What do an astrobiologist and game developer have in common? Well, if the game developer is the legendary Will Wright and the astrobiologist is Jill Tarter, then the answer is quite a bit--from visionary predictions of the role of artificial intelligence in the near and distant future to the potential of finding intelligent technology beyond our planet. Wright, who became a regular visitor to Tarter's labs at the SETI Institute while developing his recently released game Spore, sat down earlier this month with Tarter for seed.com's Seed Salon. Wright and Tarter's discussion weaves in and out of science and fiction, illustrating how slim the border between the two can be and how the imagination can allow a better view of both. As Wright explains:

I think of games as being an amplifier for the imagination of the players, in the same way that a car amplifies our legs or a house amplifies our skin. Not only are we able to build much more elaborate models on a computer, which can keep track of all the numbers and the repercussions, but we're also able to share and communicate those models to others. It becomes a tool of self expression.

So if you were looking for an excuse to spend more time playing Spore, here you go.