It's the job of the game designer to come up with the vision for the game -- what it'll play like, how it should look, how it should feel. That's Sid Meier's job, and he's been doing it since 1982. If you're curious, here's what Sid's office looks like. Like some sort of museum back room, it's filled with little artifacts reflecting his personal interests: Golf. Art. The Civil War. Dinosaurs!

Meier got his start as a programmer, and he still designs his games hands-on by doing some of the programming himself. If he ever wants to tinker around with some sort of gameplay idea, rather than describe what he wants to someone else, he simply implements it himself to see if its fun. Between programming the games, leading his team, and putting up with reporters like me rummaging through his office, he's got a pretty full day.