We played it as a game; it was actually a political manifesto. 🏗️🏛️ We investigate the hidden conservative ideology baked into the code of SimCity, the game that taught millions how cities "should" work. We expose how creator Will Wright was influenced by the controversial theories of Jay Forrester, whose book Urban Dynamics argued that helping the poor actually destroys cities.

1. The Forrester Code: We break down the "black box" simulation. The game's underlying math is based on Forrester’s System Dynamics, which explicitly posits that low-income housing and job programs are detrimental to urban health, while tax cuts for the rich create growth. The game literally punishes you for "liberal" policies by causing urban decay, forcing players to adopt a specific, ruthless economic worldview to win.

2. The "Magna Santi" Nightmare: We analyze the ultimate logical conclusion of SimCity's rules: Magna Santi, a terrifying, perfect city designed by a player to beat the game's math. It has 6 million residents, zero crime, and zero abandoned buildings—but it is a totalitarian police state where citizens have no freedom and live short, efficient lives. It proves that the game's definition of "success" is efficient fascism, not human happiness.

3. The "Libertarian Toy Land": Why can't you build mixed-use zoning? Why is homelessness invisible? We discuss how the game's limitations—separating residential from commercial, ignoring systemic poverty—train players to see cities as machines for generating tax revenue rather than communities for people. We ask: did SimCity accidentally create a generation of urban planners who value highways over humans?