RIP Dave Arneson, D&D co-creator
(Visited 5354 times)Apr 092009
I met him once, at GDC, and was immensely flattered that he knew who I was. He struck me as a kind and friendly man.
The best obit I’ve found is this one: Between battles, the story: Dave Arneson has passed on.
2 Responses to “RIP Dave Arneson, D&D co-creator”
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“When he began changing the rules, he began changing the world.”
I find this way more satisfying than “save the cheerleader, save the world.”
Great reflection on a great life, you will be missed, Dave, but being missed means being remembered!
Arneson, along with Gygax, really did change the world. D&D was a massive departure from anything that came before. It pioneered the cooperative game in which all the players could triumph, not against each other, but against a common foe. That underlying mechanic, much more than the borrowed fantasy trappings of the game, profoundly influenced not only computer game development, but in a more subtle way (I would argue) the way that players thought about their relationships to one another and the real world.
It’s a stretch, I admit. But I think Dave Arneson made the world a better place with his little game. And I wish him well on whatever adventures the afterlife holds.