RIP Gary Gygax, Co-Creator of Dungeons & Dragons (1938 - 2008)

From abs-cbnnews.com:

CHICAGO - Gary Gygax, co-creator of the iconic Dungeons & Dragons fantasy game and considered the father of modern role-playing gaming, died in his home Tuesday, his wife said.

Gygax had been suffering from a number of health problems including an incurable heart aneurism, Gail Gygax said. He was 69.

First published in 1974, the Dungeons & Dragons game, in which players create magical and heroic characters and guide them through a series of adventures, soon became a cultural phenomenon.

There was no game board in this interactive, imaginative adventure: just paper, pen, the dungeon master’s rule book and a set of multisided dice.

D&D spawned a booming industry and has inspired a generation of writers, video game designers and filmmakers.

Gygax’s cult hero status among self-proclaimed geeks is so intense that one fan even named a strain of bacteria after him.

But he faced intense criticism in the 1980s when the game became a target for cultural conservatives who blamed it for causing teen suicides, murder and devil worship.

“That really pushed the sales up,” Gygax joked in an interview with GameSpy.

I like to think he’s simply left the Prime Material Plane for further adventures elsewhere. Thanks for warping this kid’s mind, Gary. Every time I roll up a new character I’ll do it in your honor.