Our approach to making games is to find the fun first and then

The words of Sid Meier, “Our approach to making games is to find the fun first and then use the technology to enhance the fun,” shine as a guiding star not only for the art of creation but for all endeavors of human spirit. Here is the wisdom of a master craftsman who understood that technology is but a servant, and that the essence of a great creation lies in the joy, the playfulness, and the soul it awakens in those who partake of it. To chase technology alone is to craft a hollow shell; but to pursue fun—the pure delight of human imagination—and then adorn it with the tools of the age, is to give life to something enduring.

Meier, the father of legendary works such as Civilization, did not begin by asking how powerful a computer might be, nor how many lines of code could be bent into shape. He began with a simple question: What will delight the player? From this seed of fun, he allowed the branches of technology to grow, wrapping themselves around the spirit of play, enhancing but never replacing it. His wisdom teaches us that in creation, the heart must always come before the machine, for without the spark of spirit, the mightiest tool is useless.

History echoes this teaching. In the days of the ancient Greeks, the builders of amphitheaters did not first marvel at the stone they had, but asked instead: How might the people see and hear the drama? From that search for human experience, the architecture followed, amplifying the joy of story and song. Likewise, the creators of the Lego brick did not begin with plastics and molds, but with the idea that children must have tools for imagination and play. From that vision, technology served, and a timeless creation was born.

The meaning is clear: to chase technology without purpose is to be dazzled by empty power. Many inventions have died forgotten because they sought only to impress with machinery, not to touch the human heart. But to chase joy, wonder, and play, and then let technology magnify that essence, is to craft something that endures across generations. True creativity is not in circuits or codes, but in the spark that makes a child laugh, a thinker ponder, or a dreamer dream.

This lesson applies beyond games. In life, in work, in relationships, one must always seek the essence first—the love, the meaning, the truth—and only then adorn it with tools, wealth, or status. A home built on affection will flourish even if it is humble, while a mansion built only for show will feel barren. A friendship nurtured in sincerity will outlast time, while one built only upon convenience will wither. The fun first, technology after is a law for all acts of creation, great and small.

Therefore, let the children of tomorrow remember: when you set out to build, to work, or to dream, begin not with the tools of your time, but with the soul of the endeavor. Ask first: Where is the joy? Where is the meaning? What will awaken the spirit? Then, let the tools of your era serve you, magnifying that joy, strengthening that meaning, and carrying it further than your hand alone could reach.

So it is that Meier’s wisdom becomes a teaching of the ancients: spirit before machine, essence before adornment, joy before power. If you live by this order, your creations—whether in art, in labor, or in life—will not merely impress for a season but will endure like eternal monuments, carrying laughter and light to generations yet unborn.