Empire of Imagination Quotes

“It wasn’t the jocks or the prom kings and queens who created the social and business infrastructure of the twenty-first century. It was the geeks and the nerds who spent their Friday nights playing with their computers and Saturday nights playing a little D&D with their friends. In this way, D&D filled an important social gap for those less inclined to mingle.”
― Michael Witwer, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons

“Hadn't Gary Gygax simply invented a game, and an esoteric one at that? It was hardly a footnote in the increasingly fast and complex information age that we live in. What was all the fuzz about? The reason for all the fuzz among those who understood his work was simple. Gary Gygax and his seminal game creation, Dungeons & Dragons, had influenced and transformed the world in extraordinary ways. Yet, much of his contribution would also go largely unrecognised by the general public. Although it is debatable whether D&D ever became a thoroughly mainstream activity, as a 1983 New York Times article had speculated, referring to it as the great game of the 1980's, D&D and its RPG derivatives are beloved by a relatively small but dedicated group of individuals affectionately known as 'geeks'. Although the term 'geek' is not exclusive to role-playing gamers, the activities of this particular audience have often been viewed as the most archetypal form of 'geekiness'. Labels aside, what is notable is that the activities of this RGP audience were highly correlated with interests in other activities such as early computers, digital technologies, visual effects, and the performing arts. In this way, these geeks, though relatively small in number, became in many instances the leaders and masters of this era. With the advent of the digital age, geeks worldwide found opportunity and recognition never previously available to their predecessors. Icons and innovators such as George R. R. Martin, Mike Myers, Richard Garriott, Vin Diesel, Tim Duncan, Anderson Cooper, David X. Cohen, John Carmak, Tim Harford, Moby, and the late Robin Williams, to name just a few, were all avid role-playing gamers in their younger years. The list of those who include D&D as a regular activity while growing up is both extensive and impressive.”
― Michael Witwer, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons

“Gary Gygax and his seminal game creation, Dungeons & Dragons, had influenced and transformed the world in extraordinary ways. Yet”
― Michael Witwer, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons

“Revenues were on pace to quadruple over the previous year, bolstered by the success of its D&D and AD&D lines, and supported with new, strong-performing products like 1978’s Gamma World: Science Fantasy Role-Playing Game and 1980’s Top Secret,”
― Michael Witwer, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons

“Though too young to be involved in the testing, it was Gary’s youngest daughter Cindy, who when hearing all of the prototype names for the then unnamed Fantasy Game, famously said “Oh, Daddy, I like Dungeons and Dragons best!”6 Gary”
― Michael Witwer, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons

“Though Gary remained enamored of the medieval-type fantasy genre, it is notable that he actually disliked the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the overwhelmingly popular The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series. He would go on to say that Tolkien’s work was “so dull. I mean, there was no action in it.”8”
― Michael Witwer, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons

“the LGTSA was playing various miniature battle games weekly, usually on Saturday mornings, and with growing attendance. In fact, the group had drummed up enough regional notoriety that it managed to get the attention of the U.S. government who sent a pair of undercover Army intelligence agents, posing as a man-and-wife team of wargamers, to monitor the activities of the fledgling group. Because so little was known about wargaming and miniature combat groups, and it being a time of great social unrest, there was concern among various government agencies that such tabletop combat simulation was meant to train and plan for real-life insurgency. Mary”
― Michael Witwer, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons

“One display of particular interest to Gary featured a medieval castle and associated miniature soldiers used for a game called The Siege of Bodenburg. At the time, traditional board wargamers and miniatures battle players were still two distinct audiences. Wargame publishers, such as Avalon Hill, hadn’t thought to use miniatures in its battle simulations, instead relying on hex maps and cardboard counters. Bodenburg seemed to have an appeal for diverse factions of gamers, and it sparked Gary’s interest in miniatures gaming in the medieval setting, an interest that would inevitably lead to his greatest creation. Not”
― Michael Witwer, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons