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If you haven\u2019t taken a look at today\u2019s Google Doodle<\/a>, we recommend you check it out before reading this article. It\u2019s both a tribute to an incredible figure in video game history, and a pretty fun game in itself.<\/p>\n Doodles are known for their quirky tributes to people and events, but today\u2019s is particularly special for those of us interested in gaming.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time the temporary change of the Google logo has taken the form of a video game (we certainly spent a little too long playing Google Pac-Man) but it\u2019s rare that the Doodle becomes an interactive meta tribute like today\u2019s. It\u2019s educational, pretty fun, and a fitting testament to a great figure.<\/p>\n Playing through the interactive Doodle, you not only learn about one of the most inspirational and influential pioneers of game design, but you can have a go at designing games yourself.<\/p>\n So if you haven\u2019t played it already, go check it out \u2013 it won\u2019t take long. But keep reading if you want to know a bit more about the brilliant Jerry Lawson.<\/p>\n Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940, Jerry Lawson would go on to build his own radio station at the age of 13, then in adulthood develop what would become the widely used removable game cartridges.<\/p>\n Black Enterprise magazine called him the \u201cfather of the video game cartridge\u201d back in 1982. He also developed the first ever pause<\/em> button on a home game console, so you have him to thank for those much-needed toilet breaks in the midst of a tight situation.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p>\n In the mid-1970s, he was one of the few Black members of the Homebrew Computer Club \u2013 a set that included Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. In fact, he once interviewed Wozniak for a position at his company (Fairchild) \u2013 Woz didn\u2019t get the job.<\/p>\n In one of his last interviews, Lawson told Vintage Computing<\/a>: \u201cI think that when kids go there [the Computer Museum, where he was made a fellow] \u2013 Black kids \u2013 and they see somebody Black, it will make a big difference on them.\u201d<\/p>\n To learn more about him, you should check out High Score, a Netflix series from 2020. The first episode features his children, Karen and Anderson, telling his story. The series Command Line Heroes also dedicated an episode to him, titled Jerry Lawson: The Engineer Who Changed the Game.<\/p>\n Today would have been his 82nd birthday, so what better time to acknowledge and admire his legacy? Do check out the playable Google Doodle<\/a> if you haven\u2019t already.<\/p>\n Hungry for more gaming? Visit our video game release schedule<\/a>, or swing by our hubs for more Gaming<\/a> and Technology<\/a> news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Looking for something to watch? Check out our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n By Ben Huxley Published: Thursday, 01 December 2022 at 12:00 am If you haven\u2019t taken a look at today\u2019s Google Doodle, we recommend you check it out before reading this article. It\u2019s both a tribute to an incredible figure in video game history, and a pretty fun game in itself. Doodles are known for their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":26417,"template":"","categories":[1,8],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/who-is-jerry-lawson-todays-google-doodle-celebrates-gaming-icon.jpg",1200,667,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/who-is-jerry-lawson-todays-google-doodle-celebrates-gaming-icon-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/who-is-jerry-lawson-todays-google-doodle-celebrates-gaming-icon-300x167.jpg",300,167,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/who-is-jerry-lawson-todays-google-doodle-celebrates-gaming-icon-768x427.jpg",768,427,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/who-is-jerry-lawson-todays-google-doodle-celebrates-gaming-icon-1024x569.jpg",800,445,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/who-is-jerry-lawson-todays-google-doodle-celebrates-gaming-icon.jpg",1200,667,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/who-is-jerry-lawson-todays-google-doodle-celebrates-gaming-icon.jpg",1200,667,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Ben Huxley Published: Thursday, 01 December 2022 at 12:00 am If you haven\u2019t taken a look at today\u2019s Google Doodle, we recommend you check it out before reading this article. It\u2019s both a tribute to an incredible figure in video game history, and a pretty fun game in itself. Doodles are known for their…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/26416"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Who is Jerry Lawson? Today\u2019s Google Doodle explained<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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