Ralph 
Baer never meant to start a multibillion-dollar industry. He was just trying to get an idea out of his head and into the real world.
That idea, which went on to become the Magnavox Odyssey, served as a launching pad for game-makers, though—and virtually every developer and publisher today points to it as the moment the industry was born. Today, that industry is mourning the passing of Baer, who died at his New Hampshire home Saturday night at the age of 92.
Chris Morris: Journalist 