I don’t have a better link, because the site has been slashdotted, but Gary Gygax has passed. If that name isn’t familiar to you, he was the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons. Because of this, not only was he the father of role-playing games, he is pretty much one of the most important people in geek culture and history.
Wow, that feels weird to write. But it’s true. I don’t know how many people play his games, or games based on them, but I can guarantee it’s a lot of them. You probably know someone who does or has, if you don’t or haven’t. Myself, I’ve never played a single moment of D&D or any similar game, but I’ve always been interested in the games. Nethack, a game I play often, borrows a lot from various sources, including D&D. I’ve always found myself more interested in the ideas and mechanics of D&D than actually playing it.
Nonetheless, this is a sad day for geekdom. Be nice to your nerds today.
Update: See, geeks are everywhere: D&D co-creator Gary Gygax, R.I.P.. Malkin was a D&D geek — who woulda thought?