Father of Video Games, Ralph H. Baer, Passes Away at 92

Ralph H. Baer passed away over the weekend from an unknown cause at the young age of 92. His death was confirmed by his family. If you’ve ever played video games and enjoyed it, you need to thank Ralph Baer (Wikipedia). He was known as “The Father of Video Games”. In the late 1960s, Baer developed a system known as the “Brown Box” while working for Sanders Associates, a New Hampshire-based defense contractor. This prototype would later be the Magnavox Odyssey 1TL200 that would be released in May 1972 in the United States. This device started one of the most profitable industries in the world and sold 130,000 units in the first year.

Take a look at the video clip below to see Ralph Baer and Bill Harrison testing the Brown Box back in 1969 when it was cutting edge technology.

Along with the Brown Box, Baer invented the first light gun accessory. He’s also the co-creator of the light-up memory games Simon and Super Simon. On his website, Bear stated that he holds more than 150 U.S. and foreign patents.

Here is a more recent interview that was done in 2013 by PBS. Gamers around the would are thankful for his contributions to the game industry!