Ralph H. Baer, known as the father of video games, passed away on December 6th, according to friends close to him, at age 92.

Baer is best know for inventing the first home console. The "Brown Box", which later turned into the Magnavox Odyssey , was the world's first commercial home video game console and launched in 1972.

The success of the console spawned rivalries with competitors such as Atari and the industry that was created has evolved ever since. The inspiration for the iconic game "Pong" also came from Baer with his "Table Tennis" concept. This lead to Baer's employers suing Atari for patent infringement.

Baer received several awards in his lifetime, but most notably, Baer was awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States of America in 2006. He was also inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2010.

Ralph H. Baer was a visionary and for millions of gamers around the world, he will always be remembered as one of true "Fathers of Gaming"

Our thoughts go out to his family and friends