Jerry Lawson Video Games Google Doodle Honored Him On His Birthday

Jerry Lawson video games were honored by Google Doodle on Thursday, December 1, which marked the 82nd birthday of the video game inventor.

The subject of today’s Google Doodle is Gerald “Jerry” Lawson, an engineer who is credited with creating the video game cartridge, among other outstanding contributions. 

In the long list of well-known names in the gaming sector, he is one that is frequently overlooked. 

Jerry Lawson, the computer engineer, credited with creating the first console video game cartridge almost 50 years ago, is honored by Google Doodle, the modified and occasionally interactive logo on the search engine’s home page, for December 1. 

The Doodle allows users to modify and edit five video games in addition to playing them.

The Doodle starts by giving a brief overview of Lawson’s life and career; he would have turned 82 on Thursday.

Then, participants are instructed on how to update the Doodle games, which include one Breakout-like game and four puzzle/platformer side-scrollers.

Google created a little documentary on Lawson’s life, including commentary from the three Black Doodle developers and Lawson’s son.

The Doodle for Google’s home page has a pixelated cartoon of Lawson next to an image of the Channel F console and a TV.

When the image is clicked, a bespoke online browser game with Super Mario Maker-style retro tile-based graphics lets users create and alter game loads.

Players can choose preexisting games to change or create their own after a brief introduction that describes Lawson’s background.

Channel F’s characteristic yellow cartridge, which allowed for replaceable games, serves as a unifying theme for the entire Doodle game.

Jerry Lawson, a pioneer of modern gaming

Jerry Lawson, who led the team that created the first home video gaming system with interchangeable game cartridge, was a pioneer of video gaming who was also one of the few black men working in the field at the time, according to CNET. 

Lawson has been dubbed the “father of the video game cartridge” for his role in the early development of video games.

Jerry Lawson helped in laying the groundwork for later consoles like the Atari and Super Nintendo.

Since Lawson was one of the few black engineers working in the IT business in the 1970s, his accomplishments were particularly noteworthy. 

However, his children told Google that “our father’s story became a footnote in video-game history due to a crash in the video game market.”

The World Video Game Hall of Fame in New York has a memorial for Lawson, and the University of Southern California established an endowment fund in his honor to aid underrepresented students wishing to pursue degrees in game design and computer science. 

Recent years have seen the emergence of new initiatives to honor Lawson. He was crucial in creating the Fairchild Channel F console, which debuted programmable video game cartridges in 1976.

Sadly, Lawson passed away in 2011 from complications related to his diabetes, but not before being recognized by the International Game Developers Association as a pioneer in the industry for his contributions.

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