Gary Gygax, Co-Creator Of D&D, Dead At 69

Gary Gygax, co-creator of the classic role playing game Dungeons and Dragons, has died at the age of 69.

According to a report in the Star Tribune, Gygax had been suffering from health ailments for a number of years. Those problems include an abdominal aneurysm, but the exact cause of death was not immediately known.

Even with poor health, Gynax remained faithful to his game. Until January of 2008, he continued to host weekly games of Dungeons and Dragons, according to a CNN.com report.

Gygax developed the Dungeons and Dragons board game with a partner in 1974. Medieval characters, goblins, and dragons act as the main characters in the game. Players in the game create characters that undertake adventures within the fantasy world, and are given challenges and treasure hunts and knowledge quests to undertake during the span of each contest. Miniature figures, like in other board games, are used to represent the different characters on the board.

I remember playing the simpler version of Dungeons and Dragons as a child at home with friends and family. I got it as a Christmas gift one year when I was very young, and I loved to play it every chance I got all throughout my childhood. Other than Monopoly, it was my all-time favorite board game, and I would bother my parents to play it with me as often as I could. We didn't have a computer or video games then, so I would always want to read or play board games when things got slow. And when I wanted something exciting, I would always reach for Dungeons and Dragons, as it was action-packed, colorful, and had an element of fantasy unlike any other board game I'd ever played.


Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax dies

D&D Co-Creator Gary Gygax Has Passed Away

Gary Gygax, Dungeons and Dragons Co-Creator, Dies

Gary Gygax, 1938-2008

Gary Gygax, Co-Creator Of D&D, Dead At 69 [Rest In Peace]