Editing Gary Gygax (section)

== Personal life ==
Gygax married Mary Jo Powell on September 14, 1958. They had five children together: Ernie, Elise, Heidi, Cindy, and Luke. They became [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], but he eventually left the religion; he remained a Christian, citing his favorite Bible verses of [[Matthew 5:15–16]] a few months before he died.<ref>{{cite book |last=Witwer |first=Michael |date=2015 |title=Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons |location=New York & London |publisher=Bloomsbury |pages=48,188–189, 215, 218 |isbn=978-1-63286-279-2}}</ref> He divorced Mary Jo in 1983 and married Gail Carpenter, one of his former accountants, on August 15, 1987. Their son, Alex, was born in 1986.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gail Gygax |url=https://www.gygaxmemorialfund.org/about-team |website=Gygax Memorial Fund |access-date=August 27, 2023}}</ref>

Gygax was an avid hunter and target shooter from an early age with both bow and gun.<ref>Gygax: "I got my first BB pistol when I was about 10, a Daisy BB gun when I was 11, and my first .22 rifle, a single-shot, bolt action Winchester for my 12th birthday—thanks to my grandfather, for mother was not keen on that. I loved plinking and hunting, and how badly I wanted a .25 lever action carbine I used to gaze at in the local Gamble's store is difficult to express in words. Never did get it. I did get a fine lemonwood bow made by Bear Archery, though. It had only a 38-pound pull, so my range was only about 120 yards with a hunting arrow."{{cite web|title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part VII, Page 23)|publisher = EN World|date = February 18, 2005|url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/104817-gary-gygax-q-part-vii-23.html|access-date = March 15, 2009|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110614223800/http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/104817-gary-gygax-q-part-vii-23.html|archive-date = June 14, 2011|url-status = dead}}</ref> He collected guns and owned a variety of rifles, shotguns, and handguns at various times.<ref>Gygax: "Yes I own a number of handguns and shoulder weapons... over the next few years I did add several more .22 rifles, a bolt-action, three shot Mossberg 16 gauge shotgun, an old single-barreled 12 gauge, and a .32 pistol. The rifles were used for squirrel, rabbit, and varmint hunting, the shotguns for pheasants, ducks, and geese, and the revolver for target shooting. In later years I got rid of the old weapons, added a 7.62 Argentine Mauser, a 30–30 carbine, and various other rifles, shotguns, and quite a few handguns. Years later, when I used to get death threats because of D&D I always had a .357, 9&nbsp;mm, or .45 caliber pistol handy. If those were too conspicuous, a little .32, .25, or .22 derringer from Defender Arms was around. Sure glad I didn't need to use them."{{cite web | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part VII, Page 23) | publisher = EN World | date = February 18, 2005 | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/104817-gary-gygax-q-part-vii-23.html | access-date = March 15, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110614223800/http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/104817-gary-gygax-q-part-vii-23.html | archive-date = June 14, 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref> He was a keen supporter of the [[Chicago Bears]]. He described himself as a "[[biological determinist]]"<ref name="ENWorld 2004 Gygax Q&A" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=La Farge |first=Paul |date=September 1, 2006 |title=Destroy All Monsters |url=https://www.thebeliever.net/destroy-all-monsters/ |access-date=June 20, 2024 |website=[[The Believer (magazine)|The Believer]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite podcast |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2022/09/26/1125115438/what-dungeons-and-dragons-tells-us-about-race |title=Rolling the dice on race in Dungeons & Dragons |website=[[Code Switch]] |publisher=[[NPR]] |last=Kung |first=Jess |date=September 28, 2022 |access-date=June 19, 2024 |last2=Demby |first2=Gene |last3=Mortada |first3=Dalia |last4=Donnella |first4=Leah}}</ref><ref name="PBS NewsHour-2023">{{Cite web |date=January 2, 2023 |title=How a new generation of gamers is pushing for inclusivity beyond the table |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/how-a-new-generation-of-gamers-is-pushing-for-inclusivity-beyond-the-table |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</ref> and believed gaming in general to be a male pursuit, stating in 2004 that "it isn't that females can't play games well, it is just that it isn't a compelling activity to them as is the case for males".<ref name="ENWorld 2004 Gygax Q&A">Gygax: As I have often said, I am a biological determinist, and there is no question that male and female brains are different. It is apparent to me that by and large females do not derive the same inner satisfaction from playing games as a hobby that males do. It isn't that females can't play games well, it is just that it isn't a compelling activity to them as is the case for males.{{Cite web  | title = Gary Gygax Q&A (Part V, page 7)  | publisher = ENWorld  | date = January 25, 2004  | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/71486-gary-gygax-q-part-v-7.html  | accessdate =   | archive-date = June 14, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110614223800/http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/71486-gary-gygax-q-part-v-7.html  | url-status = dead  }}</ref>