As a lover of the game Dungeons & Dragons, and all of it’s offshoots in various forms, I’m saddened to hear that the inventor of the game Gary Gygax has passed on. For anyone that ever spent hours upon hours in friend’s basements exploring the realms of Middle Earth and beyond, this is a sad day indeed.
I never understood some parent’s opposition to the game. It is a social game that inspires creativity, math skills, imagination, writing, strategy and more, much better than just vegetating in front of the television. Speaking of TV though, Gygax in addition to co-inventing the game, also produced a short-lived television show in 1985 based on the game. He also created many more games like Dangerous Journeys and Legendary Adventures.
He is and will always be a hero to us fantasy genre nerds, and is undoubtedly a giant in the realm. We lost the Wheel of Time series writer Robert Jordan last year, and now Gary Gygax, – not a great couple of years for fantasy. Created in the mid 70’s, Dungeons & Dragons eventually was sold to TSR, and then to it’s current owner – Wizards of the Coast. It has seen many forms including Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and AD&D versions 2, 2.5, 3 and the current 3.5 edition rules, and spawned thousands of similar games. The games Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 are the best current computer versions of the game, fully implementing WOTC’s 3.5 edition rules.
Mr. Gygax’s legacy is a huge one, and we will miss him very much. Here’s to you Gary, HUZZAH! May your soul rest in peace.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don’t need any rules.”
- Gary Gygax
4 responses so far ↓
wickle // March 5, 2008 at 6:15 am |
I went through the conflict with my parents over D&D for several years. I think that part of the problem was that some people abused it. Of course, some people sniffed glue, but they let my brother make model airplanes. I never once tried actually conjuring Asmodeus or attacking my brother with a broadsword.
I saw the Gygax note on CNN last night and was saddened, as well. I’m trying to figure out when to introduce my sons to the gaming world, for exactly the reasons you noted — it’s imagination, there is an intellectual element to it, and it’s a huge motivator for reading. Not only within the gaming world, but the related novels.
In Which There Is No Defense Against the Onslaught of Reality « This Recording // March 5, 2008 at 3:31 pm |
[...] “The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don’t need any rules.” [...]
edtajchman // March 5, 2008 at 3:46 pm |
I agree with you Wickle, especially about the reading thing, I’ve read probably a hundred books at least, that I wouln’t of if I hadn’t played D&D. Its an interactive game that, like you say, in moderation like anything,…. is a doorway to the imagination.
Gaming Briefs and Nostalgia Bits // March 6, 2008 at 9:25 am |
Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, passes away at 69
Wired’s blog (via Michelle Malkin) reports that the guy who co-created one of the biggest RPG franchises back in 1974 has passed away