Jerry Changed the Game!

By Don Tate, Cherise Harris (Illustrator)

Discover how one engineer's innovation transformed video gaming forever.

4.1/5 Goodreads · 145 ratings

40 pages

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Jerry Lawson, a passionate engineer, faced a costly gaming dilemma in the 1970s. Determined to change the game, he invented a console allowing players to swap cartridges, revolutionizing the industry. Despite obstacles, Jerry's groundbreaking creation paved the way for modern gaming. Dive into his inspiring journey and see how his legacy continues to impact gamers worldwide. What challenges did he overcome, and how did he change the game forever? Uncover the story behind the man who made gaming accessible to all. Game on!

From the publisher

Meet Jerry Lawson, the Black engineer who revolutionized the video game industry, in this engaging picture book biography perfect for fans of Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions and Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History. Before Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch, there was a tinkerer named Jerry Lawson. As a boy, Jerry loved playing with springs, sprockets, and gadget-y things. When he grew up, Jerry became an engineer–a professional tinkerer–and in the 1970s, he turned his technical know-how to video games. Back then, if players wanted a new video game, they had to buy an entire new console, making gaming very expensive. Jerry was determined to fix this problem, and despite roadblocks along the way and having to repeat a level or two, it was never game over for his mission. Eventually, he leveled up and built a brand-new kind of video game console: one that allowed players to switch out cartridges! He also founded Video Soft, Inc., the first African American-owned video game company in the country. Jerry’s tinkering and inventions changed the video gaming world forever. Today, gamers have access to hundreds of video games at the push of a button, all thanks to him. Game on!

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