Fort Wayne was on a roll this weekend with the 23rd annual celebration of Pentacon — a role-playing and computer gaming convention.

An estimated 600 gamers visited the Grand Wayne Convention Center to enjoy various computer games, board games and role-playing games, including Warlord, Aerodrome and Dungeons & Dragons.

The guest of honor was fantasy author and game designer Ed Greenwood, who created the fantasy world “The Forgotten Realms” as a child.

As a teenager, Greenwood continued to develop his fantasy writing and became involved with Dragon magazine as a contributing editor. Dragon magazine was the official magazine of TSR, the company that created Dungeons and Dragons.

In 1983, Greenwood was asked by Jeff Grub from TSR to use “The Forgotten Realms” as the setting for the second edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The company was experiencing rapid growth and popularity, so the original creators were unable to come up with a new realm, or background setting, for the new edition of the game. Greenwood and Grub co-developed “The Forgotten Realms” to meet the challenge.

Greenwood discussed the current status of the gaming industry and its reputation.

“It all started as a pastime.” Greenwood said gaming has always been a good way for small groups to socialize. Gaming was the way people interacted and had good conversation.

Greenwood thinks the growth of computer gaming is both a blessing and a curse. “The computer is a valuable learning tool because it gives a more realistic experience.” Although there is true networking and people can keep in touch better, Greenwood said there is no real-world accountability. “There's a generation of people who can't interact in public.”

Greenwood said another downside is there is no consequence to computer gaming. “You can turn the computer off. You can lie to a person and you don't have to face them.”

Lisa Adams, a commodity manager from Anderson, is the chairman of this year's Pentacon. Adams said the convention is very family-oriented. Many parents came to game with their children. Adams has been a gamer for many years, but got involved with the convention when they needed someone to do layout for the program booklet. She has been the chairman for the past three years.

Adams said as a woman gamer, people sometimes think of her as a geek. When she tells them she runs the convention, they are impressed. The convention also featured the fantasy writer and filk singer C.S. Marks. Marks is a professor at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College near Terre Haute. Marks is the author of the popular “Elfhunter” trilogy. Marks loves coming to conventions, and she loves developing the material for her novels, but she said it's hard for women writers. “Some fans won't read a book if it's written by a woman.”

Adams said gaming attracts across all ages and social classes because it's a fun way to socialize. “If you enjoy socializing and you enjoy being competitive, you will enjoy gaming.” Greenwood recommends that people interested in fantasy and role-playing games check out local conventions to find out what they like and dislike.

Conventions also give people a chance to play against game designers. This year Neal Noey of Columbia City brought his own game, “Swarm,” to Pentacon. Noey said he needed something to do with all of the random game pieces in his house, including many dice. The result of his efforts was “Swarm,” a strategy board game with a kind of honeycomb shape. The game functions like chess or checkers, with a basic piece that stacks and unstacks. “You swarm against your enemies,” Noey said.

Greenwood enjoys gaming conventions because they are the bread and butter of the industry.

“You have to see it for yourself.” Even in smaller conventions, Greenwood said gamers love getting together to have fun. “It's tradition. Everybody wants something to cling to.”