Game designer Will Wright was inspired to create a " virtual doll house " after losing his home during the Oakland firestorm of 1991 and subsequently rebuilding his life . Replacing his home and his other possessions made him think about adapting that life experience into a game . When Wright initially took his ideas to the Maxis board of the directors , they were skeptical and gave little support or financing for the game . The directors at Electronic Arts , which bought Maxis in 1997 , were more receptive &mdash; '' SimCity '' had been a great success for them , and they foresaw the possibility of building a strong '' Sim '' franchise
Oakland firestorm of 1991
Oakland firestorm of 1991
The Sims