Jerry lawson inventor biography rubric

His parents, both blue collar workers, encouraged his intellectual pursuits. As a boy Lawson pursued a number of scientific interests, ham radio and chemistry among them. As a teenager Lawson earned money repairing television sets. While with the club, Lawson crossed paths with Apple Computer Inc. During this period Lawson invented an early coin-operated arcade game, Demolition Derby.

Gerald A. Lawson Coloring Sheet

In , Lawson went to work at the computer firm Fairchild Semiconductor. The technology for creating consoles for home use was then in its infancy, when manufacturers had games built into their circuitry. In , Lawson left Fairchild to set up his own games company, Videosoft, which produced games for manufacturers, including Atari. As the processing power of game consoles increased, Lawson found himself disapproving of the emphasis on violence that began to replace the innocent, blocky graphics of his era.

With that one cartridge Lawson and Videosoft never reaped huge profits from the industry that he helped create. Nonetheless, Gerald Lawson was among a handful of black engineering pioneers in the world of electronics in general and particularly in electronic gaming. Tragically, only a month after receiving the award, Lawson died of complications of diabetes on April 9, , in Mountain View, California.

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