Father of videogames Ralph Baer passes away at 92

Jonathan Holmes

Published: Dec 7, 2014 09:00 pm

This article is over 10 years old and may contain outdated information

One of gaming’s greatest minds

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Ralph Baer was an electronics and engineering pioneer, known as the “father of videogames.” Baer designed the Magnavox Odyssey, starting work on the machine in the late 1960s before releasing it in 1972, when it became the world’s first commercial home console.

This footage of Baer playing The Brown Box (a prototype of the Odyssey) dates all the way back to 1969. Throughout his life, Baer stayed active in the electronics and gaming communities to which he helped give birth.

He received the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush in 2006. I’m sure that Mr. Baer would be happy to know that he’s affected millions upon millions of people. Not bad for a life’s work.

_{This post has been updated to correct factual errors.}

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Jonathan Holmes

Destructoid Contributor - Jonathan Holmes has been a media star since the Road Rules days, and spends his time covering oddities and indies for Destructoid, with over a decade of industry experience "Where do dreams end and reality begin? Videogames, I suppose."- Gainax, FLCL Vol. 1 "The beach, the trees, even the clouds in the sky... everything is build from little tiny pieces of stuff. Just like in a Gameboy game... a nice tight little world... and all its inhabitants... made out of little building blocks... Why can't these little pixels be the building blocks for love..? For loss... for understanding"- James Kochalka, Reinventing Everything part 1 "I wonder if James Kolchalka has played Mother 3 yet?" Jonathan Holmes