Create a game with Google Home Page in Memory of Jerry Lawson

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Introduction

Today on the Google homepage, you can both play a fun game and create your own game to play and share with friends. All in the memory of Jerry Lawson who was a pioneer in the video game industry especially for his contributions as it pertained to the conceptualization and creation of "Game Cartridges".

Create Your Own Game

Pop open a Google search window and then you'll have a browser-based game development tool to create interesting video games that you can then share with others. The editing capability allows you to add blocks, flags, keys, and characters. Then you can create a side scroller in the tradition of Pitfall and even Super Mario Bros.

Not only can you create your own game completely from scratch but you can also edit or modify the existing games. When you think about the creation of the first video games by pioneers like Jerry Lawson, you wonder just what he might of thought of ability to edit a video game right in a internet browser.

Jerry Lawson, inspired by 8-track tapes, went to work on a cartridge that could withstand the wear and tear of players ramming the cartridge into the early home video game consoles and then taking it back out and, the occasional, throw across the room (as I may or may not have done as a child after loosing a game.)

Jerry Lawson was not only a pioneer in creating video game cartridges. He also helped to break down color barriers. As noted in the article 46 YEARS AGO, ONE VIDEO-GAME INNOVATION TRAUMATIZED A GENERATION OF GAMERS

In 2009, in an interview with Vintage Computing’s Benj Edward, Lawson stated, “It could be both a plus and a minus,” being a Black engineer. “You got a lot of, shall we say, eyes watching you. And as a result, if you did good, you did twice as good, ’cause you got instant notoriety about it.” It took a while but he finally did get noticed and was honored as an industry pioneer by the International Game Developers Association in 2011. Unfortunately, Jerry Lawson passed away of April that same year.

But his legacy lives on in the memory of millions of folks like myself who grew up searching for that missing cartridge to place into the console. Thanks to Google for honoring Jerry Lawson and thank to Jerry for his great innovative thinking!

Open a browser window and have some fun creating your own video game today and think of all the work, effort, and thought that Jerry put into the concept of the humble, but memorable video game cartridge.

References:

46 YEARS AGO, ONE VIDEO-GAME INNOVATION TRAUMATIZED A GENERATION OF GAMERS

Google honors Gerald ‘Jerry’ Lawson, inventor of the video game cartridge

Vintage Computing Archives: Jerry Lawson, Black Video Game Pioneer

Bio

Karl Kapp is a professor at Bloomsburg?University.. He is a learning experience designer and a learning game designer who works around the global helping organizations create engaging and meaningful learning experiences using an evidence-based approach. He is founder of the?L&D Mentor Academy, a members only group that explores the technology, business acumen and concepts required to take L&D professional's careers to the next level. Apply to Join today.

Additionally, Karl is co-founder of?Enterprise Game Stack, a serious games company that creates digitized card games for learning ranging from interactive role-play games to sorting activities and everything in-between. Find out more at?Enterprise Game Stack.