Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

The Late, Great Gary Gygax: A D&D Nerd's Fond Farewell
By
George German, Jr.

            My fellow pen and paper role playing dorks, it is a sad day for us, indeed. As posted on Yahoo! News at about quarter to 1 PM Central time, Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, 69, of Lake Geneva, WI, has passed away.

            Gygax’s health had been on the decline for several years now, including an abdominal aneurism. Despite his condition, though, Gygax continued to host weekly Dungeons and Dragons games out of his Lake Geneva home as recently as January. Gygax’ wife, Gail, said that he enjoyed hearing from the game’s loyal players about how he helped them become doctors, lawyers, policemen, and how else Gygax’ realm inspired them to do great things with their lives.

            In addition to creating the Dungeons and Dragons world and game system, Gygax also authored a plethora of fantasy novels. The system has also been adapted by other games since its creation. Funeral arrangements have not been made as of yet.

            On a more personal note, the news saddens me greatly. I remember being a bit of a social outcast my sophomore year of high school until, one day, a couple of guys in my gym class invited me to a Dungeons and Dragons game hosted at a mutual acquaintance’s house. I’d never played D&D before, but had had many great experiences with other role playing games such as Vampire: The Masquerade, Mech Assault, and GURPS. When I arrived, there were a group of guys that I had hung out with since junior high crowded around an old poker table. Pens, paper, dice, and manuals cluttered up the surface.

            At first, I was a little confused about the character creation process, but once I was done, I was content with what I had created. Then, I started to play. The freedom of being able to play the kind of character I had always imagined gave me such a rush. No longer was I restricted to reality’s strict guidelines of morality. I was free of the real world’s legal system. More importantly, I was bonding with a group of fellow dorks, campaigning, and having a shitload of fun. The events continued on a weekly basis for most of my high school career.

            So, it is with fond remembrance of Raven Blacke, the chaotic neutral Rogue/Assassin and of my later gargoyle character… Nay, remembrance of the feeling of acceptance and camaraderie that I found with other Dungeons and Dragons dorks and the memories of the late nights of soda, chips, and campaigning for hours on end, that I say this from the bottom of my heart: Gary Gygax, thank you for creating Dungeons and Dragons. Thank you for creating a world and a system that allowed outcast dorks to find friendship and fun. Thank you for inspiring me to attempt to create my own fictional reality and system. But thank you the most for being a dork yourself and embracing it so all the rest of us could as well.