Uses and Subversions of SimCity 2000 TM

Ever since beginning my fieldwork on children's use of computer games, I've fluctuated between mild and serious addiction to Maxis Inc's hit computer game, SimCity 2000TM, a game that I began playing under the guise of research, but continue to play out of some sort of obsessive attraction to the tiny cities that I have designed and nurtured. In the words of Maxis's marketing department, SimCity 2000TM is the "ultimate city simulator," "If this game were any more realistic, it'd be illegal to turn it off!" (http://www.maxis.com).