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

by Michael Witwer

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632862044
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	10/06/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Michael Witwer is an author, lifelong gamer and gaming enthusiast. He holds a master's degree from the University of Chicago, where Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons&Dragons first emerged as the subject of his thesis. He is also a film and theater actor and is the brother of Emmy-nominated actor Sam Witwer. He is married to Kalysta Harmon Witwer, with whom he has two children, Vivienne and William. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Editorial Reviews

08/10/2015
In this entertaining biography, Witwer follows the life and accomplishments of Gary Gygax, called here the “King of the Nerds” for his creation of the long-enduring Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game. As Witwer demonstrates, Gygax was one of the modern gaming industry’s most instrumental figures, taking a lifelong passion for chess, strategy, and wargames, and adding Tolkien-inspired elements to create one of the earliest fantasy games, the Fantasy Supplement for Chainmail. Through interviews and research, Witwer reconstructs Gygax’s journey through the decades in “greatest hits” fashion, dramatizing and expanding on his family life (his first wife was convinced he was cheating on her, not playing board games); his troubled relationship with Tactical Studies Rules (TSR), the game publishing company he cofounded but eventually lost control of; and his erratic post-TSR career. As Witwer states, “Gary Gygax’s legacy lives on through... the culture of geeks who played and subsequently took over the world—a world that he prepared for imagination.” Though Witwer clearly intends the book as a respectful tribute and often paints Gygax as the hero, he doesn’t shy away from his subject’s faults and failures, resulting in a fascinating examination of the birth and growing pains of the gaming industry and of Gygax’s lasting influence on pop culture. Agent: Jacques de Spoelberch, J. de S. Associates. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

It turns out that while we were down in the basement exploring his world, Gary Gygax was having a tremendous adventure up here in ours. Thanks to Michael Witwer's book, I finally got to experience it.” —David X. Cohen, Executive Producer of FUTURAMA

“We live in a time when the most important people in sports are using data—statistics, analytics—to make decisions with billion dollar consequences. We live in a time when digital gaming may be more influential in our culture than sports and movies combined. In short, we live in a world perhaps only Gary Gygax could have imagined decades ago. If you want to know where it all began, this book is as good a place as any to start.” —Mike Greenberg, cohost of ESPN's MIKE & MIKE and bestselling author of MY FATHER'S WIVES and ALL YOU COULD ASK FOR

“Empire of Imagination tells the story of the emperor himself, at times brilliant, sometimes tragic, but ultimately victorious.” —Peter Adkison, founder and former CEO of Wizards of the Coast, owner of Gen Con

“In vignettes which vividly illustrate Gygax’s key role in the invention of modern gaming, Empire of Imagination shows us the rise of Dungeons & Dragons through the eyes of its most famous father. Gygax could not have hoped for a more attentive and sympathetic biographer.” —Jon Peterson, author of PLAYING AT THE WORLD

“The work of Michael Witwer is all I could have hoped it would be! . . . If you want to know what it was like back when D&D was being born then this book is a must have.” —Ernest Gary Gygax, Jr.

“Witwer's respect for Gygax is evident throughout . . . informative . . . Well-researched.” —Kirkus

“Witwer cleverly sorts the narrative into 'levels' rather than chapters; each level opens with a D&D-style scene that both foreshadows and entertains.” —Library Journal

“For fans of role-playing games, and D&D specifically, the book is required reading.” —Booklist

“[E]ntertaining . . . a fascinating examination of the birth and growing pains of the gaming industry and of Gygax's lasting influence on pop culture.” —Publishers Weekly

"Empire of Imagination is an absolute blast! The narrative is fast paced, while the depth of research made me feel like I was reliving the life of one of the most creative forces of our time. Witwer had me reaching for my 20 sided dice!" —Ben Mezrich, bestselling author of BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE and ONCE UPON A TIME IN RUSSIA

“Not a dry, rigorous biographical tome . . . quite a fun read.” —Frank Mentzer, former TSR staff designer and Creative Advisor to Gary Gygax

"[A] great achievement, a foundational biography, an important story to tell . . .You don’t need to roll a d20 to find out whether you should buy this book. If you even know what I meant when I wrote ‘d20,’ the answer is yes." —Bookgasm

"Gary Gygax went on a long, treacherous and challenging journey in both his personal and business life and, after reading Michael Witwer's book, I feel as though I've been on a part of that journey, too . . . The book left me feeling warm and yet somewhat sad, but it was definitely a most satisfying read . . . Most highly recommended." —Jonathan Hicks, Farsight Blogger / RPG.net

"[I]f you are a gamer, live with a gamer or ever had the urge to understand why gamers, geeks and nerds do what they do, you must read this book." —d20radio.com

"If you have any interest in the origination of our hobby, read this book . . . amazingly entertaining and informative." —GeeksandGeeklets

"Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons is a book no geek or role player of any sort should miss out on." —Metapunk.com

"[A] brilliant book." —Ian Livingstone CBE, Co-Founder of Games Workshop

"I highly recommend Empire of Imagination to anyone interested in gaming and the creative process." —Chris Perkins, D&D Principal Story Designer at Wizards of the Coast

"It’s the most comprehensive look at Gygax’s early life that I know of . . . Witwer excels at telling this story." —Shannon Appelcline, author of DESIGNERS & DRAGONS

"A fitting tribute to a complicated legacy." —Michael J. Tresca, author of THE EVOLUTION OF FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

From the Publisher

06/15/2015
A business-proposal writer by day, Witwer's first book is a nimble, greatly dramatized biography of Gary Gygax (1938–2008) who created the legendary fantasy roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) in 1974. As his biographer notes, Gygax crafted fantasy worlds that offer outlets from mainstream society and have shape geek culture, inspired massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft, and spawned demonstrably false allegations linking D&D to suicide and devil worship. Witwer reveals Gygax as an autocratic artist who concentrated on his game designs and commercial interests, often at the cost of his health, relationships, and finances. The author keeps things interesting by inventing melodramatic conversations, recounting tales of his subject's childhood years in a haunted house, and spotlighting his guest-star appearance alongside former vice president Al Gore on the hit TV show Futurama. Witwer cleverly sorts the narrative into "levels" rather than chapters; each level opens with a D&D-style scene that both foreshadows and entertains. VERDICT Niche audiences will appreciate the life story of D&D's iconic creator but readers without prior interest may wish for greater substance behind the gorgeous dust jacket.—Michael Rodriguez, Hodges Univ. Lib., Naples, FL

Library Journal

2015-05-26
A gaming enthusiast pays homage to Gary Gygax (1938-2008), the creator of the swords-and-sorcery role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Chicago native Gygax acquired his taste for fantasy from a father who regaled him with bedtime stories of "giants and dragons [and] wise old wizards with magic rings." As he grew up, he indulged his escapist daydreams by reading pulp science fiction and fantasy magazines like Weird Tales while cultivating a passion for war games and chess. By the time he married and began his adult life, Gygax was spending so many of his evenings gaming with other locals that his wife suspected he was having an affair. In 1968, he helped organize the first war-games convention in Lake Geneva (called Gen Con for short) and started to develop games based on fantasy themes that used elaborate table settings, multisided dice, and miniatures. In 1973, Gygax formed a partnership with his closest gaming friends called Tactical Studies Rules and published the first 1,000 copies of the game he would call Dungeons & Dragons a year later. D&D grew rapidly in popularity during the late 1970s and into the 1980s. Yet its successes, which included cartoons and a (aborted) movie deal, were tainted by internal problems within TSR—e.g., lawsuits brought against Gygax by former partners and Gygax's own financial mismanagement. The D&D creator would eventually go on to found other small gaming companies, develop other games, and even write pulp sci-fi-style novels. By the early 2000s, he had become a beloved popular-culture icon, and Sync magazine "named Gary as number one on its list of the ‘50 Biggest Nerds of All Time.' " Witwer's respect for Gygax is evident throughout, but while his overview of D&D's influence on popular culture is informative, this book will likely find its strongest readership only among fellow gaming aficionados. Well-researched but with limited appeal.

Kirkus Reviews