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The history and artistic evolution of the video game represent a journey that has relied on the contributions made by a great many vital figures. These include engineer Gerald "Jerry" Lawson.
Honoured today by Google's new Doodle, the Brooklyn-born American represents the creator of the Fairchild Channel F, the first console with interchangeable cartridges. Born in 1940, Gerald "Jerry" Lawson lived through the darkest decades of U.S. history, characterized by cruel and widespread racial discrimination.
A man that changed and shaped video game history
During his schooling, however, the young man soon found a figurehead in George Washington Carver, who inspired little Lawson to one day become an inventor.
After finding jobs at Federal Electric ITT and PDR Electronics in New York, the man quickly developed his skills in computer science. He decided to move to Silicon Valley as early as the 1970s. There he founded Fairchild Semiconductor and became passionate about the burgeoning world of video games.
Exploiting the potential of the F8 microprocessor he produced, he thus developed Demolition Derby, a video game that was never commercialized but was a great success among Jerry Lawson's colleagues.
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This path eventually led to the creation of the Fairchild Channel F, the world's first console to support interchangeable cartridges. Born in 1976, the hardware represented a hugely important turning point for the industry, although it is rarely remembered today. To learn more about the Brooklyn-based visionary engineer's story, you can explore the Google Doodle dedicated to Jerry Lawson.
Did you know about Jerry before? Let us know in the comments!
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