You may not know him, but you should thank him for the a little thing called the “PlayStation”.

On Saturday April, 23rd, 2011 the world lost a legend of the gaming industry. His name was Norio Ohga. He was 81.

If you are unaware, Norio Ohga basically made the world of electronics what it is today. He was the main force behind driving Sony past simple hardware and into music, movies, video games… you name it! Thanks to his work the compact disc was standardized and became the preferred format for data storage most of the ’90s. He created Sony Records, and the Sony Pictures. He also lead the charge to create the Sony PlayStation. Yes, it was originally a Nintendo add-on, but without Norio Ohga it would have simply faded into obscurity. Then where would you be? In other words, if you touch it and it entertains you Norio Ohga was probably somehow involved along the line. Although he stepped down in 2003, his fingerprints are everywhere. Who’d-a-thought a vocalist from Numazu, Japan would one day shape the world?

So lets show some gratitude this week; pop in a game, start a movie, and listen to some sweet tunes in honor of Norio Ohga.

And yes, he died during the PSN blackout. No, it was not Anonymous’s fault.

(Source: Steve Lohr of The New York Times)