Creator of the Brown Box and Magnavox Odyssey amongst 2010 crop of honored tinkerers alongside creators of synthetic diamonds, Post-It Notes.
Ralph Baer is already a legend in the gaming industry, but recognition for the "Father of Video Games" extends much further than that. The latest lauds for the creator of the first home game systems--the Brown Box and its commercial follow-up Magnavox Oddysey--came this week as the National Inventors Hall of Fame announced its 2010 inductees, with Baer atop the (admittedly alphabetical by last name) list.
Baer's Brown Box was the first gaming console ever.
Baer created his Brown Box console prototype while working for defense contractor Sanders Associates in the 1960s. Sanders licensed the technology to Magnavox, which used it to release the Odyssey console in stores in 1972. Baer's list of brag-worthy brainstorms doesn't end there. In 1978 he created the memory-testing electronic game Simon for Milton-Bradley. His work has previously earned him dozens of honors, including the Game Developers Choice Awards' Pioneer Award and the National Medal of Technology, bestowed upon Baer by President George W. Bush in 2006.
The Hall of Fame is welcoming 15 other inductees to its ranks this year, including pioneers in areas as diverse as cancer research, GPS systems, synthetic diamonds, and glass cookware. The inventors of 3M's Post-It Notes, Arthur L. Fry and Spencer Silver, are among the year's better-known inductees, as are the diving equipment creating tandem of Emile Gagnan and explorer-entrepreneur Jacques Cousteau.
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