Randy Pausch, author of the best-selling book, The Last Lecture, a book about his life with terminal pancreatic cancer, died last Friday aged 47.

Randy Pausch author of The Last Lecture

Pausch co-founded Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center and was one of the innovators in education for game development and interactive entertainment. And in February this year, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in California announced the creation of the Dr. Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund for university students who pursue careers in game design, development and production.

His “last lecture”, which he gave in September last year, became an online sensation and international best-seller, was about fulfilling his childhood dreams. He is survived by his wife, Jai, and their three children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe; his mother and sister.

Links
Randy Pausch (Carnegie Mellon):
http://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/
Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center:
http://www.etc.cmu.edu/

Today’s Gamasutra includes an article by John Nash from Blitz Games. The article discusses much of what was included in his GDC talk earlier in the year, and highlights the importance of training within game studios as a means for improving productivity. I think it also demonstrates, how the role of widespread formalized training within the game industry is really in its infancy.

It’s definitely worth a read if you are interested in developing training within your studio, and I have personally found John to be very approachable on this issue when I spoke to him earlier in the year. I’d also suggest listening to his GDC talk as it is quite comprehensive, and he covers in greater depth, some of the points he raises in the article.

What I’d keep in mind, however, is the studio culture and the current processes and systems of organization within a studio when implementing training, as its quite important to have the necessary support and pathways for it to be successful, and it needs to consistent with the culture of the organization. That said, I’ve found it a fantastic experience to be managing training at Krome Studios and be a part of the push for training within game studios more broadly. And I think John’s article illustrates, from a local viewpoint, how Krome is at the forefront in this area.

Link
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3711/
implementing_training_the_secret_.php