Tuesday, March 04, 2008

R.I.P. Gary Gygax

If you felt a great disturbance in the force yesterday, like the wailing of millions of geeky souls, it was because Gary Gygax, creator of the original fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons has left the prime material plane.

Nerds around the world are singing his praises on message boards, forums, and blogs. The stories are all very familiar, and mine doesn't stand out as being particularly special. If you never played the game, never knew the joy of a "natural 20," you won't understand. Mr. Gygax gave a generation of youths an excuse to not only hang onto the wonder of imagination, when most are putting it away with the other trappings of childhood, he gave us a reason and structure to exercise and nurture our imaginations.

Fittingly, the original Dungeon Master, failed his final saving throw on Game Master's Day.

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