The Sims' Bing Gordon is Specifically Right

The Fourth Curtain

Our guest Bing Gordon has had a long successful run in videogames and tech. From marketing lead to Chief Creative Officer at EA, he helped shaped NASCAR, The Sims and other huge titles. We discuss pitching, two beer strategies and Speilberg's smoke test - this week!

Episode Highlights

[00:04:00] How Bing Gordon Helped Launch Electronic Arts

Bing shares the story of co-founding EA when it was a scrappy startup in 1983, including raising $2 million in funding and being the company’s one-person marketing department.

[00:07:00] Reading the Room: How Bing Predicted Game Success

Bing explains how walking into a studio could tell him whether a game would ship on time and be successful—drawing parallels to retail psychology and intuition.

[00:10:00] Meeting Trip Hawkins and Dreaming of Virtual Worlds

Bing recounts meeting Trip Hawkins at Stanford and discussing early ideas about creating a “virtual Disneyland,” which inspired their future at EA.

00:17:00] Why Bing Fell in Love with Games

He discusses his childhood fascination with puzzles, invented games, and the dream of living multiple lives through games, likening them to the metaverse.

[00:18:00] Steven Spielberg on Games vs. Movies

Bing recalls Spielberg’s take on video games as a “lean-in” medium compared to passive film watching, and how body language helped refine cinematic pacing.

[00:23:00] Designing the NASCAR Draft Meter to Win Over Critics

Bing talks about a near failure in NASCAR Racing’s development and how adding a visual “draft meter” salvaged the game’s perception and success.

[00:51:00] What Makes a Great Founder?

Bing shares his top insight into investing: founders who give you an insight you've never heard before are often the most successful.

[00:55:00] The Risk of Being 'Generally Right, Specifically Wrong'

He explains how being close to a great idea, but missing key details, can result in failure—coining the phrase “generally right, specifically wrong.”

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