Readers of GamePolitics may recognize the name of Carnegie-Mellon University’s Randy Pausch. 

The computer science professor cofounded CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center and directs the Alice software project, a free 3D graphics teaching tool for student programmers.

Pausch also has a design credit for Peacemaker, a highly-regarded serious game about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has been referred to as a game education giant.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal Online, Pausch recently gave what was billed as his “Last Lecture.”  This is a common title for talks given at many colleges around the country.  Basically, professors assume that they will be giving the last lecture of their lives and talk about whatever means the most to them.

Sadly, the last lecture scenario has a more ominous significance for Pausch; he suffers from pancreatic cancer and has only months to live.

Speaking before an audience of 400 students, Pausch received a standing ovation before he even started.

Pausch kept his audience entertained for over an hour with his engaging and personable speaking style.  He spoke about his life, family, career and the lessons he’d learned along the way such as the best way to view setbacks to one's personal goals:

Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things.

He discussed lifelong dreams he’d achieved such as designing a Disney theme park ride and experiencing zero gravity. But, he added, helping others achieve their own dreams was even more fulfilling.

One of many amusing anecdotes detailed how he had required his students to create video games without sex and violence.  Although his students all eventually rose to the challenge, Paucsh noted:

You'd be surprised how many 19-year-old boys run out of ideas when you take those possibilities away.

At the end of the lecture Pausch received another standing ovation.  Obviously, the audience felt he had more than earned it.

Says Pausch on his website:

I am glad this lecture has been received so well. It really was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is wonderful to know. But rest assured; I'm hardly unique.

An obviously moved Diane Sawyer interviews Randy Pausch in this Good Morning America video clip:



-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen