Gary Gygax was legendary among the gaming community [photo: Alan De Smet]
Dungeons and Dragons creator dies
/v3-uk/news/1975738/dungeons-dragons-creator-dies
05 Mar 2008, Iain Thomson , V3
[image_library_tag 830/153830, title="Gary Gygax [photo: Alan De Smet]" alt="Gary Gygax [photo: Alan De Smet]" border="0" width="185" height="110" ,default]
The co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, the world's most popular role-playing game, has died at his home in Wisconsin.
Gary Gygax was legendary among the gaming community for his invention, and its more popular successor Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.
The two games are still the most popular role-playing games and are a multi-billion dollar industry.
Games in which participants create characters from magical or mythical scenarios have been around for decades.
But Gygax and his friend Don Kaye began publishing scenarios in 1974 for others to play, and codified a set of rules so that players could write their own games.
"The essence of a role-playing game is that it is a group, cooperative experience," Gygax said in an interview with The New York Times in 2006.
"There is no winning or losing, but rather the value is in the experience of imagining yourself as a character in whatever genre you're involved in, whether it's a fantasy game, the Wild West, secret agents or whatever else."
Most role-playing games are now played entirely on computer, of which Gygax largely disapproved.
He felt that computer graphics replaces one of the most important facets of the game, i.e. imagination.
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Do you agree?
E G G rest in peace
I was an early adopter of D&D - even Chainmail. Without E Gary Gygax there may not have been the development of role playing games that we have witnssed.
Rest well Mr G, and may all your die rolls be 20s
Posted by Damon Howarth, 05 Mar 2008
I stand apon the hill and look
I stand apon the hill alone and remember times gone past,
I wished then with all my heart those times would ever last,
but real life would oft intrude, the wife the kids and all.
Tis next week 'pon friday night, to wait the beast to fall,
now at the age 38 I really miss those nights.
those intense battles, spells and demons that gave a nasty fright.
I oft remember long gone snippets of fun, laughs and chrs dying.
how try to save there lives, by even "sorry" lying.
apon this hill I now stand not gold, nor fame or magic rings.
but for the man, a great man who gave me all those things.
i feel now a hot sting a tear, yes tear it is true
cause i know now his life is through.
but I know this we the players will forget never
and Gary gygax our character father is going to live forever...
GOd bless you Sir,
Posted by Palustius, 06 Mar 2008
The New D20 System
Gary would be disappointed at the new system it is a mochary to what original fans of second edtion dungeons and dragons or even the branches off have made to simplify it and make it easier for all to play. You will be missed it is only a shame that your fruits coould not carry on ward even farther, poor gary you failed couldn't make your saving throw.
Posted by Pablo, 07 Mar 2008