Ernest Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) (IPA: [ˈgaj.gæks]) was an American writer and game designer. He was best known for co-creating the early role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) with Dave Arneson in 1974. Gygax is often thought of as one of the first people to make role-playing games.