Who is Ralph Baer?

Ralph Henry Baer (1922 - 2014) was a German-American inventor who is considered by video game historians to be the “grandfather of video games”.

Although he originally worked on defense system technology, Baer had ideas to make engaging games people could play with electronic devices, and that the games could make a profit. He went on to create several games and toys that became popular among families.

Baer went on to create his “Brown Box”, which could connect to a Television and be used to simulate sports such as tennis. After a few business proposals, the Brown Box went on to become the prototype for the Magnavox Odyssey, the first video game console.