Today we are very happy to present you with our newest 10 Questions column, this time featuring Sid Meier, the "Father of PC Gaming." Meier is currently Director of Creative Development at developer Firaxis, and during his 25+ year career in this industry he's won numerous awards.

Thanks again to all of our readers who sent in questions. Please enjoy the Q&A below.

1. You've watched the game industry truly evolve over the last 26 years. What excites you as a developer today?

A true pioneer in the game industry

The same things that excited me about being a developer in the early 1980s - I love to design and code games. I come to work every day and look forward to being at my keyboard writing code and iterating on whatever game we're working on at the time. It is pretty thrilling to see how many people are playing and enjoying games today. Our industry continues to come up with new ways for people to play games – new platforms, game ideas etc. that keep things exciting and interesting...and growing. I hope to be making games forever – it's the greatest job in the world.

2. I've been playing Civilization since 8th grade (so that would be 1991 or 92), and back then it was a great learning tool for civics and even political sciences. And I'm wondering if Sid appreciated civics before Civilization or whether he's developed an appreciation for civics since starting the series. I'm also curious if he can point at any version of the game and say "That's ultimate Civilization. That's the perfect iteration of the game." Or if we're still waiting for the perfect Civ.

The human dynamics throughout history have always fascinated me, but I've certainly gained a greater appreciation for civics through Civilization. Since you (as the King) are in control in a game of Civ and the decisions you make effect every aspect of the game, you have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of situations and observe the impact they have on your citizens. It's quite eye opening.

I could probably point to each of the games in the Civ series and find a part of them that feels like the ultimate Civ experience. Every time we make a new version of Civ we try to make it better than the last, but I can't say that one version trumps them all. We've just completed work on Civilization Revolution for the Xbox 360, PS3 and DS, and we think it's a pretty great Civ experience. To say that it's better than all of the Civ PC versions is comparing apples and oranges – they are two very unique and fun ways to experience Civ – we'll leave it to the players to decide which they like best.

3. Why turn your back on the largest installed base on the console landscape today, and not release the "game you always wanted to make" on the Wii? Or are you planning to release the Wii version of Civ Revolution later after all?

We're still in the process of making decisions on that and will keep you posted. We certainly think the Wii is a fantastic system and have no intentions of turning our backs on it!

4. I've read about your interest in possibly working on an MMO. What is your next genre of game going to be? Are you going to be making a new kind of game in the future?

I'm exploring lots of exciting ideas right now. A Civ MMO is a really intriguing idea and we're spending time thinking about how we could make it the fun addictive experience Civ players expect. Beyond that I have some new ideas that are quite different from games I've made in the past – and that's all I'm able to tell you right now. Stand by for more information in the near future!

5. What would you be doing today if you never entered the game industry and what hobbies do you enjoy besides games?

My background is in programming, so I'd probably be doing that in some other industry – but I don't even like to think about it! I'm so fortunate to have made a career out of creating games – there's really nothing else I'd rather do for a living. When I'm not making games I love playing them. I also enjoy writing and playing music both on my own and with a couple of different bands. And when the weather permits I love playing golf.