Jerry Lawson, American videogame console engineer died he was , 70.

 Gerald Anderson "Jerry" Lawson  was an American electronic engineer known for his work in designing the Fairchild Channel F video game console  died he was , 70..

(December 1, 1940 – April 9, 2011)


During development of the Channel F in the early-mid 1970s, Lawson was Chief Hardware Engineer^[4] and director of engineering and marketing for Fairchild Semiconductor's video game division.^[5] He also founded and ran Videosoft, a video game development company which made software for the Atari 2600 in the early 1980s, as the 2600 had displaced the Channel F as the top system in the market. ^[3]
Lawson was the sole black member of the Homebrew Computer Club, a group of early computer hobbyists which would produce a number of industry legends, including Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.^[5] Lawson also produced one of the earliest arcade games, Demolition Derby,^[6] which debuted in a southern California pizzeria shortly after Pong. Lawson later worked with the Stanford mentor program and was preparing to write a book on his career.^[5]
In March of 2011, Lawson was honored as an industry pioneer by the International Game Developers Association.^[7] One month later, he died of complications from diabetes.^[8] At the time of his death, he resided in Santa Clara, California.

 

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