The Passing of Gary Gygax

Bear with me for just a moment fellow NDPT'ers. I'm deviating far from the poker center with this post, but I wanted to pause and pay homage to a man who helped a younger "me" develop an active imagination, an appreciation for the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and frankly a love of gaming in general. (Pardon me while the true geek within shows himself...)

The man was Gary Gygax. Born July 27, 1938 Gygax was an American writer and game designer, best known as co-creator of the first role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) with Dave Arneson. He later co-founded the company Tactical Studies Rules (TSR, Inc.) with Don Kaye in 1973. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the "father of the role-playing game." To my childhood friends Rodney, Joe, and Randy he created a world that we wandered through for more weekend games than I can even remember.

When I read the article over at the BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7278927.stm I immediately headed over to Wikipedia to check out more about Gygax, and it was there that I found images of a number of the books and modules that I owned as a child and used to create and play the game.

I recall that many people at the time had the view that the game had some "evil" overtone and was something that parents should keep their kids away from. While my parents were concerned by something they didn't understand, they were reasonable people... and recognized that there was a lot of reading involved, thinking, and developing of a healthy imagination. Okay, it had some weird looking dice to go along with it and their son went around talking about orcs, elves, and warriors all too frequently, but by and large the game seemed harmless, albeit strange.

Dungeons and Dragons was basically a game in which players created fictional characters who possessed a variety of skills and abilities. These characters were then used in the various games in which we played. The dice controlled elements of the game, but the rest for the most part was up to the imaginations of the players involved.

According to the article "An estimated 20 million people worldwide have played the game, with more than $1bn (£505m) spent on equipment and books."

Gary Gygax passed away on March 4, 2008 at the age of 69. His impact on the role-playing industry as well as video gaming will continue to be felt for years to come. Thanks for many fond memories, a vivid imagination, and in many ways a true passion for writing. Rest in peace.

Regards,

cheer_dad