Google Doodle Today: Everything You Need To Know About Gerald Jerry Lawson, The Video Game Pioneer.

Today, on 1st December, Google Doodle is celebrating the 82nd birthday of Gerald Jerry Lawson, an American electronic engineer best recognized for organizing the team that produced the Fairchild Channel F video game system and the first commercial video game cartridge.

Lawson invented the first video game console in history and was a well-known video gaming pioneer who popularised contemporary video games that are played by people all over the world today.

Everything You Need To Know About Gerald Jerry Lawson.

Electronic engineer Gerald Anderson Lawson was born in Brooklyn on December 1, 1940. At a very young age, he started tinkering with electronics. He continued his education at Queens College and City College of New York before beginning his professional career in Palo Alto.

Source: Wikipedia

At his garage, he developed Demolition Derby, an early coin-operated arcade game, which was finished at the beginning of 1975 using Fairchild's new F8 microprocessors. Demolition Derby was one of the first video games powered by a microprocessor. 

Due to his original and creative ideas, he quickly rose to fame in the video game business. Additionally, he created the original video game cartridge, which was widely used for many years around the globe to play video games.

Thanks to the Fairchild Channel F console created by Lawson and his colleagues, games could be stored as software on removable ROM cartridges. These were also safe as there was no risk of electric shock when repeatedly inserted and removed from a console unit. 

The technology enabled gamers to purchase a library of games. The sale of these games opened up a new source of income for console manufacturers. 

The Channel F system included several controls, including a brand-new 8-way joystick created by Lawson and a "pause" button—a first for a home video game console.  

One of the first Black-owned video game creation companies was founded by Lawson in 1980 under the name VideoSoft. The Atari 2600 software designed by VideoSoft made Lawson and his team's cartridge even more popular. 

Lawson left a lasting impression on the gaming sector. The Rochester, New York, World Video Game Hall of Fame showcases his accomplishments. In 2011, the International Game Developers Association recognized him as an industry pioneer.

Today, on 1st December, Jerry Lawson's achievements and creative output are being honored by Google today through its Google Doodle. Today’s Google Doodle also features a collection of fun mini-games. You can play the game by opening Google Chrome on your computer and clicking on the tributary artwork for Jerry Lawson.