To “Dungeons & Dragons” die-hards E. Gary Gygax was a giant. To residents of Wisconsin (like me) he was a quiet man who lived in a large home along Lake Geneva. Now both groups are mourning his death.
According to news reports, Gygax died of an abdominal aneurysm. He was 69.
He is considered the “father of modern gaming” and he has “Dungeons & Dragons” to thank for putting him on the map. In 1974, Gygax developed “Dungeons & Dragons” with Dave Arneson. In addition, he was involved in founding Tactical Studies Rules, which published “Dungeons & Dragons” and other games and novels that kept “Dungeons & Dragons” at the gaming forefront.
But not many of Gygax’s fans knew he was a high school dropout and that he classified himself as a maverick of sorts. The Chicago native worked as an insurance underwriter and a shoe repairman, before venturing into the business of games.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the popular game, “Dungeons & Dragons” had a simple premise. Players create a character and lead the character through the story, except that there are other people involved. How the story turns out depends on the individual player. The game has been compared to group storytelling or group problem solving.
Gygax did a wonderful job of filling “Dungeons & Dragons” with the stuff of imagination – knights and wizards, nonhuman species and magical creatures and it didn’t take long before it became a gaming sensation.
Many consider “Dungeons & Dragons” the model for which other aspects of pop culture emerged, most notably online computer games. Interestingly, the real roots of “Dungeons & Dragons” reportedly began with Gygax’s interest in traditional war board games – and influences such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.”
According to Gygax’s pals, he continued to write and create games well after “Dungeons & Dragons” became a cult phenomenon.
In addition to his wife of 20 years, Gygax is survived by his children, Ernie, Elise, Heidi, Luke, Cindy and Alex; and grandchildren.
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