It’s All About Character
March 4th, 2008 by Brian
Today, Gary Gygax passed away in his home to the sadness of many a person whose lives he’s touched through Dungeons & Dragons. D&D means so much to so many people, and has by itself given people like me an outlet to learn how to socialize when an unaccepting society chose to ignore us and chastise us for not fitting in. Through D&D I learned how to interact with people, how to use my imagination in ways that to this day are incomprehensible to most ‘normies,’ and above all else I learned how to have fun.
Gary’s passing, and the heartfelt comments left by people whose lives have also been touched by his efforts, reminds me how concrete the solidarity is between outcasts and the sort of folk who otherwise would be loners. Today I wish goodbye to the first, and best, Dungeon Master. Tonight, Mountain Dew will be poured, and dice will be rolled. Thank you Gary.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Truer words have never been written. He will be missed but damn it, never forgotten.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Man, I wake up and have to start my night off with this crap? Balls.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Farewell, Sir. We all owe you so much. Thanks for everything.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Truth told, this has actually effected me more than I thought it would. As a childhood and adolescent nerd/geek/dork/you name it, Dungeons & Dragons helped me cope and gave me very close friends I still have to this day. Bonds were made and alongside comic books and Star Wars, D&D helped my years spent growing up to be bearable. I turned out OK. I didn’t kill anybody, or myself. I had friends, the kind that are closer than any that most other people can dream of.
I’ve told a good few people about this and some of the responses shocked me. “Gary Gygax passed away today.” “Who?” “Gary Gygax. The guy who created D&D.” “Oh, OK.” This was from people who’ve played D&D! I’m guessing that people who’ve had it rough growing up as a geek, being picked on, teased, called names and bullied have a much different, more personal reaction to this than someone who’s never experienced the awkwardness as a child living outside social circles, more or less alone.
I’ve been really, really, legitimately hurt today. The only thing I can do is keep rolling those dice.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I remember the first RPG I ever played, and though it wasn’t D&D, I will always attribute some of the best times of my life to one Gary Gygax. Good night, sweet prince.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:30 am
the man who started a revolution…farewell game-master…