Ralph Baer, Video-Game Pioneer, Dies at 92
, the creator of the Magnavox Odyssey (known as the “Brown Box”), the first commercial console for home video games, at the age of 92 on Saturday.
A pioneer in the now gaming industry, it’s likely you’ve played with the games and systems Baer or influenced. In addition to building the light gun — a gun-shaped controller that allows users to shoot objects on screen — he created the to Atari’s Pong game as well as the colorful electronic memory game Simon, which made its debut in 1978 at Studio 54 and continues to be sold today.
Related: Across the U.S., Bars Are Letting You Play Your Favorite Childhood Video Games
In 1971, while employed at Sanders Associates, a defense contractor in Nashua, N.H., Baer filed for the first ever video-game patent. His papers are now in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and he was awarded the in 2006.
So, what can entrepreneurs learn from Baer’s legacy? The biggest takeaway is this: he never stopped . And, as is the case with the best entrepreneurs, his work has inspired generations of new innovators, with a promise of more to come.
Related: Can Video Games in the Office Make Employees More Productive?
, the creator of the Magnavox Odyssey (known as the “Brown Box”), the first commercial console for home video games, at the age of 92 on Saturday.
A pioneer in the now gaming industry, it’s likely you’ve played with the games and systems Baer or influenced. In addition to building the light gun — a gun-shaped controller that allows users to shoot objects on screen — he created the to Atari’s Pong game as well as the colorful electronic memory game Simon, which made its debut in 1978 at Studio 54 and continues to be sold today.
Related: Across the U.S., Bars Are Letting You Play Your Favorite Childhood Video Games
In 1971, while employed at Sanders Associates, a defense contractor in Nashua, N.H., Baer filed for the first ever video-game patent. His papers are now in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and he was awarded the in 2006.
So, what can entrepreneurs learn from Baer’s legacy? The biggest takeaway is this: he never stopped . And, as is the case with the best entrepreneurs, his work has inspired generations of new innovators, with a promise of more to come.
Related: Can Video Games in the Office Make Employees More Productive?
