Gary Gygax Dies at 69

[Wizard]

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

 

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

 

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

 

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

 

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

 

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

 

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

 

CNN

 

[Jitway]

Man what sad news indeed. I have played D&D since 1979 and got to say it is one of the best role playing games out there. Easy to get engulfed in. Lots of time and money spent on books by me. You will be missed Gary.

[Sybarite Paladin AxL]

While I've never played the actual Pen&Paper D&D, I still find this sad news indeed, for he is a man who unlocked the imagination of many. May he rest in peace.

[Fatal Rose]

R.I.P.

 

Table top/pen and paper RPG's FOREVER!

[Chibi Kami]

The world is short one uber-gek, and already seems a little brighter. If this keeps up, even our basements won't be safe from the light.

[Wizard]

The world is short one uber-gek, and already seems a little brighter. If this keeps up, even our basements won't be safe from the light.

Too bad the dude made millions eh?

[Smilee]

I've never played the game, but a couple of my friends were into D&D. From what I've heard, they've always been positive experiences. R.I.P.

[Tynvar]

I just heard the news today. Talk about disconnected. Sad thing, the guy was not very old. His legacy will live forever.

[JKKDARK]

R.I.P.

 

He made an amazing serie.

[Rawrthness]

we were just talking about this on my guild forums for CoD... I remember when I started playing me and my friends went out for coffee and we sat down for about an hour and we were talking about the quests we've done and we started talking about how we robbed a bank and everyone was looking at us weirdly and some old lady who owned the store actually called the cops on us thinking we actually robbed a bank lol....