I love books. Yesterday, I’ve stopped by Powell’s Bookstore downtown Portland, the way I do at least once a month. In addition to being surrounded by books, this pilgrim gives me a chance to discover books Amazon’s recommendation algorithm would miss. While roving the colorful rooms, my eye was caught by the subtitle of a new book: Gary Gygax and the birth of Dungeon & Dragons.

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I immediately found myself thirty-three years in the past, when I discovered with my friends AD&D (in its French edition, s’il Vous plait!). I bought the book (Empire of Imagination by Michael Witwer). It was a bit pricy but really interesting as it tells the reader the sorry for the birth of D&D and Gary’s biography. Like most role-players, I knew the name Gygax but that was it. To be true, you don’t really need much more to play. AD&D gave us access to a fantastic treasure. Besides the endless campaigns played during the weekends – and more –, I learned to use my imagination. I’ve stopped playing years ago, maybe because role-playing is a social game, and I’ve left many friends behind as I jumped from countries to countries. However, I never stopped messing with computers, and imagination is probably one of the most important skills you need to become a passionate programmer. So thank you, M. Gygax!

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