Dave Arneson
1947 – 2009

Dave Arneson

American game designer (1947-2009)

role-playing game designergame designerboard game designer
Born
1947-10-01, Hennepin County
Died
2009-04-07
Birthplace state
Minnesota

Biography

David Lance Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game (RPG), Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s. Arneson's fundamental early role-playing game (RPG) genre work pioneered now-archetypical devices, such as: cooperative play to develop a storyline instead of individual competitive play to "win"; and adventuring in dungeon, town, and wilderness settings as presented by a neutral judge who doubles as the voice and consciousness of all characters aside from the player characters.

Occupation

Dave Arneson is recorded as a role-playing game designer, a game designer and a board game designer, born in Minnesota (1947–2009).

Connections to Minnesota

Dave Arneson was born in Hennepin County, Minnesota in 1947. Explore other notable figures from Minnesota, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

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Dave Arneson came from Hennepin County. A full Aubrey report on Hennepin County pulls together everything the historical record holds about that place, from the first settlers to the twentieth century:

Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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More notable figures from Minnesota

Other historical figures born in Minnesota, ranked by historical prominence.

Judy Garland
Judy Garland
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F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Sinclair Lewis
Sinclair Lewis
American writer and playwright (1885–1951)
Prince
Prince
American musician (1958–2016)
Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Vice President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 (1928–2021)
Melvin Calvin
Melvin Calvin
American biochemist (1911–1997)
J. Paul Getty
J. Paul Getty
American industrialist and art collector (1892–1976)

Frequently asked about Dave Arneson

Who was Dave Arneson?
Dave Arneson was American game designer (1947-2009), born in Minnesota (1947 – 2009).
When and where was Dave Arneson born?
Dave Arneson was born on 1947-10-01 in Hennepin County.
When did Dave Arneson die?
Dave died on 2009-04-07.
What was Dave Arneson known for?
Dave Arneson is recorded as a role-playing game designer, a game designer and a board game designer.
Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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