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Smithsonian Magazine ·For the curious

This Unsung Black Developer Unlocked the Code to Turning a Video Game Console Into a Virtual Living Room Arcade

Published 2026-06-16 13:00:00+00:00

Who actually figured out how to put video games into cartridges you could swap at home?

0:00 / 6:00 · Narrator Sulafat

Context

Before 1976, video games were hardwired directly into the console. If you wanted to play a new game, you had to buy a completely new machine. A Smithsonian Magazine feature published on 16 June 2026 steps back to the hardware revolution that broke that limitation. The focus is Jerry Lawson, an unsung engineer who figured out how to separate software from hardware using interchangeable cartridges. The story pauses on a moment in tech history when the future of a massive industry depended on a simple, spring-loaded plastic door.

Show notes

A historical profile of Jerry Lawson, the engineer who led the development of the first video game console to use interchangeable cartridges. It traces his path from a childhood tinkerer to a 1970s Silicon Valley developer, detailing the technical problems he solved to make games swappable. The account concludes by explaining how his early designs were later overshadowed by rival companies like Atari.

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