Sid Meier

Sid Meier
Sid Meier at the GDC 2010
Born	(1954-02-24) February 24, 1954 (age 62) Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Occupation	Game programmer, video game designer, video game producer
Years active	1982–present
Employer	2K Games
Known for	MicroProse, Firaxis Games, Civilization series
Spouse(s)	Susan Meier
Children	Ryan Meier
Awards	AIAS Hall of Fame Award (1999)

Sidney K. "Sid" Meier (born February 24, 1954) is a programmer, designer, and producer of several popular strategy video games and simulation video games, most notably the Civilization series. Meier co-founded MicroProse in 1982 with Bill Stealey and is the Director of Creative Development of Firaxis Games, which he co-founded with Jeff Briggs and Brian Reynolds in 1996. He has won several prestigious accolades for his contributions to the video game industry.

Meier was born in the Canadian city of Sarnia to parents of Dutch and Swiss descent, giving him both Canadian and Swiss citizenship. A few years later the family moved to Michigan, where Sid Meier grew up and studied history and computer science, graduating with a degree in computer science from the University of Michigan. Meier lives in Hunt Valley, Maryland, with his wife, Susan. He met his wife at the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Faith Lutheran, in Cockeysville, where he plays the organ. Meier and his wife both sing in the church choir.

Meier founded MicroProse with Bill Stealey in 1982, and by 1986 the company was using his name and face in advertisements for its games. MicroProse at first developed mostly simulation video games, such as Silent Service and F-19 Stealth Fighter. In 1987, the company released Sid Meier's Pirates!, which also began a trend of placing Meier's name in the titles of his games. He later explained that the inclusion of his name was because of the dramatic departure in the design of Pirates! compared to the company's earlier titles. Stealey decided that it would improve the company's branding, believing that it would make those who purchased the flight simulators more likely to play the game. Stealey recalled: "We were at dinner at a Software Publishers Association meeting, and Robin Williams was there. And he kept us in stitches for two hours. And he turns to me and says 'Bill, you should put Sid's name on a couple of these boxes, and promote him as the star.' And that's how Sid's name got on Pirates, and Civilization."