By putting interior design at the heart of his game, Wright took a page from influential architect Christopher Alexander. The psychologically astute Alexander argues that ordinary people innately grasp how environments and urban planning affect us; it's why young couples often argue heatedly about what neighborhood or city to live in. "We intuitively understand the need for privacy or our affinity for light," Wright notes. "[Alexander] was always saying that you don't need a professional—you can do this yourself. He became kind of the anti-architect."
While reading Alexander, Wright discovered a curious fact: Home-design software sells millions of copies a year. Wright figured it was hardly likely that so many people were actually embarking on massive remodeling projects; in reality, they probably just wanted to play with architecture. The Sims, Wright deduced, could be a laboratory for understanding not only our personalities, but also our personal spaces.
In the process of designing the ultimate split-level, players sometimes learn a few things about their own lives. Grimison tried creating a virtual replica of her own house. When she finished it, something weird happened: Her Sims didn't like it. "It was because my bathroom doesn't have windows since it's in the middle of the house. And my Sims always want light in all the rooms or they won't be happy." Lisa Anne Craig had a similar epiphany, but in reverse. "I actually used The Sims when I was painting the house. I couldn't decide what color to paint it, so I made a model of our house and I tried out various colors. Unfortunately, we picked a periwinkle. It's very Florida," she jokes, "but now I kind of hate it."
