When I woke up this morning, I learned of the death of Gary Gygax. If you don't know who that is, and there's a good chance you don't, it won't mean a lot to you. Still, many of us wouldn't be here on DA if it weren't for him.

That's a bold claim, am I exaggerate to make a point, but I'm sure there's some truth to it. You see, Mr. Gygax is one of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons. I don't have to tell you how much influence that particular game has had on the pop culture since the 1970s. Even if the media has spend much of their time making fun of the game using those tired stereotypes, D&D's influence goes way beyond entertaining geeks.

The way I see it, D&D has been a "mind opener" for the world on the subject of fantasy fiction. It made a mind-boggling number of terms, themes and ideas mainstream (elves and dwarfs, dragons and alternate world, role-playing, etc...). Not to mention the influence it's had in games, tv and film.

Just think about Mr Gygax the next time you post a fantasy picture on DA. Maybe you don't feel you own something to D&D directly and it may be true. Still, take a moment to contemplate how inspiration works in a society.