Video Game Pioneer Ralph Baer Passes at 72

It seems like so many worlds, or generations ago, that “Pong” was the hot video game in the culture. The simple game of “computer tennis” thrilled a generation and was the precursor to such violent action games as “Street Fighter” and “Mortal Kombat.” The pioneer of Pong, Ralph Baer, the innocent and simplistic game that started the trend, died Saturday in Manchester, N.H.

Ralph Baer's background

Ralph Baer, who was a Holocaust survivor and longtime resident of Manchester, began thinking about video games when he was working as a television set designer in the 1950s.  These thoughts would ultimately lead to...