Richard Bartle: Creator of virtual worlds
Looking for a little intellectual stimulation tomorrow night? You may have to flip a coin to figure out where you end up.
You’ve got two pretty solid choices — and they’re both free.
First, SAPD officer-turned-horror writer JOE MCKINNEY will be speaking at the SAN ANTONIO WRITERS GUILD’S monthly meeting, which is free and open to the public. A recent Stoker Award nominee, McKinney has published two post-apocalyptic horror novels set in San Antonio (one with zombies!) and more than 30 horror, crime and sf short stories.
McKinney will be discussing horror writing techniques in what may be a preview of his April 10 GEMINI INK class “Writing Modern Horror.” The guild meets at 7:30 p.m. at Bethany Congregational Church, 500 Pilgrim Dr.
And DR. RICHARD BARTLE, an influential writer and consultant on virtual world design, will be speaking at Trinity University as part of its uber-hip REALITY HACKERS series. A former university lecturer in artificial intelligence, Bartle co-authored the first virtual world as a college undergraduate in 1978. He’s worked as a consultant with almost every major online gaming company in the U.K. and the U.S. since then and is now a lecturer at Essex University.
Bartle will be speaking at Trinity’s Chapman Auditorium. His lecture is titled “Is the Virtual World Too Unrealistic? Crying Over Spilled Milk.” The lecture starts at 7 p.m.
