Fall Of The Gamemaster: Gary Gygax Passes Away

It’s the end of an era. No, that doesn’t have enough kick to it. A legend has fallen. Yes, that’s definitely a more suitable statement to describe the passing of Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and an icon to anyone who has ever picked up some dice. No, I’m not talking about Yahtzee either. I’m talking about role-playing games, that genre of play that can immediately turn non-gamers away, and a genre Gygax was considered to be the grandfather of.

Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974. Since then their little game has faced trials and tribulations that almost rival that of the mythic quests that happen in the game: censorship, book banning, and the Christian coalition. Hell, I remember my assistant principal in high school eying our lunch table and trying to figure out what kind of gambling we might be doing with those weird shaped dice. Despite such adversaries, the game blossomed into a huge success and inspired gamers to go off and write, make movies, and even do their best to represent their hobby beyond what naysayers had portrayed it to be.

Gygax was only 69, although The Associated Press reports his wife as saying that his health had not been well for a number of years. He was found dead in his Lake Geneva, Wisconsin home.

Truly, a legend has fallen. Gaming may have evolved past what Gygax and Arneson intended with their little game in 1974, but as a hobby and industry, gaming has always owed a huge debt to the two. Hopefully we will continue to remember Gygax every time we pick up the dice, regardless of the game.

Thanks for all the fun Gary. May all your roles be crits and save me a place at your table.