# Jerry Lawson, inventor of modern game console, dies at 70.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lawson-inventor-of-modern-game-console-dies-at-70/578264>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [April 13, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lawson-inventor-of-modern-game-console-dies-at-70/578264 "2011-04-13T19:36:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lawson-inventor-of-modern-game-console-dies-at-70/578264/1 "2011-04-13T19:36:46Z")

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> **[Jerry Lawson, Inventor of Modern Game Console, Dies at 70](https://www.wired.com/2011/04/jerry-lawson-dies/)**
>
> Gerald “Jerry” Lawson, creator of the first cartridge-based videogame console, died Saturday morning in a Mountain View, California, hospital, Wired.com has learned. Lawson was 70. As an engineer at Fairchild Semiconductor, Lawson designed the...

Further information about Lawson’s life and career in an article about his being honored by the International Game Developers Association earlier this year: [Cassidy: Gaming industry finally recognizes the work of a pioneer – The Mercury News](http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_17531389?nclick_check=1)

This news struck me when I considered how many people of my generation and younger have had their leisure time completely changed by gaming.

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**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lawson-inventor-of-modern-game-console-dies-at-70/578264/2 "2011-04-13T20:44:36Z")

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Are they sure he’s really dead? Has anybody tried taking him out of the casket and blowing air into him?