July 30, 2008 - It never takes very long before "bad things" start to happen when I'm given total control over a virtual cityscape teeming with writhing little ant-like masses of humans running to and fro. Now when I say "bad things," I'm talking about a whole lot more than inflated taxation and traffic congestion. People burn, buildings are destroyed, giant monsters attack, tornadoes strike at random, civilizations crumble, and hell comes to visit the earth.

SimCity on the SNES was my first taste of absolute power. Just as the saying goes, there was no escaping the wave of malicious corruption that tightened its grip on me, as I clutched the controller in both hands. It was all fine and good hiking taxes to tick off citizens, building roadways and residences in inappropriately shaped patterns, and watching my city slowly spring to life; but impatience soon gave way to more insidious thoughts.

It always started out innocently. My city's coffers would eventually run dangerously low and financial sheets would dip too deeply into the red to recover - due to my youthful inability to balance any kind of budget. As my interest in the frequent upkeep required for a proper, well-oiled society slowly waned, my cursor would gradually creep without fail to the beloved disaster menu. One by one I'd click each button in sequence, crank up the speed, and stand back as the chaos unfolded. Devastation reigned supreme as an unnatural number of horrible events struck my fair city in rapid sequence.

I'm not evil per se. I'm only human, and we like to break things - particularly at a younger age. Unfortunately, my habit of eventually crushing cities has stuck with me through the years as fancier versions of the game have provided greater opportunities for mayhem.