If you've ever played, or even heard of, Dungeons & Dragons, then the man who was Gary Gygax has touched your life.  Even more so, if you're a gamer of any sort - then he was a part of your life.  He passed away yesterday at the age of 69.

Gary Gygax was the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, and hero at large for those of us who today enjoy what he began back in 1967 with his first meeting of Gen Con (with 20 attendees), and which is now the largest gaming convention of its kind.  This impact continued on with the first publication of Dungeons & Dragons in 1973, under Gary's own publication company, Tactical Studies Rules.  This was born from his Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association, a miniature military studies group formed with Don Kaye, Mike Reese and Leon Tucker.  From here the group created Chainmail (in 1971), a miniatures wargame, and thus the first thoughts of D&D was born.

The craze of Dungeons & Dragons, even with its early history of being accused of encouraging cults and demon worshipers (and this "really pushed the sales up", quipped Gary), has been the foundation of what we know today as the RPG industry.  Gary's contribution is immeasurable, and his vision incomparable.

Even though Gary wasn't a fan of Tolkien, another major contributor to the genre of fantasy (he said in 2005, "I yawned through the books. I found them very droll and very dull. I still don’t give a hoot about Hobbits."), his continued impact has been, and always will be, forever felt each and every time someone sits down to play a fantasy role-playing game.

Our hearts go out to Gary's family and friends... and as one of a million fans around the world, I say a prayer and give thanks for being able to enjoy what Gary was such a large part of.  Thanks, Gary, for all you gave... may your next adventure bring to you as much joy and excitement as you've brought to the world through the years.