MINNEAPOLIS, April 10 (UPI) -- Dave Arneson, co-creator of the fantasy role-playing game "Dungeons & Dragons," has died in St. Paul, Minn., at the age of 61, his family said.
Following a falling-out with late "Dungeons" co-creator Gary Gygax and the company that published their work, Arneson went on to co-found two other companies -- 4D Interactive Systems and Adventure Games -- and taught game design at Full Sail University in a suburb of Orlando, Fla., the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press said.
Arneson's daughter, Malia Weinhagen, recalled his love of gaming in an interview with the newspaper.
"Any house I ever lived in with him always had a basement devoted to gaming. I thought everyone grew up with dragons and fairies. It was quite a shock in elementary school when I found out I was not the norm," Weinhagen said.
A memorial will be held for the Minneapolis native and University of Minnesota graduate, who was diagnosed last year with cancer, on April 20 at Bradshaw Funeral Home in St. Paul. A funeral service is slated for April 21at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Paul, the Pioneer Press said.
