A biography of Gary Gygax?

[expirement10K14]

In English class, we are doing a research paper on any topic that we desire. I decided to go with the effects of E. Gary Gygax on gamers and general entertainment.

I have come across a problem- a lack of sources.

If anyone could point me to a magazine article (Dragon magazines are proffered, as I can access them easily). I have found a few articles in EBSCOhost (http://ebscohost.com/), but most I have found are obituaries or have almost nothing about him. Is there a biography out there somewhere?

[Eldritch Knight]

Well, I'm afraid I can't give you any direct sources, but I can give you my reflections after having met him. (Note, I never met him personally, but I had a great deal of interaction with him in a forum we were both members of.)

Gary showed a great love of wordplay, as he was never unarmed when it came to a battle of wits. He had a great passion for people as well, as when other members were struggling with issues in their life, he was one of the first people to step forward and offer support. He was also more than willing to offer advice to aspiring writers.. (as evidenced by this..)



Hey Gary.

I have a question for you.

In that I have an entire fantasy world developed, what is better to do first, convert it into an RPG setting, or complete the main storyline in the form of a novel?

Better question, how much of a difference is there between those options?It is strictly your call based on what is more creatively appealing to you.

A novel is the anthesis of an RPG adventure, as it is fixed in all aspects, with a beginning, middle and end supplied solely by the author. A real Game Master can not be a story teller, as the story is created by the entire group, not scripted by one person, and the players are active shapers of uncertain events, not actors playing out set roles created for them.

Cheers,
Gary

If you want an accurate accounting of the impact this man had on gamers, you should ask the gamers themselves, because no written biography could fully capture the whole of a Gamer's Memorial....

[expirement10K14]

If you want an accurate accounting of the impact this man had on gamers, you should ask the gamers themselves, because no written biography could fully capture the whole of a Gamer's Memorial....

First, thank you.
Second- One of the biographies I found had many quotes and a few Q&A's with gamers from rpg.net and a few other sites.

[RTGoodman]

This article (http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax) seems like a really good mini-biography of Gygax, and was a pretty interesting read in general.

This one (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7280969.stm) is called "Five Things That Dungeons & Dragons Begat" and seems like another good source for you.

[phoenixineohp]

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i2/phoenixineohp/Animals/lolthings/dndkittehmorn128491548670347053.jpg

[expirement10K14]

Thanks rtg092, those articles will help save me very much browsing.:smallsmile:

@phoenixineohp- lol

[RTGoodman]

Also, if you get a chance, you should check out Thirty Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/965550000). It came out a few years ago, so you should be able to get it for cheap-ish on Amazon or somewhere, and I'm betting it has a lot of worth-while information.