Ralph Baer (born 1922) is a German-born American inventor, noted for his many contributions to games and the video game industry.
Baer is best known for leading the development of the first home video game console with the Magnavox Odyssey, which was introduced in 1972. Baer, who has a background in television work, developed the system in 1966 for the defense-electronics company Sanders Associates in Nashua, New Hampshire (now part of BAE Systems). It was licensed to Magnavox and for a time was Sanders' most profitable line, even though many in the company looked down on game development.
Baer also invented Simon, an electronic pattern-matching game that was immensely popular in the late 1970s and 1980s.
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