I’d said last week that I might take this time to talk about The Conqueror’s Shadow, given that its publication is (as you might well imagine) kind of a Big Deal™ for me. But a few days ago, Matt Staggs posted an interview with me up here on Suvudu, and while I’m still more than happy to talk about the book, or answer additional questions, I figure the interview probably negates the need for me to devote an entire column to the topic. (They’re also giving away a few free copies of the book, if you wanna click over there when you’re done here.)
So I think, instead, that I’d like to take a moment to honor someone who’s made a huge difference, not only in my life–I’m not sure I’d have been a writer without him–but most likely in yours, too.
If you’re a role-player, odds are pretty good you already know the name Gary Gygax. If you’re not, you should know that Gary was, essentially, the father of Dungeons & Dragons. He wasn’t the sole creator of the game, though many people think he was; he actually worked together with Dave Arneson. It’s debatable who actually created what aspects of the game; it’s entirely possible that Dave actually shaped its earliest form more than Gary did. But what’s not in question is that the game would never have taken off without Gary. He didn’t just design aspects of the game, he pushed for it, he marketed it. He transformed what would otherwise have been the pet project of a small group of war gamers into a phenomenon. Lots of people can claim to have created a game, but Gary Gygax arguably created a hobby. Is it possible that RPGs would have come into existence without D&D? Sure, maybe. But then again, maybe not. And they certainly wouldn’t have been the same.
The debt of gratitude that gamers owe to Gary is obvious, but what about those of you who don’t play RPGs? The truth is, if you’re reading this column at all, odds are pretty darn good that he changed your hobbies, too. Are you a computer or online gamer? Consider that almost every fantasy computer game, from Zork to the Bard’s Tale*, from Everquest to World of Warcraft, owes the bulk of its concepts, and indeed its very existence, to D&D and to the expansion of D&D’s market into computers. Again, such games might have existed without D&D, but even if they did–and that’s a big if–they wouldn’t have been remotely the same.
*(I refer, of course, to the real Bard’s Tale, from the 80s, not the recent game that shares nothing in common with the original except the name.)
Even if you’re not a gamer at all, the modern fantasy genre was shaped, in part, by Gary as well. I’ve talked in prior columns about just how much D&D helped shape many of today’s fantasy writers. But more so even than that, a large percentage of today’s audience for fantasy novels–certainly a significant minority, if not even more–came to fantasy via D&D and other RPGs. Not only would the modern fantasy field not look the same without Gary Gygax, but it might well not be even remotely as successful.
Next Thursday, March 4th, marks the second anniversary of Gary’s passing. So it seemed only appropriate for me, as I celebrate a major milestone in my own career as a fantasy and RPG writer, to take the time to offer my heartfelt appreciation to a man who cleared the path for so many of us.
Thanks, Gary. You’re still missed.
