Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ralph Baer On Atari/Pong Lawsuit, Birth Of Gaming

Posted by simoniker on from the pre-pac-man-vintage dept.

Roosevelt Franklin writes "GamerDad.com put up a great interview with videogaming pioneer Ralph Baer today. He talks about the birth of the game industry, the Brown Box (Magnavox Odyssey), the Atari/Pong lawsuit, his patents, and a parent's responsibility. Baer is the original Game God and GamerDad calls him the Original GamerDad too!" Baer says of Pong and patent infringement: "After ten years of litigation in courts from Chicago to San Francisco we collected many tens of millions of dollars."

27 comments

  1. The Original Gamingdad was a litigious monster by ObviousGuy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I guess back in those days it was common practice to sue people who infringed on patents. Today we call those people heros.

    People who sue for infringement today are called predators.

    In the grand scheme of things, however, neither he nor Atari are around anymore to fight for the home gaming market. Both stagnated and were eventually overcome by the Nintendos, Sonies, and Microsofts of the world.

    --
    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
    1. Re:The Original Gamingdad was a litigious monster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nintendo took a chance when american companies were too scared to develop their systems. As for the dirty practices: Welcome to the wonderful world of business and technology.

    2. Re:The Original Gamingdad was a litigious monster by Guppy06 · · Score: 2

      In contrast, Nintendo really made a name for itself in the US around the time they got smacked by an IP-infringement suit from Universal and their supposed ownership of the word "Kong."

    3. Re:The Original Gamingdad was a litigious monster by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      Universal should sue the chinese government for the name "Hong Kong".

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
  2. Tales of frivolous lawsuits past by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny

    If this news item had SCO in the title, there'd be at least 67 messages by now.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:Tales of frivolous lawsuits past by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      The truth is out now. This gaming device had flip flops and is therefore digital. Unix(TM) runs on digital things therfore it must somehow infringe on SCO IP.

      The anti SCO flames can begin now.

    2. Re:Tales of frivolous lawsuits past by xpccx · · Score: 1

      Who is SCO suing now, damn it?! Oh wait, nevermind...

  3. Who is SCO suing now? by AtariAmarok · · Score: 2, Interesting
    "Who is SCO suing now, damn it?! Oh wait, nevermind...

    Before you touch your joystick again, please pay $699.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:Who is SCO suing now? by Lemmy+Caution · · Score: 4, Funny

      If I'm going to be paying $699, *I'm* not going to be the one touching my 'joystick.'

  4. MY GOD! by the_skywise · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Lawsuits aside, this guy INVENTED Pong AND Simon!

    Which means he's ultimately single-handedly responsible for starting the video game AND electronic game business of the late 70's early 80's!!

    (You young whipper snappers wouldn't understand, Pong and Simon had about as much market saturation as Pokemon and Yugi-oh.)

    1. Re:MY GOD! by Lemmy+Caution · · Score: 1

      Simon was a brilliant game/toy.

      I mean is: it's never gone out of production. Not a lot of videogames you can say that about, barring sequels.

    2. Re:MY GOD! by hambonewilkins · · Score: 1

      That's an interesting stat, but where is the "video" component in simon?

      --

      God Bless America. Why? Did it sneeze?
    3. Re:MY GOD! by Lemmy+Caution · · Score: 1

      That was part of my point, the lack of longevity of videogames.

    4. Re:MY GOD! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which means he's ultimately single-handedly responsible for starting the video game AND electronic game business of the late 70's early 80's!!
      I dunno. I don't know any example of someone being single-handedly responsible for any invention that would have never happened if that person had not existed.

      However, Baer didn't invent electronic games. There is prior art by Willy Higinbotham (Tennis for Two, 1958 on an analog computer with oscilloscope graphics) and Steve Russell and Friends at MIT Tech Model Railroad Club (Spacewar, 1961).

      As the guy who made videogames mainstream, I rather count Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari).

  5. Not cool. by Tom7 · · Score: 1

    Suing innovators over overly broad patents is not cool, Gamer Dad.

    1. Re:Not cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Innovators my ass. More like copiers and charolettans.

      I'm starting to think we need MORE IP laws to protect idiots from thinking they can steal ideals.

  6. We need tighter patent rules by Nomihn0 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The money gained by receiving a patent and suing has become a huge issue nowadays. With SCO, GM crops, JPEGs, and even human genes - people are trying to cash in on others' success. It's like standing on the shoulders of a giants and then denying the giants any claim to the profits these people reap. We need clearer patent laws or else we will be inundated with licensing fees for even the most basic goods and human rights

  7. your sig... by BTWR · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    your sig, linking to a whacko site about a society that campaigns to "reverse circumcissions" is hysterical! I like the following idea that to restore one's foreskin, they should "tug on the shaft every night!"

    So... if what this bullshit site is saying is true... shouldn't every 14 year-old boy have a fully restored foreskin (and then some)?

  8. You know when you're a geek when... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...the term "Baer Pong" grabs your attention far quicker than "Beer Pong."

    =P

  9. I wish they made those stand alone pong machines by linzeal · · Score: 1

    We have a party almost every night where I live and have 3 gaming stations with some of the latest games and people still go for pong as the ultimate test of twitch skill. There is something assuring about the sounds as well. Almost meditative.

    --
    An Education is the Font of All Liberty
  10. 150 patents and even more ideas by Flyboy+Connor · · Score: 3, Funny
    In the interview he says he coined 150 patents. He describes his game patent as follows:

    "We won our lawsuits because our patents covered both what is termed "means plus function"...i.e. we showed in the patents and claimed the concepts of the interaction of machine controlled screen symbols (such as a ball) and player controlled symbols such as the player paddles (the functions). We also showed how this interaction could be accomplished (the means). Any game made by a manufacturer that exhibited the type of interaction defined by our patents was found to be infringing..."

    Translated:

    Gamer Dad: "It's a game, see, where you hit a "ball" with a "paddle". Those are the functions."

    Patent examiner: "That already exists. It is called "tennis". Or "ping pong" if you like."

    Gamer Dad: "But I haven't told you the means yet! You do this... with A COMPUTER!"

    Patent examiner: "You hit the ball with a computer?"

    Game Dad: "No! No! The paddle and ball are both on the computer screen!"

    Patent examiner: "Whoah! That's novel! If that isn't worth a patent, I don't know what is!"

    Gamer Dad: "Then there is my second idea. You run towards a gorilla who is throwing barrels at you."

    Patent examiner: "Is that a game?"

    Gamer Dad: "And you do this... on A COMPUTER!"

    Patent examiner faints from so much innovative power.

    1. Re:150 patents and even more ideas by phorm · · Score: 1

      Something like that would be broad/laughable now... but back in the day it truley was unique, if just for the reason that nobody else had considered a interactive graphical electronic medium (I'm not sure I'd call the system a "computer").

      Back then the concept of video games was unique, nowadays trying to patent "a scrolling character moves across the screen as directed by the gamepad etc etc" would be laughable as it's not unique nor is the concept original despite the medium.

  11. Analog vs Digital by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I love the way the guy gets pissed off at the assumption his Brown Box was an analog computer, and then the interviewer goes on to state that his game box was Analog again and again!
    heh

    1. Re:Analog vs Digital by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably because it was an email interview, and the interviewer didn't get that memo until it was too late.

  12. The Ralph Baer game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When reading *any* Ralph Baer piece, see
    how long it takes before he forgets about
    technology and games and starts talking about
    patents, infringement, money and how gosh darn
    smart and innovative he is.

    Third answer this time. He must be slipping.