Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons Dragons

By Michael Witwer

Book Overview

The first comprehensive biography of geek and gaming culture's mythic icon, Gary Gygax, and the complete story behind his invention of Dungeons & Dragons.

The life story of Gary Gygax, godfather of all fantasy adventure games, has been told only in bits and pieces. Michael Witwer has written a dynamic, dramatized biography of Gygax from his childhood in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to his untimely death in 2008.

Gygax's magnum opus, Dungeons & Dragons, would explode in popularity throughout the 1970s and '80s and irreversibly alter the world of gaming. D&D is the best-known, best-selling role-playing game of all time, and it boasts an elite class of alumni--Stephen Colbert, Robin Williams, and Vin Diesel all have spoken openly about their experience with the game as teenagers, and some credit it as the workshop where their nascent imaginations were fostered.

Gygax's involvement in the industry lasted long after his dramatic and involuntary departure from D&D's parent company, TSR, and his footprint can be seen in the role-playing genre he is largely responsible for creating. Through his unwavering commitment to the power of creativity, Gygax gave generations of gamers the tools to invent characters and entire worlds in their minds. Witwer has written an engaging chronicle of the life and legacy of this emperor of the imagination.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1632862794
• ISBN13: 9781632862792
• Release Date: October 2015
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

An interesting and sad read.

If you ever wanted to know about the man/men who created the most famous tabletop RPG Duneons & Dragons and it’s origins, then this book is for you. It takes you from Gary Gygax’s childhood, throughout his marriages, life with his kids and his founding of TSR hobbies and ultimately his ousting from his own company by what I would call traitors but he had bad judgement or some would say he had no other options for his choice of business partners. A great read for RPG lovers.