Who is Jerry Lawson? His groundbreaking inventions explain how the Google Doodle celebrates life

Today’s interactive Google Doodle is dedicated to the 82nd birthday of computer game designer Gerald “Jerry” Lawson.

Lawson, considered one of the founders of modern gaming, led the team that developed the first cartridge-based home gaming system.

Doodle is interactive and features games from three guest artists and designers: Davionne Gooden, Lauren Brown and Momo Pixel.

Who was Jerry Lawson?

Google says, “Lawson was born on this day in 1940 in Brooklyn, New York. He tinkered with electronics from a young age, repairing television sets in his area, and building his own radio station from recycled parts. He attended Queens College and the City College of New York before leaving early to start his career in Palo Alto, California. At the time, the city and its surroundings were known as “Silicon Valley” due to the emergence of innovative new technology companies in the area.

“After arriving in California, Lawson joined Fairchild Semiconductor as a technical consultant. A few years later, Lawson was appointed director of engineering and marketing for Fairchild’s video game division, where he led the development of the Fairchild Channel F system (“F” stood for fun!). It was the first home video game console to feature interchangeable game cartridges, an 8-way digital joystick, and a pause menu. Channel F paved the way for future gaming systems like Atari, SNES, Dreamcast and more.

In 1980, Lawson left Fairchild to start his own company, VideoSoft, one of the first black-owned video game companies. The company created software for the Atari 2600 that popularized the cartridge designed by Lawson and his team. Although they closed five years later, Lawson established himself as an industry pioneer and continued to consult with several technology and video game companies throughout the remainder of his career.

“In 2011, Lawson was recognized as an industry pioneer by the International Game Developers Association for his contribution to the development of games. The University of Southern California also established the Gerald A. Lawson Foundation to support underrepresented students pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in game design or computer science. Lawson’s achievements will be honored at the World Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York.

You, Jerry!

What did his family say about Doodle?

The Lawson family partnered with Google to honor their father, and Google thanks his children, Anderson and Karen Lawson, for their help.

Anderson and Karen wrote on Google: “Gerald Anderson Lawson was an engineer, always curious, critical and logical in how he solved problems. He encouraged us to expand our capabilities and encouraged young people to pursue careers in science and technology.

“Growing up in the 1940s, he was inspired by George Washington Carver. This inspiration provided the spark that ignited his desire to pursue a career in electronics. He loved what he did and did what he liked. Considering the obvious problems that African Americans faced at the time, his professional achievements were quite remarkable.

“Due to the crash in the video game market, our father’s story has become a footnote in video game history. However, in recent years he has been recognized by numerous awards, grants and the media. Our family is eternally grateful to those who have worked tirelessly to bring his story to the public.

“Today we are celebrating with the whole world what would have been the 82nd birthday of the Pope. We would like to thank Google for partnering with us to share our father’s story in this doodle. May his story continue to inspire countless young people around the world to achieve something extraordinary.

“Dad, you were our supplier, motivator, teacher, inventor, mentor and friend. We are incredibly proud of you and miss you. The planet knows your history and you will never forget it!

“Happy birthday dad! We love you!”