Anyone who has ever played an RPG game owes Gary Gygax a debt of gratitude. A co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons (and several later roleplaying games), Gygax helped establish roleplaying games long before videogames existed.
These days, it’s hard to find an RPG that hasn’t taken something from D&D; and there’s no questioning the genre was initially formed based upon mimicking the D&D game in computer form.
Earlier this morning, reports came out that Gary Gygax had passed away. It comes as no surprise given the state of his health-in 2004 he suffered two strokes, in 2006 he almost had a heart attack, and he was diagnosed with an inoperable abdominal aortic aneurysm-but it’s still a sad day for gaming.
Much like many of the early pioneers who helped bring gaming mainstream, Gygax is widely unknown by today’s gamers. With people like Miyamoto and Kojima being praised for their creations in the videogame arena, those who led the way for the videogame burst of the late 70s and 80s are often forgotten.
So for those of you who love roleplaying games, or for those of you who have ever played any game which uses the D&D system, take a moment of you time today and remember the man who made them possible, and imagine what gaming would be lacking without his influence.
