Bethesda Softworks executive producer Todd Howard 

When we got the report that Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax had passed away, we first shared our own reminiscences on The Pen-and-Paper Game That Started It All . Then we reached out to some of the top computer and videogame developers--those who either work in the role-playing game genre or whose titles are clearly inspired by RPGs--to find out how D&D influenced them both personally and professionally. Our next respondent is Bethesda Softworks executive producer Todd Howard, whose projects have included the 2006 hit Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and the forthcoming Fallout 3. Here's what he had to say. 

What do you remember about your first experience with Dungeons & Dragons?

My earliest memory was going with my brother to a game store called Conflicts and my parents dropping us off on a Tuesday night to play this “D&D” game. The next three hours were a revelation. It was like a new gateway into awesomeness was opened for me. This was the summer of 1978, if I remember right, and I was eight. I can recall counting the days until each Tuesday. It’s one of my favorite memories, of real bonding time with my brother and others.

How did your parents feel about you playing D&D?

They encouraged it, maybe to get us out of the house. They didn’t seem scared of the whole “demons and hell” thing, despite that horrible Tom Hanks movie "Mazes and Monsters". They spent more time trying to stop me from listening to Kiss and asking for a “Kiss Army” shirt.

Were you primarily a dungeon master or a player?

Primarily a player, because I wanted to “beat” the DM. I saw it as a challenge, a mind-game of some kind. I seemed to roll psionics a lot. Just sayin'.

How has D&D influenced you as a game developer?

In every way. Role playing didn’t exist before D&D. So much of what we do is based on the core concepts and playability of D&D. Leveling-up, classes, huge worlds, you name it.

What was gained and what has been lost over the years as videogames have supplanted pen-and-paper RPGs?

It’s weird; when I heard about Gary, it felt like an old friend from junior high school had passed; someone who I was really good friends with back then, but had only seen at reunions since. Sadness, but also an odd sense of guilt. Why? Because here's the question that crossed my mind: Why don’t I play D&D anymore? I think many people in their 30s and 40s are the same, old D&D geeks who now play a lot of videogames. I always liked painting the miniatures, and playing out the battles for D&D, so when Wizardry and Ultima came along, I saw that as an all-new way of it coming alive. I wanted my adolescent power fantasies to be on a computer screen, and not around a table anymore.

I think games make it more “real.” I can see and hear the danger. I’m experiencing something because the die rolls are behind the scenes, which means that I don’t have to look up tables and rules. But you lose the freedom and camaraderie of a great D&D session. In many ways, playing D&D is less about “gaming”, and more about spending time with other people. His death made me miss those times, and it made me miss my brother who now lives thousands of miles away.

Next: Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack.