Goodbye Gary

[Amaterasu]

Goodbye dear friend, thnx for the wonderful game and the ideas that you gave us we ll miss you. May you find everything you missed here and much more in the afterlife.

http://stars.ign.com/articles/856/856728p1.html

UP THE DICES

[Liera]

  what a sad thing... I had just known the creator of D&D from which Dragonlance was based on his death. Yet he has marked a history and will always be remembered. For such many minds on which he ignite thoughts...

may you rest in peace Gary...

[Starbuck]

For any RPGamers, he was like a living legend.
Like they said in the article, without him trying to adapt fantasy battle-simulations to cardboard games, maybe we wouldn't have had all those fantastic games over the years. Whether it to be on cardboard, computer/consoles, trading cards or MMORPG.
I mean, why do you think obscure writers like say Tolkien (Middle-Earth), Lovecraft (Call of Cthulu), Moorcock (Eric of Menilbonee), Zelazny (Chronicles of Amber), and many others, would be the original creators of universes in which thousands of players enjoyed countless hours/days/years of fun, if it wasn't for the new approach to simulation that Gigax and his pals helped to invent while at university ...

I mean, how could a movie trilogy like the "Lords of the Rings" be waited with such expectations, and been such a phenomenal success, if it wasn't for the hundreds of thousands of Tolkien's fans, spawned by RPG rather than pure litterature ...

think about the whole gaming industries on computer/consoles without all those RPGamers ... Japanese gaming industry would be 1/3 its size (no Final fantasy, Secret of Mana, Dragon Quests, ...) ... no gaming legends like the Ultimas, Warcrafts, D&D (Krynn and Cie), Might & Magic (and Heroes ofc) .... how could there have been a need for MMORPG without what Gigax helped create ? ...

Who remembers playing at Warhammer RPG, Star Wars RPG, Shadowrun (the Blade Runner before Matrix), Vampire (and the whole serie ...), and even AD&D ? ...

.... all of this we owe it largely to Gary Gigax and pals  ... and so much more of our fun and sweet child/teen memories 

[5tormlord]

  noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      how could he die?  i thought he was immortal  i guess he is really.  I think he was one of those men that revolutionalised the world.  cheers, godbless 

[Starbuck]

A good obituary :

http://www.slate.com/id/2185914

 

[Console_Cowboy]

I had the pleasure to be in contact with Gary and to discuss the many positive aspects of pen and paper social RPGs, like AD&D.  I use this method to practice English.  He was very supportive of my initiative and I feel I have lost a partner even one year later. Most RPGers think that language practice should not be fun or that it corrupts their game rather than enhance and enrich their experience.  Gary wasn't a fan of games on computers despite spending alot ALOT of time online himself and he wished to stress the socializing benefits of tabletop RPGs. He shared a few stories with me about the 80's and his departure from TSR. 

A nice gentle-man with a big heart and soul for everyone.  A good neighbour.  Not always well treated by others but always true to himself.  A good role model.  A good success story.  A life well lived and lived well.

Wired published a piece that I think is the best biography of Gary I have read on the net.
 
http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax

The last word is Gary's:
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and
give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

[miro.miric]

RIP Gary

[Vas Deferens]

i never had the pleasure to contact gary. but if i ever do i'd contact him all over.

[Console_Cowboy]

I have just found out that Dave Arneson has passed on following his long bout with cancer.  Dave and I were in the same social networking group - he was even in my personal network through our association with RPGs in education. I had hoped to do a Q&A with him sometime in the summer since he had retired from his teaching post but, alas. 

If you do not know who I am referring, that is why I have x-referenced him with Gary.  I will create a proper Thread for Dave but Gary and Dave are forever linked to the game you play now. Gary was the indefatigable showman.  Dave was the heavy lifter.  A founding match made in heaven as it were/is.

>>>Here<<< is the connection to Dave's Thread on IO.