ABSTRACT
In early 2006, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo were battling for supremacy in the $30 billion videogames industry, with each firm claiming victory. Who was right? Why?
Ralph Baer, the man who would come to be known as the father of the video game, created a prototype home video game unit capable of playing 12 games in 1968. This prototype was inspired by a project Baer was working on for the US military to design a system that could help improve soldier reflexes. The military project eventually fizzled but Baer continued development with an eye towards the US consumer market. It wasn’t until 1972 that Magnavox introduced Baer’s “Brown Box” as the first home video game system-commercially titled Magnavox Odyssey. Odyssey enjoyed mild commercial success, selling 200,000 units between 1972 and 1975.
