I'm a huge video game history nerd, I collect old consoles and stuff. That's my main nerd wheelhouse. So from time to time I like to share pictures of my collection or random trivia.
Anyway, since it is Black History month here in the states, I thought it would be apt to talk about somebody who was absolutely a game changer in our nerd sphere.
Meet Gerald Anderson Lawson, the man who did more than just about anybody in designing one of the most influential consoles of all time: the Fairchild Channel F.
If you haven't heard of the Channel F, that's alright. The console itself didn't take off too hard. But it is super important for one specific reason, it was the FIRST console to use external cartridges for its games. An approach that later took the world by storm when it was adopted by Atari.
In fact, Gerald Lawson led the team that developed the cart system when designing the Channel F. Not only did he invent the video game cart, but he also pioneered other technology that premiered in the channel F, such as an 8-way joystick he designed, AND the pause button.
So, TL;DR: This is Gerald Anderson Lawson. He invented the video game cartridge, the 8-direction joystick, and the MFing PAUSE BUTTON. So take a moment out of your day to pay respects to one of the true Godfathers of our modern gaming experience.
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