Gary Gygax, RIP
News is just starting to come in that Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax has passed away.
Gary Gygax, along with Dave Arneson, co-wrote the original Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game which first saw publication in 1974. To say the game made a cultural impact would be something of an understanding. It changed the face of gaming, certainly, and ingrained itself into popular cultural to the point it was even adapted into a Saturday morning cartoon in the 1980s.
It’s ironic that Gary would pass away today. March 4th is recognized in the gaming community as GM’s (GameMaster’s) Day, a time to show appreciation for the efforts of those who take players on tours of adventure on a regular basis. Gary was certainly the grand-master of GMs.
I had the opportunity to meet Gary this past summer at Gen Con. I was able to speak briefly with him, and thank him for creating the game that has brought so much enjoyment to so many for so long. I’m sure when he started out he never, ever dreamed that that little fantasy game would still be going strong almost 35 years later.
