With Black History Month, the works of Black creatives are being celebrated nationwide.
In recognition of the month, here are five Black video gaming pioneers that should be honored for achievements that revolutionized their field.
- Jerry Lawson: Born Gerald Anderson Lawson in 1940, Lawson helped shape the idea of a “video game is.” Responsible for countless achievements in the world of gaming, he’s credited with creating the home video game console system, paving the path for future console creators such as Nintendo, Xbox and Playstation.
With his Fairchild “Channel F” console, Lawson introduced the first joystick, the first pause button and allowed players to change the video game cartridges. Although the product didn’t find much success at the time of its release, it became the basis for design by other gaming companies such as Atari. For his contributions to video gaming, Lawson was recently honored with an induction into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
- Muriel Tramis: Known as the first Black Female Game Designer, Muriel Tramis has broken through barriers in a STEM field that has often been criticized for its lack of inclusivity. During her extensive career with the video game development company Coktel Vision, she produced a variety of work, including Méwilo. Known as Tramis’ first video game, the plot of the game incorporates historical elements as players are motivated to investigate the eruption of Mount Pelée. For her work, Tramis received the French Legion of Honor, the highest order of merit given by the French government; she became the first woman and the second game developer to be honored with this award.
- Alice Washington: Nicknamed Alice “Wonderwoman” Washington, this pioneer is known for changing manufacturing in the gaming world, specifically in the arcade game world. Part of the Atari video gaming company, Washington installed print circuit boards, also known more simply as PCBs, into the cabinets of arcade games. With her invention, Washington increased accessibility to the games in the first place and helped make arcade games popular.
- Mike Pondsmith: Best known as the CEO of publisher R. Talsorian Games, Pondsmith’s career in video game development best associates him with role-playing games. Throughout the year, the company has released a variety of popular games such as The Witcher and Dragonball Z. The company’s most popular game, however, is Pondsmith’s own Cyberpunk series. Created in 1988, the role-playing game is set in a dystopian society and has players survive while dealing with issues such as “technoshock,” an after-effect of the synthetic muscle tissue, circuits and drugs forced upon them.
- Andrew Augustin: Already an award-winning game designer, Andrew Augustin is best known as the founder of Notion Games LLC. Created in 2011, the company works on releasing independent 2D video games; among the games that the company has released are the Super Ubie Island and the Up Up Ubie games. Along with Notion Games, Augustin has also been heralded for his illustrations in games such as The Sims 3: Pets project.
