Page 5 - Video Games: A Graphic History
P. 5
. . . EVOLVE FROM A LITTLE BOX?
IN THE 1960S, AN ENGINEER NAMED
RALPH BAER WORKED FOR SANDERS
ASSOCIATES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
WHILE THERE, HE BUILT THE FIRST VIDEO
GAME CONSOLE PROTOTYPE BETWEEN 1967
AND 1968.
THE JOYSTICK CONTROLLER
BAER CREATED REMAINS There is
PART OF MOST MODERN a horizontal
VIDEO GAME CONTROLLERS. knob here . . . When
I twiddle it, it moves
my paddle from left
to right. There’s also
a vertical control,
which moves my
paddle up and
down.
BAER LATER SAID OF
HIS INVENTION, “LITTLE
DID I KNOW THAT I
HAD STARTED THE BALL
ROLLING ON SOMETHING
MUCH BIGGER . . . THAN
ANYONE COULD HAVE
IMAGINED AT THE TIME.”
BAER CALLED HIS CREATION
THE “BROWN BOX.” THE SYSTEM
WAS BASIC. BUT IT WAS THE
BIRTH OF SOMETHING MAJOR!
5
