Richard Channing Garfield is the American game designer who created Magic: The Gathering, the first collectible card game. Magic debuted in 1993, and its success spawned many imitations. Garfield oversaw the successful growth of Magic and followed it with other exceptional game designs. Garfield also designed the CCGs Netrunner, BattleTech, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, Star Wars Trading Card Game, the card game The Great Dalmuti, and the board game RoboRally. He also created a variation of the game Hearts called Complex hearts. Garfield first became passionate about games when he played the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, so he designed Magic decks to be customizable like roleplaying characters. Garfield and Magic are in the Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame. 

June 26th, 1963 in Philadelphia (Age 61)