Mariah Forbes
Assignment 10
11-4-13
Ralph Baer is considered the father of videogames because he introduced the ability of
manipulating electronic images as a game to the public.1 Ralph was a self-motivated innovator,
continuing the education he’d been cut off of at the age of 14.2 Because of his dedication, we
have videogames. He revolutionized the entertainment world by introducing this medium
September 1966. His first games, “chase games,” soon became many, many more videogames
that introduced the “competitive” side of these games, even including voice-overs. The “light
gun” was an amazing innovation, too; it added a whole new spectrum to what a controller could
be. 3 His suggestion to create videogame channels on cable was 40 years ahead of its time; yet
now this is a huge part of the TV industry. 4 The console he helped introduce, the Odyssey, sold
over 350,000.5 Ralph Baer’s contributions to the video gaming world are impressive; his
videogames became the beginnings for many more companies, and the “brown box” he created
was the “grandfather” of our modern consoles. Without Ralph Baer, we may not even have
videogames as a means of entertainment; his contributions have changed the world.
Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, also had a big part in the creation of the videogame
industry. He is credited as being the creator of Pong, which became incredibly popular.6 It is
considered the first popular arcade videogame. Its simplicity made it easy to play, and its
competitive attribute led to the great amount of revenue it first brought in. He kick started the
gaming industry and made this means of entertainment popular through Atari. Many videogames
were made by him, as well as many strange machines. His technological savvy and love for
entertainment launched the videogame industry into popularity and changed the gaming world by
introducing an impressive variety of games and mediums.
The videogame crash of 1983 resulted because too many low-quality games were being
produced. 7 It also happened because Atari’s highly anticipated console was terrible compared to
earlier ones. The crash hit large arcades the hardest, changing the history of video gaming. 8 Not
enough high-quality, 25 cent games were made. It didn’t help that computer games were
becoming more popular than the arcade games, leading to the crash of the arcade game industry. 9
Because of this crash, videogames became based in the home rather than in an arcade.
Nintendo revived the videogame industry after the crash of 1983 with its NES.10 In
September 1986 it released its famous Super Mario Brothers. Its Game Boy in 1989 was the
most successful game machine ever.11 Shigeru Miyamoto’s innovative games Mario and Donkey
Kong have changed games forever. Today, many modern games are influenced heavily by his
creations and his storytelling. 12
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1kHVLmDs2A&list=UU0V6M9AwZyBGC3yRYTH8g5A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cmu5C9w88&list=UU0V6M9AwZyBGC3yRYTH8g5A
3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCTqWnWBKIU&list=UU0V6M9AwZyBGC3yRYTH8g5A
4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkhO6w_IIVw&list=UU0V6M9AwZyBGC3yRYTH8g5A
5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1kHVLmDs2A&list=UU0V6M9AwZyBGC3yRYTH8g5A
6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9cq-gtF-yE&list=PL68738B669BCA1910
7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzTMRrbPjoQ
8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyKb7NOpnvo
9
Ibid.
10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_CuFfZGDbw
11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyKb7NOpnvo
12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-uY0iIiSoE
2