Growing up I had a vivid imagination. I would create and tell stories about places that I had made up. I would imagine worlds that would be all my own and no one else’s. This worlds that I created where places that have been created from my mind from the travels that my mom and dad would take my sister and I on. I would also get ideas for these places from books and tv.

Dreaming up these place would keep me occupied for hours. I would spend countless afternoons and evenings trying to create the world I see in my head. The only things that would stop me would me my mom and dad telling me that dinner was ready and if it was time for bed. Those two things alone would stop me dead in my tracks. I loved it that much.

After hours of playing and planning these fantastic places with my toys and the furniture I would create little story lines for the place I created. I would tell of the sorry why a particular city had formed on a high mountain top aka the coach’s arm rest. It would because the founders of the town wanted to have a view and wanted to seen for many miles around.  I would usually keep these stories to myself.  But it was the fact that I was creating and developing these worlds.  There’s a saying that you got to create the worlds that you want if they don’t exist.

Once I a moved up the creative city building ladder from hot wheels and matchbox cities, I entered the realm of computer.  It was in this realm that I was introduce to Simcity.

Simcity is a simulation game, where mayors; you the user; develop and design the city of your dreams.  You are in charge of every aspect from power, transportation, to water, it is up to you decided how you want your city to run.

Playing simcity as a kid was a dream come true early.  Not only were you able to manage your own city you go to plan and design it.  You had an opportunity to do some civic duty young when you where told you couldn’t do something.  This is where the roots of me being a civil engineer were born.  I link my current career path and thought process here.

The thing that simcity has taught me over the years is this: cities are meant to be designed to help other achieve their dreams.  As mayor or leader of anything you have to put the people first.  Take responsibility of their overall well being and help them achieve whatever it is they want to achieve.  Therefore cities must be design to allow people to live and to live happily.

Outside of ensuring that people are happy.  I have also designed my cities with real elements that I see in real life.  For example, I love to have my cities designed like the “City Beautiful” movement.  A movement in the late 1890s and early 1900s where cities were designed to be beautiful and with grand buildings and monuments.  One example is Washington DC.  I would use elements that I would read and learn about in the many books and documentaries that I could get my hands on to learn about cities.

Now after years of playing Simcity, I still play it to this day.  Currently it is in 5th version.  There are actually more than 5 versions but a few of them differed so much from the game as it was intended.  Today the game has advance so much so that you can practically do almost everything that you want to do in designing your city.  If you do play Simcity and want to play along with me, I can be found here:

User Name: olasis
Server: North America West 4

Simcity has been one of those things that to this day I still haven’t met a lot of people that play it. However I know there are hundreds out there. I guess I just haven’t found you guys.