Ralph Baer, father of video games, dies at 92
Baer credited with creating first video game console, Simon, light gun, Pong
The man known as the “father of video games” died Saturday at his home in Manchester at 92.
Ralph Baer is credited with developing the first video game console in 1966 -- known only at the time as the Brown Box, which later was released as the Magnavox Odyssey. The "Brown Box" started as a side project he worked on while working for a military contractor based in Nashua. He wanted to explore the idea of playing games on a television screen.
The console is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
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Baer is also credited with creating the first light gun and game for home television use and helped develop the electronic game Simon. He also had an idea of playing a table tennis game, which later became Pong under the Atari label.
Nolan Bushnell of Atari saw Baer's table tennis game and created the first arcade machine in 1972, resulting in arcade machines across the country.
With the successful launch of the Odyssey, video games exploded into the living room of American homes. Atari jumped on board, furthering the technology and video games have evolved into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today.
Baer was awarded with the National Medal of technology in 2006 by President George W. Bush and later inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame at the U.S. Dept. of Commerce in Washington, D.C.