LudoScience

History of videogames (biography)

Author(s) : Ralph Baer
Editor : Rolenta Press
Publication date : 04-26-2005
Language : english

The autobiography of Ralph Baer, the inventor of home video game consoles. Released in 1972, the Magnavox Odyssey is one of the starting points of the history of video games. First of all, it's the first video console solely dedicated to games. Moreover, one of its titles, Ping-Pong, was a direct source of inspiration for Atari to create Pong. Through a book featuring many pictures, Ralph Baer details us the process he followed to invent this first console ever. As a natural-born engineer, he kept many documents now featured in this book, from the notes he took when he first this idea in 1966, to the various prototypes he built to design the final version of the Odyssey in 1972. The book also explains the various steps of the legal battle between Magnavox, Atari and Nintendo about the paternity of video games. Last but not least, Ralph Baer also presents his other notables inventions, such as the famous electronic game Simon (1979), and several interactive video devices, a technology used for applications ranging from kids entertainment to military training. This book is incredibly rich of unique content, and must be read by anyone interested in the beginnings of the history of video games.
This book was translated in French in 2012 under the title "Ralph Baer - Mémoires du père des jeux vidéo".