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Let The Games Begin
APRIL 25: Let The Games Begin
Profile America — Monday, April 25th. What might be considered the birth certificate of the home video game industry was issued on this date 50 years ago. That 1972 event was the award of a patent to German-born engineer and inventor Ralph Baer for the first television gaming and training apparatus, as the patent office put it. Video games had already been developed, but for dedicated set up in amusement arcades. Baer’s Odyssey System for Magnavox sold only 200,000 units, as many potential customers mistakenly believed it would work only on Magnavox televisions. Odyssey was eclipsed by Atari’s home system in 1975. Nationwide, there are some 14,500 computer software publishers, employing 690,000 people, many in application design. This industry earns over $275-billion annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.
Sources:Patent, accessed 9/2/2021
Inventor, accessed 9/2/2021
Video game development, accessed 9/3/2021
Software publishers, including application developers, Country Business Patterns, NAICS 511210
Software publishing revenue, Economic Census, NAICS 511210
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By U.S. Census BureauAPRIL 25: Let The Games Begin
Profile America — Monday, April 25th. What might be considered the birth certificate of the home video game industry was issued on this date 50 years ago. That 1972 event was the award of a patent to German-born engineer and inventor Ralph Baer for the first television gaming and training apparatus, as the patent office put it. Video games had already been developed, but for dedicated set up in amusement arcades. Baer’s Odyssey System for Magnavox sold only 200,000 units, as many potential customers mistakenly believed it would work only on Magnavox televisions. Odyssey was eclipsed by Atari’s home system in 1975. Nationwide, there are some 14,500 computer software publishers, employing 690,000 people, many in application design. This industry earns over $275-billion annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.
Sources:Patent, accessed 9/2/2021
Inventor, accessed 9/2/2021
Video game development, accessed 9/3/2021
Software publishers, including application developers, Country Business Patterns, NAICS 511210
Software publishing revenue, Economic Census, NAICS 511210