Gary Gygax: The Long Goodbye
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How has D&D influenced you as a game developer?
In every way. Role playing didn't exist before D&D. So much of what we do is based on the core concepts and playability of D&D. Leveling-up, classes, huge worlds, you name it.
What was gained and what has been lost over the years as videogames have supplanted pen-and-paper RPGs?
It's weird; when I heard about Gary, it felt like an old friend from junior high school had passed; someone who I was really good friends with back then, but had only seen at reunions since. Sadness, but also an odd sense of guilt. Why? Because here's the question that crossed my mind: Why don't I play D&D anymore? I think many people in their 30s and 40s are the same, old D&D geeks who now play a lot of videogames. I always liked painting the miniatures, and playing out the battles for D&D, so when Wizardry and Ultima came along, I saw that as an all-new way of it coming alive. I wanted my adolescent power fantasies to be on a computer screen, and not around a table anymore.
I think games make it more (real.) I can see and hear the danger. I'm experiencing something because the die rolls are behind the scenes, which means that I don't have to look up tables and rules. But you lose the freedom and camaraderie of a great D&D session. In many ways, playing D&D is less about (gaming), and more about spending time with other people. His death made me miss those times, and it made me miss my brother who now lives thousands of miles away.
