<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">Dear SIGCIS,</p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">I’m excited to announce the release of my new book, <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547482/building-simcity/"><i>Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine</i></a>, available today, as part of MIT Press’s Game Histories series.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">The book delves deeply into <i>SimCity</i>, but ranges widely into the broader history of computer simulation, which is analyzed as a social and cultural practice. This approach to game history has a strong STS bent and is informed by the work of Michael Mahoney and many scholars from within the SIGCIS community.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><i>Building SimCity</i> includes histories of cellular automata and system dynamics (two simulation traditions <i>SimCity </i>liberally borrows from), studying the mechanisms by which simulation practices evolve and spread, and the ways in which simulation makers function as interdisciplinarians, brokering relationships between different communities and worldviews. <i>SimCity</i>, for instance, enabled Maxis to establish ties between the worlds of high science (like the Santa Fe Institute), education, popular culture (like Nintendo), enterprise business, venture capital, and more. As a result, Maxis titles (like <i>SimAnt</i>, <i>SimEarth</i>, and <i>The Sims</i>) refracted vanguard science, bringing esoteric topics such as complexity science, artificial life, and embodied cognition to popular audiences, while simultaneously advancing the agendas of its partners in capital and academia.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">For those with US addresses, get a 30% discount today, June 4 (launch day), through <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744393/building-simcity-by-chaim-gingold-foreword-by-janet-h-murray/">Penguin Random House</a> with the code PUBDAY30. Afterwards, get 20% off with READMIT20.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">Cheers,</font></p><p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">Chaim</p><p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><br></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 72px; text-align: center; text-indent: -72px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">•••</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">“Much more than a book about <i>SimCity</i>, or even about video games, its large scope includes the invention of interactive computer graphics for simulations of all kinds, including the 'beyond reality' universes of games. Highly recommended!”</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>— <b>Alan Kay</b>, winner of the 2003 ACM Turing Award</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 17px;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><br></font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">“I learned more about the history and practice of simulation from this book than I ever knew. While I was usually stuck in the trees when designing <i>SimCity</i>, Gingold rises above to see the entire forest."</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>— <b>Will Wright</b>, designer of <i>SimCity</i> and <i>The Sims</i>; co-founder, Maxis</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 17px;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><br></font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">“<i>Building SimCity</i> tells the riveting and timely story of how the very unlikely idea of simulating cities became one of the most successful videogames of all times, tracing its origins back to the history of computing.”</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>— <b>Yasmin B. Kafai</b>, Lori and Michael Milken President's Distinguished Professor, The University of Pennsylvania; coauthor of Connected Gaming: What Making Video Games Can Teach Us about Learning and Literacy</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 17px;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><br></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 72px; text-align: center; text-indent: -72px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont" style="font-size: 14px;">•••</font></p><div><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont" style="font-size: 14px;"><br></font></div><div style="display: block;"><div style="-webkit-user-select: all; -webkit-user-drag: element; display: inline-block;" class="apple-rich-link" draggable="true" role="link" data-url="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547482/building-simcity/"><a style="border-radius:10px;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;display:block;-webkit-user-select:none;width:228px;user-select:none;-webkit-user-modify:read-only;user-modify:read-only;overflow:hidden;text-decoration:none;" class="lp-rich-link" rel="nofollow" href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547482/building-simcity/" dir="ltr" role="button" draggable="false" width="228"><table style="table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:collapse;width:228px;background-color:#E5E6E9;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="228"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center" align="center"><img style="width:228px;filter:brightness(0.97);height:341px;" width="228" height="341" draggable="false" class="lp-rich-link-mediaImage" alt="9780262547482.jpg" src="cid:21BC2156-21BE-424B-87AF-9ADA8489053C"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#E5E6E9" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="228" style="font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;table-layout:fixed;background-color:rgba(229, 230, 233, 1);" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:8px 0px 8px 0px;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem"><div style="max-width:100%;margin:0px 16px 0px 16px;overflow:hidden;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack"><div style="word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:500;font-size:12px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547482/building-simcity/" style="text-decoration: none" draggable="false"><font color="#272727" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847059);">Building SimCity</font></a></div><div style="word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:400;font-size:11px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547482/building-simcity/" style="text-decoration: none" draggable="false"><font color="#808080" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039);">mitpress.mit.edu</font></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 72px; text-align: center; text-indent: -72px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"></span><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;">•••</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 72px; text-align: center; text-indent: -72px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 17px;"><br></p><p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"></span><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;">Table of Contents</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">Introduction: SimCity’s Mystique</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">Part I Simulation’s Grasp</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1 Building Imaginary Cities</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2 Simulation as Analogy</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">Part II Paving the Road to SimCity</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>3 System Dynamics: A Society of Bits</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>4 Cellular Automata: Synthesizing the Universe</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>5 A Children’s Construction Set</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont">Part III SimCity’s Architects</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>6 Designing SimCity</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>7 Maxis at the Crossroads</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>8 How SimCity Works</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font face=".AppleSystemUIFont"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>9 Playing SimCity</font></p>
<p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">Conclusion: The World in a Machine</p><p style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div style="display: block;"><br></div></body></html>