I never met Gary Gygax, but he was (by all accounts) a nice person. It’s easy enough to praise Dungeons and Dragons (and role-playing games). But I want to praise Gary for something that (I think) gets lost in the shuffle. So let me put a bit of hyperbole on it:
Mr. Gygax did more for young boys than all the teaching colleges of this country.
To be clear, I don’t think he did more than ‘teachers’. But he did more than those who taught the teachers. They provided techniques. But his games ... those provided motivation. How many people learned the basics of probability from D&D? I don’t think I saw a Bell Curve before the Dungeon Master’s Guide. How many ‘wasted’ weekends (and months) playing these games? And all they had to show for it (apart from the sheer enjoyment) was an introduction to various mythologies, military history, literature (say what you will about the D&D novels, which I’ve never read, but many of my generation went from D&D to Tolkien, instead of the other way around), philosophy, acting, writing, or other interests.
I like role playing games, but more in theory than in practice. (That being said, I may as well reveal that we organized an actual D&D game recently, but it was delayed until ... this Friday). I don’t actually enjoy role playing as much as the system ... which is why I gravitated towards board games. But D&D remains one of the most tinkerable systems around.
Not everyone is inspired by D&D (or even games). The sports page has taught more than even Gary dreamed of. I’m not convinced that you can get a PhD in statistics without following baseball.
These ‘recreational pastimes’ matter. I’ve learned more outside of the classroom than in it, because what I learned outside was more fun (and important to me). And it’s not just role playing. How many kids (and adults) grasped economic concepts because of Magic, Pokemon and other collectible card games? When I was in North Carolina, about a decade ago, a ~15 year old boy tried to trade away his laptop for several hundred dollars worth of magic cards. His mom forbade it, since she had bought the laptop, but then came into the local game store to discuss it with the owner. The boy argued that the laptop was depreciating, but the cards were gaining in value. When she confirmed that he was right, she allowed him to make the trade.
My kids (like many before them) are going through a Pokemon phase. My daughter has been learning the perils of eBay (buying cards, and games for her Nintendo DS, a device that the 10 year old me would have killed for). I have real hope that Pokemon (the CCG) may finally spur my son to take reading seriously. Right now he can spell roughly four words -- his name, Mom, Spider, and man.
So, Rest in Peace Gary. Your praises are being sung by us, while "right thinking, serious" people ignore you so that they can make the world a better place by doing important things, instead of ‘wasting time playing games.’