Gary Gygax, the founder / developer / creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away this Tuesday at the age of 69.Innnnteresting. Tuesday was my birthday, and I was born in 1969. Odd coincidence.
Anyhow - I hope he's finding himself in a fantastical realm of buxom babes clad in scanty chain mail bikinis as he fights giant dragons of various colors, slaying each one, finding it's mountainous treasure piles of gold, magic wands, talking swords and more... Without Gary, many of us would've had very boring (or perhaps much more physically active) childhoods. Without Gary's creation, many of us would've tempered our creative imaginations, never knowing where our minds could take us.
D&D's one of those things that, even though most of us outgrew it, you find yourself wanting to go back to. It's a wonderful form of escapism - a place you can go where you direct the shape of magical realms, and yet where enough of it is out of your control (thanks to your dungeon master and some worn rule books) to keep it exciting. Where friends and strangers mix their creative energies, and where we learned to socially interact with others. And a place that helped us challenge just how late we could stay up late at night thanks to the carbonated beverage of your choice (well before all that diet crap came out!).
I have friends at work who either still play, or like me have been tempted to re-collect some of the books just to go down memory lane. Doesn't mean we'll ever make the time to play again, but it's another fun fantasy - that we'll have hours to spend on this sort of fun rather than errands, home improvements, jobs, and other responsibilities.
Granted, there's modern versions thanks to computers - World of Warcraft is the first that comes to mind, and computer games like this can take you places and introduce you to people you never would've imagined. But they're also lacking something - that sitting around the table with your friends late on a Saturday night (and in to Sunday morning), running out of snacks and raiding the kitchen for more, juveniley laughing your ass off (and being grossed out) because your friend farted, having to justify this form of entertainment (and the minor expenses that come with it) to your parents, etc.
Back then we were kids pretending to be adults - teenagers trying to guess what a harsh, pre-tech grown-up world was like. Now we're adults, and wishing for some of that teenager time again.
I think I'm gonna go slay me some dragons with my
2 comments:
I have never played Dungeons and Dragons but there was a group at my university that faithfully played it every week - come hell or high water!!
Gary is one of those people who changed the world - and our culture... for the better... except for that Tom Hanks move... that was bad.
Although he failed his final savings throw... his constitution carried him to the Astral Plane...
Gary - here's to you - the d20 - and the better world you helped make.
Rest in Eternal Peace.
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