We at 38 Studios were deeply saddened by the recent passing of Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, founder of Gen Con, and influential gaming icon for over 30 years. What follows are just some of the thoughts and memories of Gary's influence on our lives. He will be missed.

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"We sometimes forget that industry icons are also real people with interests outside the gaming world. I was fortunate to meet Gary at a Gen Con in Milwaukee where we discovered a mutual love of cooking. While he is no longer physically present, he leaves an amazing legacy that is foundational to our work and play -- and I have some fantastic chutney recipes that I will always treasure."
Nancy Berman

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"There aren't many modern figures who've single-handedly forged an industry or effectively given birth to an entire culture. I have a confession: When some of my teenage friends were out egging cars, I was locked away with my brother, battling Yexils and the machines of the Ancients or exhaustively looting Tegel Manor. Gamma World, D&D, (or some Boot Hill for variety), all played a formative role in how I view game play and entertainment. Gygax's creations are arguably the predecessors of today's video games. Much of the foundation of this industry is built on his amazing work and continues to stand on the shoulders of his creations. That's a pretty cool legacy."
Brett Close

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"In the summer of 1982, while on a family trip to Chicago, I made a pilgrimage to the TSR offices in Lake Geneva to see where the magic was made (okay, I begged Dad to drag the whole family up to Wisconsin in our '77 faux-wood-sided Chevy Caprice station wagon, but I remember it as a religious experience). Sadly, we arrived on a weekend and the offices were closed, but to immortalize the occasion I had my picture taken standing in Gary Gygax's parking spot so I could brag to my friends. THAT'S how much D&D meant to us. It requires no stretch of imagination to realize that I would literally not be where I am right now, more than 25 years later, working in Boston alongside a world-class team of professional game makers creating the next generation of social role-playing games, if not for Mr. Gygax's creation and the fantastic worlds which it spawned. Would any of us who make our living in the gaming industry be where we are today without "Keep on the Borderlands" I don't think so. Thanks, Gary, for the great memories, the all-nighters with friends, the dice dings in the dining room table, the uncountable number of pizzas consumed, the great fun, and the good times to come."
Scott Cuthbertson

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"As a teenager who had dreams of one day becoming a writer, I bought a lot of the early D&D books and modules for the sheer joy of reading them. I loved delving into the incredibly deep lore of a whole universe laid out before my eyes, from great heroes to fearsome monsters to powerful gods and demons. It was the first time I'd ever seen a game of that depth and scope, and the work of Gygax and crew set the bar for anyone attempting to make a rich and enthralling game world. It's a standard of excellence we still strive to meet today, and we can only be humbled by the great debt we owe to people like Gary Gygax."
Steve Danuser

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"Even the red dragons cry today. Thanks for the gift of imagination."
Scott Hamilton

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"I rolled my first d20 in March of 1982 at Gen Con Spring in the American Legion Hall in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, my hometown. I had just accepted my first real, post-college job: Editor/gopher in TSR's RPGA (Role-Playing Game Association, ancestor to "Community"). I would never have guessed that roll of a strangely shaped die would take me from gopher to running the company Gary created. 26 years later to the month I owe both my business and writing careers and many of my most cherished friends to the creative courage and entrepreneurial vision of Gary Gygax. Well met, Gary!"
Mary Kirchoff

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"I can still remember playing D&D for the first time, standing in my cousin's living room, pacing, my nerves on edge as I slowly made my way down the dark and damp corridor. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand still, I was IN THE STORY. I'd never felt like that before, and it was the most amazing experience! I could smell the dank air. I could feel the chill as I moved through the blackness. I vividly remember hearing the wind whip past my head as I fell through a trap in the floor, right into the waiting pseudo-pods of a Gelatinous Cube. That was it, my first adventure . . . all 30 seconds of it.

Gary Gygax didn't bring me to fantasy in 1975, I was already there. Gary did something even better: He gave me the tools to live in that world. Gary will probably never get the acclaim that he deserves or be seen as the innovator and pioneer that he was, but anybody who ever plays an RPG or swings a sword in Zelda owes him a debt of gratitude.

Fonkin Hoddypeak, Journeyman Mage never made it out of that first dungeon, and I guess, in retrospect, I didn't either. Thanks, Gary."
Mike Leger

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"For all of my career, I have honestly conceded that I stand on the shoulders of giants. The number one giant was Gary Gygax. His work brought me a needed escape and just plain fun; Dungeons & Dragons found me at a time and place where I was going crazy because I had no creative outlet. Thanks, Gary. I'll miss you at Gen Con this year, but I know your spirit will fill that hall."
RA Salvatore

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"I'm an outcast here, sort of. Growing up a jock led me to do and say many things as a kid, and just as many things I wouldn't say. It was NEVER cool to say D&D in the circles in which I traveled, but I said it. I can remember heading to the mall every weekend growing up, scouring the D&D rack at the Hobby Bench for new material. Being able to read those modules was like reading a new Tolkien book.

Gary Gygax, in my opinion, single-handedly impacted multiple generations of kids and adults alike. He spent his entire life nurturing something that to me was far more than a product. Dungeons & Dragons was a real living, breathing thing, and I am truly sorry to hear that the creator of so much is now gone and equally sad that his passing has received so little fanfare.

When you consider that his contribution, his game, his worlds, impacted far more people around the world than pretty much every single movie, book, or other media venue in the past 30-40 years it's staggering.

Mr. Gygax was no different than most of us here--a truly passionate gamer at heart. You could read it and feel it in his work, and best of all he let you play in his world. Being close friends and business associates with R. A. Salvatore has given me a new appreciation for the many people who were given the gift of making fantasy worlds come alive. Make no mistake, it is a gift.

We here at 38 Studios thank Mr. Gygax for all he did. Our current work would not be possible if he hadn't allowed his "inner geek" to go public. The work we do now will stand on his broad shoulders in so many ways, and we are very grateful for that. God Bless."
Curt Schilling
 

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"Dungeons & Dragons. . . . At one point in my life, I hid that I played D&D from most who knew me -- I thought it made me nerdy and outcast. I later came to embrace it, to consider it one of my strengths. Gary Gygax will forever be one of the most important influences in my life and one of the main reasons I am a game designer today."
Ryan Shwayder

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"Wherever you may be Mr. Gygax, I would be much obliged if you would accept a humble thank you from a very grateful person. Like many other people, Dungeons & Dragons wasn't just a game for me but a portal for inspiration and imagination. It wasn't just paper and dice, but a universe that spurred me to seek out adventure in every respect. D&D was also an invitation that would bring together other creators, writers, and artists I would have never met otherwise, and together we forged wild imaginings and friendships that still exist today. For this and so many other things your work has done for me, thank you and God Bless."
Chaz Sutherland