Gary Gygax’s Game Collection Up for Auction

10 Comments

1. Spiralbound on 15.12.2010 at 06:55

   That will be an interesting collection of RPG history to be sure. The one saddening aspect of the auction is that it means that his collection will become scattered among the collections of all the bidders. While on the one hand it is good to know that new generations of gamers will get to enjoy owning these items, it is also a little bit poignant to see a man’s lifetime of gathering things of interest get dispersed into the world like that. If roleplaying were a larger artform I could easily see a museum coming forward to preserve and caretake the collection as is, both to make them publicly available and to preserve it for the posterity of Gygax.

2. mrbushtroll on 15.12.2010 at 08:43

   ditto to the last comment
   This is history……Smithsonian is losing a icon and treasure trove
   to the worlds great game.

   to bad

   another insult by capitalism for a $

   1. shadejon on 15.12.2010 at 08:56

      Considering that a) the money is going to Gary’s widow, and b) probably some of it will go the Gygax Memorial Fund, I would say that complaints about capitalism are uncalled for. Not everything can, or should, be preserved intact.

      Yehuda

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4. Gravity on 15.12.2010 at 14:34

   I agree that this should be preserved, preferably in one collection. But for heavens sake, what has that to do with capitalism? If one _capitalistic_ collector stepped up and bought the lot, fine. If one _socialist_ public library/museum or government institution bought the lot, let them.

   In the end of the day, its individuals and free associations of indivuduals that produce RPG:s, not government bureaucracies. So much for socialism as an alternative.

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8. lordaurther on 17.12.2010 at 08:09

   I’m sure if Gary’s wife created a museum of his life an included these game and other stuff from his life. She would probably make a fortune.

9. Mike on 17.12.2010 at 10:25

   “In the end of the day, its individuals and free associations of indivuduals that produce RPG:s, not government bureaucracies. So much for socialism as an alternative.”

   You imply that only socialism is burdened with gov bureaucracies? ;) Also, although I wouldn’t say it’s explicitly run that way now with respect to WoTC, but gaming in and of itself, both today and historically can be viewed as a communal/social activity in which the production of it is by the contributions of many talented people that wasn’t necessarily driven by profit, but for the fun of it (such as the large indie/alternative RPG scene). It’s when companies such as TSR/Hasbro/WoTC/etc had taken the “hobby” and began mass commercialization/marketing that we see the gamers themselves lament the loss of intent of their hobby. Dual-edged sword. On the one edge it’s good to propagate the hobby with a business that has capital to market it, the other edge is the hobby succumbs to the ebb and flow of corporatism as all businesses do. It could be as creative as hell, but isn’t meeting the bottom line? Axe it. That doesn’t mean we just don’t get that RPG corebook or new system, it means people lose jobs and companies shave off creative talent.

   However, I digress, it’s really silly to bring such arguments up regarding the auction of gaming history. I understand that it would be nice to have a public institution preserve and display such artifacts of RPG’s, but honestly, as much as we love this stuff and gaming in general, this is niche at best and would be better served if a private collector purchased the whole lot and then did public displays at their time and convenience. IMHO

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