The “Satan Thing” vs the Greater Gygax Initiative: Why no Gygax statue in Lake Geneva?

In a subscriber article the Chicago Tribune asks people why there isn’t a Gary Gygax or even D&D statue in Lake Geneva. D&D was invented there.

Elegantly, the Tribute explains why they’re doing the story now, and it’s not just because D&D turns 50 next year. The newspaper notes;

This is a story about how we choose to recognize a cultural legacy, particularly when the legacy is not that of a soldier, politician, activist or wizard of more accepted classical arts.

Luke Gygax, who now runs GaryCon, told the Chicago Tribune,

Call me biased because he’s my dad but I don’t know another figure from Lake Geneva who had as much impact beyond Lake Geneva as my dad. You should drive into Lake Geneva and there should be a sign, at the least, saying: ‘Lake Geneva, Home of Dungeons & Dragons.’ Someone in local government should be arguing for this. Hopefully, the 50th anniversary will help.”

Does the investigation disagree? No, and notes, “… he’s not wrong”.

So, why no statue?

Jon Peterson, author of “Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons” spends a lot of time explaining, and the RPG historian is a great person to ask. At one point, Peterson reminds;

“The Satan thing began in 1979, with a student at Michigan State who disappeared, presumably into tunnels under campus, because he was so into D&D presumably he confused the game with reality.”

Gamers will know this time as the dread Satanic Panic.

Ben Riggs, the Milwaukee author of “Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons,” a history of the game published last year expained;

I think, for one, the Satanic panic still lingers, in a way. In general, ask people around Lake Geneva what they think of the game, and a lot of them act like you’re pointing to a bug under a rock. There’s a sense of shame about it. In many ways, this new movie is a Wisconsin product, but I find that Wisconsin is like, what do you mean? It’s not cheese or beer or sausage. Having said that, I also think that their lack of understanding of D&D makes some sense.

There are champions, though; Paul Stormberg of the Gygax Memorial Fund told the paper that he’s working on a project called the Greater Gygax Initiative with plans to pitch it to authorities in 2024, when D&D turns 50.

The Greater Gygax Initiative is described by the Tribune;

… a new memorial design (a gaming table, with a Gygax statue), an annual festival, historic markers and a push to educate the town on Gygax.

Stormberg estimates his “models give a $3 million impact annually”. There’s a Kicsktarter coming.

Luke Gygax remains less than sure about the Gygax Memorial Fund but concedes on this goals are aligned. The article compares the lack of a D&D statue with the boat tours that point out the Wrigleys’ family home.

There’s people out there who never water ski. They stayed home in dark rooms and played a game with friends for hours. They weren’t sailing on that lake. Now they have money. Someday I hope the city of Lake Geneva realizes this.”

Via Chicago Tribune.