He's a gaming connection because that movie very heavily informed my martial arts experience, which of course heavily informed GURPS Martial Arts. Without guys like Bob Wall, just like Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris (who owned a karate dojo with Wall), and other martial arts stars of my youth . . . I don't know if I'd have really relentlessly pursued martial arts. Their willingness in real life to forever branch out - Wall studied BJJ with the Machado brothers - helped keep a continuity in the arts we represented in the book. There was never a clear dividing line between karate in the 60s, kung fu in the 70s, ninjas and kickboxers in the 80s, and BJJ in the 90s . . . there was a continiuity as arts continued to develop, mesh, split, and change each other.
It's a loss for the martial arts community - and the gains and losses there affect what I write and create for game. I need to do a Bob Wall homage . . . maybe I need to stat O'Hara after a quick re-watch of Enter the Dragon . . .
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