Jerry Changed the Game

by Don Tate, Cherise Harris (Illustrator)

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!

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction, African American, Stem, Childrens, Science

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2023

About the author

Don Tate is an award-winning author, and the illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children. He is also one of the founding hosts of the blog The Brown Bookshelf - a blog dedicated to books for African American young readers with book reviews, author and illustrator interviews. Likewise, Don is a member of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, a grassroots organization created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature.

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, he currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and son.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of how Jerry Lawson contributed to video games has been long ignored. This is yet another example of an African American who contributed much to a field being overlooked; funny how this seems to happen so often. Jerry may not ne a household name - but the next time you appreciate how many games you can play on the same system remember to say thank you to him.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Describes how engineer Jerry Lawson contributed to video game history by finding ways to create more affordable gaming systems.

The text-heavy narrative dampens the appeal a little, but Lawson is an unsung hero whose story is worth knowing.

[Susan]

Kids and adults who like video games or inventing will love this picture book biography of Jerry Lawson, who invented the first video game console that let players switch out game cartridges. (Others had the idea, but Jerry actually made it work, paving the way for popular game consoles like the Playstation and Xbox.) Author Don Tate's lively text explains technical concepts in simple terms, sprinkling in clever phrases like "was it game over?" and "Game on!" Cherise Harris' illustrations have a playful retro vibe.

[Regine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative.

[Karen Lemmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Tate writes a fascinating story about an engineer name Jerry Lawson, who as a child, would "tinker", build, and create things to solve problems. For every time, he heard he can't, he changed that to a can and created a new kind of video game console that allowed players to switch out video game cartridges. He also founded Video-Soft, Inc., the first African American owned video game company in the country. Cherise Harris illustrations really support the story, emphasizing that the GAME OVER was never over for Jerry.

[Charity Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great picture-book biography for kids who love video games. The illustrations show lots of old tech, which adults may have to help identify. This book offers a look back at a history most readers may not even think about, and it's also aspirational for kids who might want to create video games themselves.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors, Don Tate, has written about a little-known figure that has made a substantial impact on today's kids. STEM topic, never give up attitude, and obscure figure create a biography that I am excited to share with my students! As Jerry said, "I'm one of the guys, if you tell me I can't do something, I'll turn around and do it." Two thumbs up for this book!

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars (I really liked it)

Such a great subject matter! I love reading picture book biographies of people I didn't previous know about. I like how the author intertwined gaming words throughout the text but I did find the book to be a bit text heavy for a picture book.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

From operating a ham radio station at 13-years-old in public housing in Queens to driving an electronics laboratory in Silicon Valley, Jerry Lawson's story is incredible and an inspiration to children who love to tinker and/or love video games.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be one of my favorite books recently. I enjoyed learning about Jerry Lawson and how he after not finishing college, still was able to revolutionize the way video games worked. It’s because of his ideas that we have the many consoles we have today.

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent picture book biography of the man who took the idea of video games on cartridges--and made it work.

[Kimberly Wright Oelkers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love hidden stories of important African Americans in history!

[Reshamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonfiction picture book biography of Jerry Lawson - inspirational tale on what engineers do! Love the tenacity and grit shown through Jerry's work. This would make for an awesome read aloud.

[Holly Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story of how Jerry tinkered and succeeded. We need diverse stories like this.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes a timeline and an extensive bibliography.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Surprised about radioactive toy being available.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very important to video game history. I found this book pretty engaging.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture book biography. Jerry Lawson was a pioneer in the video game industry. He tinkered with electronics his whole life, from his own ham radio station as a kid to fixing the televisions of his neighbors, and eventually working at a microprocessor plant. When he saw the success of the game Pong in arcades he turned his focus to gaming. He used one of his company's microprocessors to create his own arcade game: Demolition Derby. Soon Jerry was tasked with figuring out how to play more than one game on a machine: enter the game cartridge. The Fairchild video entertainment system (VES) was released in 1976 with two built-in games and additional games on "videocarts."

This book reminded me a lot of Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, which makes sense because when I checked Don Tate was involved in that project as well. Two great books on lesser-known Black engineers with high interest topics. Back matter includes notes from the author and illustrator, timeline of arcade/ video game industry, glossary, and bibliography.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written - I liked the repetition of "Game Over?" May be a little long for Mock Sibert, but it involves video games and perseverance, so hopefully the kids' interest will be sustained.

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great