Eric S. Dyke, co-founder and president of the Orlando, Florida-based developer n-Space passed away earlier this week, succumbing to cancer. Dyke founded the company with partner Dan O'Leary, serving as president for 14 years. Developer n-Space was responsible for titles like the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion, Geist for the GameCube, and Tiger Shark for the PC, as well as Call of Duty and Star Wars titles for the Nintendo DS.

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A taxi driver was killed by an 18-year old with a knife in Thailand over the weekend. Not exactly gaming news, except for the fact the teenager cited Grand Theft Auto as his inspiration. As a result, New Era Interactive Media, the game's distributor in Thailand, has requested stores remove the title from shelves, and the Thailand Culture Ministry has taken the opportunity to push for stronger classification measures.

Although the person in question was 18, surprisingly, the government identified parents as the important factor in keeping inappropriate games (and other mediums) out of the hands of their children. From the Herald Sun story:

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The story goes a little something like this: Britain's Daily Telegraph runs a story with the headline "Schoolboy hangs himself after row over Nintendo Wii". Said story suggests that the 13 year-old boy "hanged himself with his school tie" after his parents had confiscated his Wii following some bad behaviour. The headline and presence of the Wii was enough to give the Telelgraph's (relatively) sensible story some traction, get a bunch of other news outlets and websites thinking - and reporting - that he killed himself. Over a Wii. Pity it's all a load of rubbish. Yes, the boy had his Wii confiscated, and yes, he was found with his tie around his neck, hanging from his bunk bed, but did he kill himself? As in, an act of suicide? No. He didn't. His death was an accident, which took place while he was throwing a temper tantrum after he'd been sent to his room. His parents know this. The coroner knows this, saying the boy "had killed himself by accident". But hey, why let that get in the way of a good "Boy Kills Himself Over Wii" headline!

Schoolboy hangs himself after row over Nintendo Wii [Telegraph]

Chris "Topher" Allen, who had been a multiplayer designer on Saints Row 2 at Volition, passed away on Sunday, May 11th of natural causes. He was 35.

Mr. Allen began his game industry career as a QA tester on Summoner 2 and The Punisher, and became a designer in 2005. Prior to joining Volition, Mr. Allen was a high school English teacher in Emporia, Kansas and Ankara, Turkey. He leaves behind his wife, Lesley. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Chauncey Griffith. Mr. Allen was one of 12 grandchildren, and had many close aunts and uncles.

"Chris was truly one of those people who, after seeing them, you'd think 'I wish I was more like that guy' and mean it", said Chris' colleague, James Taylor.

Many more of his teammates at Volition contributed thoughts in his memory:

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The rattling of dice across tabletops around the word falls silent today with the news that co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and TSR, Gary Gygax, has passed away at the age of 69. The news came via the forums of Troll Lord Games, who publish Gygax's Lejendary Adventures and Castles & Crusades sourcebooks, delivered via his son Ernie Gygax. He died in his home, having been in failing health for some time, suffering several strokes and a near heart-attack. Gygax was an inspiration to the gaming industry, with his work directly or indirectly influencing entire genres - role-playing games and MMORPGs specifically. I probably wouldn't be writing this right now if the thought of missing my weekly D&D games hadn't kept me from allocating my 6'6" frame towards more sporting endeavors. Gary Gygax may have passed on, but the legacy he leaves to gaming will live on forever. Rest in peace, Dungeon Master.

Gary Gygax [Troll Lord Games Forums]
Photo by Alan De Smet

According to numerous sources, Australian actor and star of Brokeback Mountain Heath Ledger has died of a drug overdose. He was found in his Manhattan, US apartment by his housekeeper and masseuse at 7:30 AEST.

Ledger was 28. He leaves behind Matilda, his two-year old daughter.

Ledger was set to play the Joker in the upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Sad news indeed, and a big loss for Australian cinema.

Heath Ledger Dead [News.com.au]

The gaming industry lost another long-time contributor yesterday, IGN reports, as Retro Studios senior software engineer Mark Haigh-Hutchinson succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Haigh-Hutchinson's 23-year career spanned stints at both LucasArts and Retro, where he specialised in camera systems and controls. He helped to create beloved games such as Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Sam 'n' Max Hit the Road, Zombies Ate My Neighbors and the Metroid Prime series. He was also the author of the book Real-Time Cameras, published in 2008.

He leaves behind a wife and two daughters. Mark Haigh-Hutchinson was 43.

Famed Industry Veteran, Retro Studios Programmer Dies [IGN]

Over the holidays, the gaming community lost one an influential member in Martin Sikes, one of the founding members of Black Box Games. Black Box was probably best known for creating titles like NHL 2K and Sega Soccer Slam before being acquired by Electronic Arts in 2002 and helming the Need For Speed franchise. Sikes and other former Black Box staffers later went on to co-found United Front Games, a start-up studio that formed in the summer of 2007. Sikes, who died suddenly on Christmas Eve, is survived by his daughter, parents Rita and John, and sister Belinda.

Details on memorial services are available at the Vancouver Sun.

Martin Sikes co-founded Black Box Games [Vancouver Sun - thanks, Victor]

A robbery at the GameStop on Cobb Parkway South in Marietta, Georgia left the store manger dead. A man apparently entered the store around closing time, waited for the last of the customers to leave, and then pulled a gun. Using duct tape the suspect tied up the store manager, Matthew Chery, as well as a fellow employee, as well as the employee's father who arrived during the robbery to pick up his child from work. The suspect escaped with video games, DVDs, and consoles, leaving the three bound with tape over their mouths. Between the time the robber left and the police arrived, the 21 year-old store manager had died, possibly as a result of the duct tape gag, though police are still investigating. The suspect fled the seen with his loot, stealing Matthew Cherry's red 2004 Honda Civic LX in the process.

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