Ralph Henry Baer, better known as ‘The Father of Video Games’ has passed away at age of 92. He was named so because of his early development of the video game console back in 1966.
Ralph first had an idea when he was working for a television company in 1951, and asked his boss if he could integrate a game playing feature into the set. The boss flatly refused and asked him to complete work on the television set as he was already beyond his deadline.
He finished his prototype in 1968 and dubbed his console ‘Brown Box’. In 1971, Ralph and his employer Sanders Associates, filed for the first video game patent which was granted in 1973 and made a large claim to monopolise for any product which contained television with circuits able enough of producing and controlling dots on screen. The Brown Box technology was used to create the world’s first commercial video game console Odyssey. It sold more than 100,000 units in the first year.
Baer also created the first video game with a light gun. In 1978, Baer co-developed the memory game Simon.
In 2006, Baer was awarded the National Medal of Technology for his work with video games. He was inducted into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame in 2010.
From Baer’s modestly named ‘Brown Box’ have sprung PlayStation, Xbox and Wii, all products of the ceaseless revolution in microprocessing.
Baer is survived by two sons, James and Mark; a daughter, Nancy Baer; and four grandchildren.