Dang that sounds cool.
The theme of Will Wright's next game is "everything".
The article says, "This time around, players get the ultimate sim: life, the universe, and everything."
That sounds really cool.
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In a related vein. You might be interested in a fellow named Jay Forrester.
This PBS article A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Jay Forrester is a nice overview.
Thinking about global equilibrium or organization and social dynamics is really fascinating stuff.
Maybe ponder on the implications for our planet as China, and other nations we think of as third world countries, grow more wealthy. What's the limit? Is there one?
Can everyone have an SUV, a big screen TV and a fast computer? How might the "system" (our planet) be impacted by huge server farms, explosive population growth, pollution; consider our air, water and food supply, education, and the environment.
I spent a few years studying "systems" thinking in an Antioch University Seattle graduate program, ala Jay Forrester, Peter Senge, etal.
This page Intro to ST give you a flavor of what systems thinking is about.
A couple of things I would consider important learnings -
Be careful when you tinker with a complex system. Do your best to understand the effect of system feedback loops, oscillation, time delays may have on the output. That sounds dry as heck I know but it's really key.
Secondly - There is no "other", there is no "out there". It's all right here. Whatever you do or don't do - it will have an impact.
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This Wikipedia article contains information on Norbert Wiener, another pioneer of systems thinking.
This short biography from Scotland's University of St. Andrews gives an interesting glimple of a complex and fascinating man.
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