Happy Gary Gygax Day: Remembering the Legend

Too often in life we are told that our childhood hobbies and passions will never amount to much. We're encouraged to let creativity die out, in favor of more "reasonable" pursuits. And while we do sometimes have to put those instincts aside to take care of our families or ourselves, we should never lose that spark completely. After all, who knows when you might suddenly pick up the hobby again, and create something that will outshine and outlive your wildest dreams.

How lucky for us that Gary Gygax was one such man.

Born on July 27th, 1938, Ernest Gary Gygax was always a creative and curious soul. He spent his childhood playing make-believe with neighborhood friends and board games at home. As early as 5 years old, he already adored card games and chess. He grew into a young man obsessed with science fiction and fantasy, filling his time with the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and Jack Vance. Even in the midst of his work and family life as an adult, where he found jobs as a shipping clerk and insurance underwriter, Gygax always maintained his passion for gaming. His obsession with wargames in particular would go on to inspire him to create his own worlds, rules, and entire gaming system. 

It may be hard to imagine a world without D&D now. Not only has it been around for many our entire lifetimes, but it has pervaded pop culture in shows like The Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things. Even if you don't play it, you have heard of it. And if you do play, more often than not you can point to a moment at the table where you fell in love with the game. For most of us here at the REP, that love keeps us coming back night after night. Gary Gygax was able to essentially create a new style of storytelling, one that perfectly illustrates the idea we previously discussed: that roleplay is a living art form. Spells we know and use now in every game were born at Gygax's own table, and created by his children and their characters. They are a part of the very lore of the world.

Gygax's own tale was full of failure and defeat. He was deemed unfit to join the Marines. He was high school dropout. At one point he was fired from his stead job of almost a decade, and left to help provide for his wife and five children on what he could make cobbling shoes in his basement. His catalog of health problems included walking pneumonia, multiple strokes, heart attacks. And yet, like the very heroes he helped create an entire game for, Gygax kept fighting back. His personal victories can be found in every page of our own Dungeons and Dragons books and supplements. And the message that goes along with them is clear: don't give up. Your dreams are worth pursuing. 

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​I would like the world to remember me as the guy who really enjoyed playing games and sharing his knowledge and his fun pastimes with everybody else." -- Gary Gygax

Gary Gygax is fondly referred to as "The Father of Roleplay." There is no doubt in our minds that this title is well-earned. But he could not have known, when he began, how much his games would change the lives of those who played them. Here's just a few of the ways our own team has been touched by Gygax's legacy:
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• "I've always loved stories. Epic fantasies and tales of people at their best. Rising to the occasion, becoming more than they were to inspire everyone around them whether they succeeded or failed. Dungeons and Dragons lets me tell those stories with people that brighten my life. People that prop me up when I've got nothing left. I just hope I can reflect in those stories the amazing people I see within each of them. I give them chances to explore all the reaches of their personalities, and I hope that in doing so they see the heroism within, the bond we all share as people, and humorous folly of the world around them." Dungeon Master Cody Stone
• "There's a certain sort of magic at the table that you can't get anywhere else. Dungeons and Dragons gives you the chance to become a hero. To bring your wildest fantasies of saving the world and becoming a legend to life, with just the roll of the dice and a good story." Kaitlin Bellamy
• "It’s allowed me to find a reason to leave the house other than going to a theme park or work. I didn’t know how to interact with people, and I’m still not the best at it. But D&D allows me to escape that for a little bit. I don’t have a lot of people who enjoy being around me, but this world reminds me that there’s somewhere for everyone, even if only for just a few hours a week. It’s helped me improve my ability to convey messages, troubleshoot, and think critically more than any therapy I’ve ever been in, and I can’t thank it enough." Eric Lovell​
• "It's an amazing feeling being at a table, part of an amazing story that you get to help tell, and that's what you truly think when you get started. What everyone comes to find out after a couple of sessions though is how amazing the people you end up playing with are. The DM building a world and the NPCs for you to interact with. The other players, your friends, taking a vested interest in the character you have created. When you get a group that clicks, that camaraderie of the party, that give and take with the DM, there's nothing quite like it." ​Eric Miller
• "All art is about story telling. Games were never a big part of my household growing up, but stories were. Being able to sit at a table and tell stories in a free form way has been a life saver. Dnd has seen me through depression and heartbreak. It’s helped me realize problems that I’d been running from. It’s also jump started my writing, made me a more fearless performer, and a more compassionate director. It’s a game, yes. But at the end of the day it’s a game about who we are as people- the heroes we want to be, versus the heroes we actually are. Learning to accept our stats and abilities where they stand, and looking for opportunities to level up- it’s possibly the most human experience possible, all at the roll of a die." ​Meaghan Fenner
  

So let's raise a glass to the original Dungeon Master, the late great Gary Gygax. Creator of worlds. Maker of magic. Dreamer of dreams. Thank you for showing all of us what it means to hold onto that spark of creativity, even through all the darkness. You were a Natural 20 in our book.


Do you have your own story about how Dungeons and Dragons has changed your life? We'd love to hear them. Just comment below, or reach out to us on any of our social medias. Let's help spread the legacy, and remember Gary Gygax the way he wished: as the guy who really enjoyed playing games.