While working for the U.S. defense contractor Sanders Associates, Ralph H. Baer [b. 1922) had for some years been pondering possible ways of playing games through a television set. In 1966 he sat down and, in four short pages, produced a document that he calls the "Magna Carta of video games." This document was to form the basis of the very first video game console. At first he produced his prototypes in his spare time, but as he-developed his ideas his employer realized that there might be big money to be made, so they Started to support his project.
Baer's "brown box" appeared two years later in 1968. It featured seven games: table tennis, volleyball, handball, soccer, golf, checkers, and even target shooting, using the very first prototype light gun. The console made use of clear plastic "overlays" that were placed in front of the television to simulate scenery and in-game obstacles. The system was licensed to Magnavox and released in 1972 as the Odyssey system. Despite being a pioneering console offering an enjoyable and new form of entertainment (Baer himself is reported to prefer these early games to today's more advanced systems), it was not a big seller. Ineffective marketing put off prospective buyers, and the high price of $100 was prohibitive.
The video game did not really take off in the public consciousness until another inventor, after playing the Magnavox ping-pong game, built an arcade version called Pong, which became extremely popular. From then on, video games have become a billion-dollar industry and an integral part of leisure time—all of this stemming from Baer's little brown box.
