Google Doodle on December 1: Google is celebrating the 82nd birthday of Gerald ‘Jerry’ Lawson, who was a video game pioneer, and created the first-ever video game console in the world, bringing to us the modern-day video games that the entire globe enjoys.
Google is remembering the legacy of Jerry Lawson through a whimsical illustration and animation on its Google Doodle on Thursday, December 1. What’s interesting about the Doodle today is that it is interactive, and you can play a short video game through it.
The interactive Google Doodle for today helps you create and play a short video game with an icon of Jerry Lawson, and also knows some of the most interesting facts about him. The interactive Google Doodle gives the look and feel of a vintage video game.
Who was Gerald ‘Jerry’ Lawson?
Gerald ‘Jerry’ Lawson was an American electrical engineer and is responsible for the video games that we have come to know over the years. Jerry Lawson was born in Brooklyn on December 1, 1940, and had begun tinkering with electronics at an early age.
Lawson initially created a fun game called Demolition Derby, a coin-operated arcade game that was one of the first games to be powered by a microprocessor. He later went on to design a gaming console, a joystick, and a pause button, which was featured first time on a video game controller.
Jerry Lawson soon became a known name in the video game industry due to his innovative ideas and thrilling new ventures. He later also developed the first ever video game cartridge, which was used for generations across the globe to enjoy video games.
Gerald ‘Jerry’ Lawson died due to complications of diabetes at the age of 70, on April 9, 2011. Lawson’s achievements gave birth to video games as we know them today, and he was also one of the first African American people to make strides in this industry.
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