-you-think-I-already-know-that tone. "It's what I like to call the Calvin syndrome," he says, referring to the mischievous, self-indulgent boy from the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. "So the answer is yes - you can have a voodoo family and starve the characters or have them fight," admits Wright. And he's still exploring the option of a crime career path for the game and the potential of having a burglar running around the town stealing objects.

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And this is the elegance of Will Wright's designs: Taking the abstract concept of functional architecture and resolving it into a game with so many open-ended options and parameters that it will no doubt redefine the paragons of game design. Wright's research isn't done yet either, as he has plans for yet another game down the road...

Next: Into Outer Space