Who is Jerry Lawson? Today's Google Doodle celebrates gaming icon
Today's Google Doodle is an ingenious one, and not just because it's an interactive game in itself. We take a dive into the awesome legacy of Jerry Lawson.
If you haven't taken a look at today's Google Doodle, we recommend you check it out before reading this article. It's both a tribute to an incredible figure in video game history, and a pretty fun game in itself.
Doodles are known for their quirky tributes to people and events, but today's is particularly special for those of us interested in gaming.
This isn't 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's rare that the Doodle becomes an interactive meta tribute like today's. It's educational, pretty fun, and a fitting testament to a great figure.
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.
So if you haven't played it already, go check it out - it won't take long. But keep reading if you want to know a bit more about the brilliant Jerry Lawson.
Who is Jerry Lawson? Today’s Google Doodle explained
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.
Black Enterprise magazine called him the "father of the video game cartridge" back in 1982. He also developed the first ever pause 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.
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In the mid-1970s, he was one of the few Black members of the Homebrew Computer Club - a set that included Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. In fact, he once interviewed Wozniak for a position at his company (Fairchild) - Woz didn't get the job.
In one of his last interviews, Lawson told Vintage Computing: "I think that when kids go there [the Computer Museum, where he was made a fellow] – Black kids – and they see somebody Black, it will make a big difference on them."
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.
Today would have been his 82nd birthday, so what better time to acknowledge and admire his legacy? Do check out the playable Google Doodle if you haven't already.
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Authors
Ben Huxley is a freelance contributor to Radio Times, with bylines also in TechRadar, WhatCulture, GAMINGbible, and Live Science. A writer of fiction, too, he has a few short stories published and a novel on the way. He has a BA in English Literature, and an MA in creative writing.
