PopTen's Top 10 Geek Gods Includes Gygax, Salvatore, and Livingstone

PopTen posted a list of the Top 10 Geek Gods, and with entries like Gary Gygax, Ian Livingstone, and R.A. Salvatore, the tabletop gaming industry is well represented, joining literary luminaries like Tolkien, LeGuin, and Howard, or cinematic creators like George Lucas. It's a fun list, but who would you have included in a tabletop gaming list?

​

The PopTen list:

• H.G. Wells (War of the Worlds, etc.)
• J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings)
• Robert E. Howard (Conan the Barbarian)
• Ralph Baer (first home video game console)
• Ursula K. LeGuin (Earthsea)
• Gary Gygax (Dungeons & Dragons)
• George Lucas (Star Wars)
• Ian Livingstone, Steve Jackson*, John Peake (PopTen calls them "anonymous", but by name)
• R.A. Salvatore (a Drizzt)
• Richard Garfield (Magic: the Gathering)

*No, the other Steve Jackson

 

[Manchu2]

Top 10 (in no particular order) of Geek Gods:

8. George R. R. R. R. R. Martin (kinda have to)

Eh, whatever. It's all arbitrary.

Is Martin on there for his writing or for his "mainstreaming" of the genre by getting HBO to produce the show? He has had a huge (recent) impact, but I can come up with a dozen off the top of my head that are better writers, have had more impact, and have completed a series... not trying to knock him down too much, but top 10? Not in my book.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*