> - how much does it go into people and personalities of the team and stakeholders, besides the technical design of the game?
A lot; it all goes together.
> - it sounds like first part of the book is historical and talks about various games, second focuses strictly on simcity?
Yes. And not just games, but computer history and simulation practices (like system dynamics, cellular automata, artificial life) that influenced SimCity and shaped its reception.
> - how much does it go into people and personalities of the team and stakeholders, besides the technical design of the game?
A lot; it all goes together.
> - it sounds like first part of the book is historical and talks about various games, second focuses strictly on simcity?
Yes. And not just games, but computer history and simulation practices (like system dynamics, cellular automata, artificial life) that influenced SimCity and shaped its reception.