Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dead at 61

Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Dave Arneson died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. His D&D collaborator, Gary Gygax, died in March 2008. Though the two engaged in much legal wrangling over their property, they resolved their dispute in the 1980s. Arneson, who enjoyed a second career as an educator, was 61, Matt Blum of Wired writes in an appreciation of the roleplaying-game pioneer.

After his success with D&D, Arneson worked with schools to use gaming as an educational tool. He was considered Gygax’s catalyst, providing the impetus to turn an early game, Chainmail, into the juggernaut that is D&D. Arneson suffered a stroke in 2002 and soon after discovered he had cancer. Concludes Blum: “Gamers everywhere owe him a certain debt of gratitude for his work. He will be sorely missed.” (More Gary Gygax stories.)