Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Passes Away

Dave Arneson, one of the co-creators of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy game, has died after a two-year battle with cancer.

Fantasy fans play Dungeons and Dragons at a games convention in Indiana

The pioneer of role-playing entertainment was 61.

His daughter, Malia Weinhagen, said her father died peacefully in a hospice in St Paul, Minnesota.

Mr Arneson and Gary Gygax developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures.

The game sees players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules.

The quintessential 'geek' pastime, it spawned copycat games and inspired a whole genre of role-playing computer games that millions of people around the world now play together online.

"The biggest thing about my dad's world is he wanted people to have fun in life," Ms Weinhagen said.

"I think we get distracted by the everyday things you have to do in life and we forget to enjoy life and have fun. But my dad never did."

Game is still hugely popular

A statement from D&D producer Wizards of the Coast said Blackmoor, a game Mr Arneson was developing before D&D, was the "first-ever role-playing campaign and the prototype for all (role-playing game) campaigns since".

"(Mr Arneson) developed many of the fundamental ideas of role-playing: that each player controls just one hero, that heroes gain power through adventures, and that personality is as important as combat prowess," it added.

In later years, Mr Arneson published other role-playing games and started his own game-publishing and computer game companies.

He was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame in 1984.

Mr Arneson is survived by Ms Weinhagen and two grandchildren.

News Source - news.sky.com