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    From video game to day job: How 'SimCity' inspired a generation of city planners

    by Jessica Roy, Los Angeles Times Mar 06, 2019 5 minutes

    Jason Baker was studying political science at UC Davis when he got his hands on "SimCity." He took a careful approach to the computer game.

    "I was not one of the players who enjoyed Godzilla running through your city and destroying it. I enjoyed making my city run well."

    This conscientious approach gave him a boost in a class on local government. Instead of writing a term paper about three different models for how cities can develop, Baker proposed building three scenarios in "SimCity," then letting the game run on its own and writing about how his virtual cities fared.

    He ended up getting an A. Playing "SimCity," Baker said, "helped remind me of the importance of local government, which is what I ended up doing for a living."

    Today, Baker is the vice president of transportation and housing at the nonprofit Silicon Valley Leadership Group. He served

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