Ralph Baer

National Medal of Technology

President George W. Bush presents a National Medal of Technology, Monday, Feb. 13, 2006 to Ralph H. Baer of Manchester, N.H., during ceremonies in the East Room of the White House. Baer was honored for his groundbreaking and pioneering creation, development and commercialization of interactive video games.
White House photo by Eric Draper

President's remarks and event video
Medal of Technology recipients

Ralph H. Baer
R.H. Baer Consultants

I am an independent engineering consultant and internationally-known inventor generally credited with creating the videogame console industry in the 1960’s.

Having been an active engineer for the past seventy years, I have accumulated over 150 U.S. and foreign patents, many of which are in the Consumer Electronics area and have resulted in a variety of products, including many successful electronic toys and games. Typical of these is the SIMON game, an early single-chip microprocessor-controlled game which has been popular for over 30 years.

I have been the recipient of many professional honors including the National Medal of Technology which was presented to me by the President of the United States in 2006, as was an hon. Doctor of Laws degree from Pierce Law Center and many other professional awards. I was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2010.

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NOW AVAILABLE

My new book "Videogames: In the Beginning" is now available from www.rolentapress.com.
Click here for a detailed description on this website.

Click here to order from Amazon.com

Videogames:
In The Beginning
by Ralph H. Baer

Details

"I can never thank Ralph enough for what he gave to me and everyone else."

Steve Wozniak
co-founder Apple Computers

"Ralph Baer has done an amazing job of explaining both the bolts and particularly the nuts of the origins of videogames. He blows away the popular myths and finally exposes the truth of where it really came from. No one has cut a wider swath through videogame history."

Howard Scott Warshaw
Creator of Yar's Revenge and E.T for the Atari 2600

"Ralph Baer's story - and the ubiquitous catalogue of games, toys and other projects which he pioneered - are captured here with youthful enthusiasm and without the personal agendas all too common in the autobiographies of great men; Ralph's phlegmatic tone keeps even the most potentially vitriolic issues in perspective. Videogames: In the Beginning should be a tentpole in the library of any student of
electronic games."

Bill Kunkel
Videogame Journalist