BHS Day 11: Gerald Lawson

Hi! We're at the Technological part for this week's MTS Spotlight, and with that one of my unsung heroes getting his moment. I'm a lifelong gamer. I was exposed to video games when I was very young, and excluding some of my teens when I'd stopped playing or didn't have a console, I've been into video games all of my life. I didn't get into them seriously until I was in my 20s and even though I despise the 'girl gamer' stereotype, being a gamer and identifying with that title is a large part of my identity. As I get older, I have so much more appreciation for the people who make these games possible, who bring these amazing and immersive worlds that live in our imaginations to life. The graphic developers, the developers who fit the graphics to the shells of each room--hell, the people who create these rooms from scratch--, the storyline creators and the orchestras chosen for the soundtracks, each of them plays their part in making our favorite video games. In a very important way, the evolution of games from tiny pixelated squares with simple plots to 3D realistic worlds that we can play and change out at will comes from the foundation that was created through the innovation and technical talents of today's entrant. So hat's off to you, sir. Let's learn about him.

Source

Name: Gerald Lawson, 1940-2011 Profession: Engineer, programmer and inventor Why is the Spotlight on him today? For his contributions to the foundation of what we now know as the video game industry Notables:
--Worked at Fairchild Semiconductor, where he was the Chief Engineer of the engineering and marketing department when he helped to create interchangeable ROM cartridges to work with the company's Fairchild Channel F, a home-based entertainment system
--Was part of the Homebrew Computer Club, a '70s Silicon Valley club that included Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, where he was the only Black member
--Received his first commercial license at 13 to become an amateur radio operator, which led into jobs at radio stations
--Created a coin-operated arcade game called Demolition Derby
--Created his own video game company called Videosoft in the '80s after moving away from the emerging consoles adding on to his initial creation
--Worked in radio, did repairs on television sets and worked as a programmer before joining Fairchild
--Was honored as a pioneer in the industry by the International Game Developers Association shortly before his death
--Through his work with the Fairchild Channel F, introduced the microprocessor to help the console run, which was the first one to use it

Further reading links: 1 | 2 | 3


Quote of the Day: 
"With some people, it's become an issue. I've had people look at me with total shock. Particularly if they hear my voice, because they think that all black people have a voice that sounds a certain way, and they know it. And I sit there and go, 'Oh yeah? Well, sorry, I don't."
--Gerald Lawson