Richard Bartle Speaks in Second Life

Richard Bartle started the first text virtual world in 1978, when he was 18. He came in Second Life yesterday and spoke, giving generously of his time. The sim was so crowded the organisers had to get a Linden to force-teleport him in. He quickly picked up on the interface necessities in order to read the bazillion interjections from the crowd. We all lounged about and listened to him speak. I had to leave after about 2.5 hours or more as I was going to Looper's house.
This talk got a bit fixated on text vs graphics due to the direction of the questions, and he gave his opinion that text without graphics allows deeper immersion as it requires imagination. I felt like he was comparing imaginative writing with graphics as though the graphics required no creativity - as if the graphics were a set part of the game as in... well, every other game. Of course, I'm a visual artist and a slow keyboarder, so I'm already over the hill and down the other side without so much as a shove when it comes to believing in images. If you digest the world visually graphics are much more than bait for noobs. There was a bit in there about how thinking is in words, which, actually, is just one way in which thought happens - at least to me. I think for any artist part of making art is creating something that can be shown to others as you made it. Then too, if you are imagining (who's to say) you might be falling back on the same qualities every time - say, imagining things to be rounded - instead of being shown someone else's vision and adding those things to your repertoire. I think the text vs graphics thing is not terribly interesting - we all have our beliefs and are unlikely to change them. I'd've liked to've heard a bit more in other directions, but perhaps he'll come back.
I saw a transcript that made me wonder a bit as it had things I'd said at the very end (Thank you, Richard - please come again) out of sequence, and the reply I remembered him making (Perhaps I will since I wasn't lynched this time) missing entirely. Sometimes in high-stress times the comments are jumbled a bit...