Sims Creator Will Wright Honored With Randy Pausch Prize

Respected game designer and Stupid Fun Club founder Will Wright (The Sims, Spore) will be honored by Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) this month for "his success in mixing artistry with technology" as the receipient of the 2011 Randy Pausch Prize. The Pausch Prize "celebrates those industry professionals who have bridged the gap between right brain and left brain thinking," said Don Marinelli, co-founder of the ETC. "His work manifests not only technical expertise and artist creativity, but he is legendary for games and interactive experiences that are educational and entertaining at the same time," said Marinelli. The Pausch Prize is named after ETC co-founder Randy Pausch, noted author of The Last Lecture, a book based on a lecture Pausch gave in 2007 while dying of cancer. Pausch also spearheaded Alice, an educational 3D programming environment that incorporates assets from The Sims 2 that were donated by Electronic Arts. Wright will receive the prize at a university event on April 28, prior to the ETC's first Building Virtual Worlds Spring Festival on the 29th, which Wright will participate in.