No one would claim that Will Wright is anything short of a genius, but his current look is a cross between prosthetic-fetishism and turn-of-the-century hobo chic. He seems to be waiting for the invention of hover trains so he can gather his belongings in a lycra bag, attach it to a retractable carbon-fiber baton, and travel the country in search of nano-vittles and robo-hooch.

My Mr. Blackwell impersonation aside — oh, he WISHES he could come up with something like “robo-hooch” — Mr. Wright’s speech at the recent TED conference is quite compelling. He spoke at length about the importance of “toys” and how it is that he does what he does so well. If you’ve ever wondered just what makes Will Wright one of the most respected figures in game design, the video above makes an excellent primer.

Destiny 2 Solstice 2025 armor

Oh, and he also shows offSpore, whatever the hell that is …

Hell is Us gameplay reveal

Black Ops 6 Season 5 Multiplayer Ransack Mode

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: a black and white Jin and Heihachi stand back-to-back.

PEAK Bing Bong plushie

Silent Hill f: a woman’s face covered in blossoming but deadly looking flowers.

Mei NERF gun in OW2

Battlefield 6 vehicles combat

Battlefield 6 aiming RPG at a helicopter

BO7 key art