Gary Gygax, RIP

I found out this morning that Gary Gygax passed away.

More coverage: Slashdot, CNet , REHupa, Popular Science, Matt Forbeck, NPR, WotC, Ken Hite, and Robin Laws.

Dungeons and Dragons tends to polarize gamers, particularly over the 3.x rules. Either way, it -- and its co-creator -- have had a tremendous influence on the RPG hobby we love. It's difficult to imagine what the hobby would be like without it. Sure, wargaming and miniatures would still exist, but what of this strange "role-playing" story-telling business? And the man started Gen Con -- in his basement.

Steve Jackson makes a good case for Gygax and Arneson's influence on popular culture.

It might not be as apparent as that, but think about all the people who chose careers in creative fields -- writing, illustration, acting, teaching -- because either D&D or another RPG that followed sparked the flames of their imagination. That's quite a legacy for anyone to leave.

I'm lucky that I have great memories of growing up, and many of those involve some aspect of gaming. For that, I've very grateful.

Someone said that we should memorialize people before they're gone so they have a chance to enjoy it. I agree. But for now, get some friends together and roll some dice.