HomeStation Presents: The Upload, Episode #20 — An Interview With Ralph Baer
by Jersquall, HSM Podcast Editor
Gaming, like comedy, is a serious business.
As an industry, it’s huge. We spend a tremendous amount of money both developing and consuming recreation. The difference is that, in the last sixty or so years (with exponential growth in the last fifteen) we’ve had an unprecedented amount of entertainment we could enjoy privately.
If you were born into an analog world, then you remember living, to some extent, the Norman Rockwell image of Americana. This, today, has been largely replaced by the image of a closed bedroom door, and behind it a teenager with a headset and a controller. If you ever watched the seaQuest “Playtime” episode, then you remember the dystopian image of two teenagers utterly consumed by video gaming, only to discover that they are the last of the species.
Video games didn’t just introduce a new form of entertainment into our lives. They created a social revolution. And our cultures are racing to catch up.
Into this context, we introduce you to the single most significant podcast in the history of this publication. Indeed, it is one of the most significant podcasts in all of Home, for Home is a virtual reality program built inside what is today’s most advanced game console.
In this episode of The Upload, we interview the man who invented the video game: Ralph Baer.
Now, if you’ve read the cover story of our latest magazine issue, then you’ve already been introduced to the genius that is Mr. Baer. And if you’re any sort of self-respecting gamer, then you know about his pioneering work with electronic engineering and television that brought about the video game.
Gaming, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. You’d be doing pretty well to lay claim to just being the inventor of the video game, the inventor of Simon, the inventor of the ROM-based cartridge, and so forth. But did you know that Mr. Baer is also an expert in small arms? That he built a virtual reality tank simulator that was played by three-star generals at the Pentagon? That his work is part of the Apollo program? That he once built his own television? That he has a background in anti-submarine warfare?
Most interestingly, though: here’s someone whose development of video gaming helped the bottom line of a defense contractor. And yet he, personally, wants to see more video games devoted to family entertainment and education. Indeed, can there be a better goal for video gaming? Edward R. Murrow once talked about television as being a potentially amazing source of education, and the video game, as originally conceived by Ralph Baer, would have (and to an extent has been) an amazing tool for family entertainment and learning.
Mr. Baer’s story is an amazing one, and we are quite grateful to have had the opportunity to listen and learn from him. He is a true genius amongst us.
We also have a writing contest going on here at HSM, and the winners will each receive an autographed copy of Mr. Baer’s book, Videogames: In The Beginning, which can be purchased from Amazon and elsewhere. We highly recommend this book to you — it’s got some amazing insights, such as a memo from the 1960’s which outlined several major gaming genres we now take for granted — and we hope you enjoy this very special edition of The Upload.
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November 24th, 2011 by Jersquall | 5 comments
Jersquall is a retired Home Community Volunteer, co-founder of Club HOMEinformer, and podcast commentator for HomeStation Magazine. His views expressed in HSM are his own.
Great interview guys. I am so glad that Mr. Baer decided to go through with the podcast. He is such a gentleman and so very smart. I was very honored that he spoke to me on the phone during our interview and now to hear him talking to you is a real treat. Thanks again Mr. Baer.
This was TRULY A ONCE IN A LIFETIME Honour being able to listen to the man who made all of this possible….Without Mr. Ralph Baer where would all of us be right now?…This edition of the UPLOAD was one of the BEST YET!
Here’s what just blew me away: Ralph Baer is, by any measure of the word, a genius. The sheer *number* of things he pioneered is staggering. It can be argued that other people might have invented them in time, but “other people” didn’t. *He* did.
And he was also tremendously patient and giving with his time. Relaxed, informative, easygoing…just a real pleasure to talk with and listen to. Burbie did a great job putting the initial cover story together, and it was a real pleasure for Jers, Cubes and I to get to talk to the man online.
This is one of those podcasts I hope everyone gets something out of. It’s a real milestone for HSM, and a rare treat for the Home community.
WOW Epic Interview
The king of all generous gamers!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, Ralph Baer for sharing what some called a lot of “wasted time”.
You showed them! And we LOVE you for it xoxo