Ernest Gary Gygax (born July 27, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois; died March 04, 2008) is best known as the author of the well known fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), co-created with Dave Arneson and co-published with Don Kaye in 1974 under the company Tactical Studies Rules. Gygax is sometimes described as the father of the role-playing game.