Who is Jerry Lawson? Google Doodle celebrates video game pioneer
Jerry Lawson #JerryLawson
Google Doodle today celebrates Gerald “Jerry” Lawson, a father of modern gaming, known for leading the team that developed the first home video gaming console with interchangeable game cartridges.
Google is celebrating him, on what would have been his 82nd birthday, with an interactive Doodle.
Today’s (December 1) Google Doodle features five games, by three American guest artists and game designers, that players can also edit.
Davionne Gooden, Lauren Brown, and Momo Pixel worked with Google Doodle to create games in which players have to win coins and dodge enemies while making their way to the finish line.
Additionally, Google users can create their own platform game within the Doodle.
Gerald “Jerry” Lawson was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 1, 1940.
He was interested in electronics from an early age and repaired televisions and created his own radio station. Lawson was also inspired by George Washington Carver, a prominent Black scientist during the early 20th century.
Lawson attended Queens College and City College of New York but left early to begin his career in Palo Alto, California, an area known as Silicon Valley due to the number of tech companies based there.
He became an engineering consultant for Fairchild Semiconductor before being promoted to director of engineering and marketing of Fairchild’s video game department.
There, Lawson led the development of the first home video game console that had interchangeable game cartridges, a joystick, and a pause menu.
This console, called Channel F (with the F standing for fun), paved the way for consoles like Atari, SNES, and Dreamcast.
In 1980, Lawson started his own company called VideoSoft, one of the first Black-owned video game development companies, which created software for the Atari 2600.
Lawson was considered to be an industry pioneer and went on to be a consultant for engineering and video game companies.
The International Game Developers’ Association recognised Lawson as an industry trailblazer in 2011, while the University of Southern California also created the Gerald A Lawson Fund for students to pursue game design or computer science.
The World Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, has memorialised Lawson’s achievements.
Jerry Lawson’s children, Anderson and Karen Lawson, collaborated with Google on today’s Doodle.
They said in a statement: “Gerald Anderson Lawson was an engineer, always curious, critical in his thinking, and logical in how he solved problems. He challenged us to extend beyond our limits and encouraged young people to pursue careers in science and technology.
“Today, we celebrate what would’ve been Dad’s 82nd birthday with the world. We would like to thank Google for working with us to share our father’s story in this Doodle. May his story continue to inspire numerous young people around the globe to achieve something remarkable.”
They added: “Dad, you were our provider, motivator, teacher, inventor, mentor and friend. We are incredibly proud of you and miss you. The planet knows your story and you will never be forgotten! Happy Birthday, Pop! We love you!”
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