Adrianna is a software developer at the University of Cape Town's eResearch centre, and is completing a masters degree in computer science.

Accepted Talks:

Python-assisted creative writing: managing dynamic gender in RPG scenarios

The ability to modify text programmatically through simple scripting can empower writers to make creative choices which would otherwise be impossible.

In this talk I will discuss why it is useful for the gender of characters in a live action roleplaying game scenario to be an easily changeable property, and introduce Genderiser, a Python script which is intended to assist non-technical writers in utilising this technique in their own work.

The talk is aimed at anyone who is interested in applying their programming skills to creative writing. I hope to encourage beginners to use Genderiser and adapt it to their own needs—whether they are creating a similar type of interactive fiction, or more traditional works such as novels or short stories.

There will also be a more technical overview of how the script works, and how I have attempted to distribute it in a form which is useful to non-technical users. I will also discuss future directions for the code, such as the addition of a graphical interface and use of better packaging and installation tools.