The Boy Who Thought Outside The Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer

Written by Wessels “for gamers everywhere,” this book introduces readers to Ralph Baer, “Radio technician/ Television designer/ Electronics engineer/ Video game pioneer/ Toy and game inventor.” Wessels describes Baer’s childhood in Cologne, Germany (“Ralph played freely until being outside became too dangerous for a Jewish kid like him”); his emigration to the United States; military service; and career in electronics. Baer’s building and tinkering is a constant: “Most people thought TV was magical. Critics called it the ‘idiot box’... Ralph saw it as a box full of possibilities.” In 1972, after years of rejection, Baer’s video game console that turned televisions into gaming systems was released as the Magnavox Odyssey. Wessels’s unabashed fandom (“For the first time ever, people discovered a fun new way to use their TV!”) will appeal to the like-minded. Castro’s illustrations combine cartoonish exaggeration with realistic details, including plenty of tubes and plugs, to depict Baer’s journey. Ages 5–up. [em](May) [/em]