A book review for kids in grades 4 - 6
Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever
by Don Tate, illustrated by Cherise Harris
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023
Grades PK - 3
Lexile 420L-820L
Video games are a big part of many people’s lives today, but did you know they haven’t always been around? Just ask your grandparents or older relatives. They probably remember a time before video games. Thanks to engineers like Jerry Lawson, video games were not only invented but also have been played on televisions and computers in homes throughout the world. Now they’re even available to take with us wherever we go on cell phones and other hand-held devices!
In Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever, author Don Tate tells the story of one of the inventors who first introduced video games to the world. This book starts with Jerry's childhood in Queens, New York, where he first began to tinker with simple machines. He went on to become an engineer and invented one of the first video games, Demolition Derby, using a microprocessor made by Fairchild Semiconductor, where he worked. Jerry even started his own video game company called Video Soft, Inc. It was the first African-American owned video game development company in the world.
In addition to Jerry’s life story, Jerry Changed the Game! also includes a timeline of the arcade and video game industry, a glossary, or list, of words you may not know, and links to videos of Jerry explaining more about his work. The author also includes a note about how he first learned about Jerry’s life and work. In addition, the note includes some interesting facts about Jerry that didn’t make it into the main story of the book.
One part of Jerry’s story that this book talks a lot about is that his first attempts weren't always successful, but he kept trying anyway. As you read, think about things you’ve tried that didn’t work at first. Could you try again? The illustrations in this book also are interesting. If you’ve never seen photos or drawings of the earliest video games, televisions, computers, and other electronics, you may not even recognize what some of these objects are. If you have questions about what you’re seeing, ask an older adult to help you. They might have had some of these early electronics in their homes when they were children. Also, when you’re reading, you might find some words you’re not familiar with related to engineering and electronics. Remember the glossary in the back can help you learn what those words mean.
While the publisher has rated this book for Grades PK – 3, I think Jerry's story will be more interesting for kids in Grades 4 – 6 who have lots of experience with video games and with reading biographies and history. Jerry Changed the Game! might just be the book for you if you:
- like to tinker, like Jerry did,
- enjoy playing video games,
- watch YouTube videos about video games,
- would like to create your own video games,
- are interested in learning about African Americans who changed history,
- like electronics and how they are made,
- would like to be an engineer,
- fall into any or all of the categories above.
Despite the popularity of video games, there aren't many books--especially for kids--about about how video games were invented or the people who invented them. Stories like Jerry Lawson’s also are important because they remind us how quickly our lives have become centered around technology since those first inventions. Jerry’s story also helps readers see how they too might be able to invent something new that could change the world. It’s even possible that reading Jerry Changed the Game! will make you like playing video games even more than you already do!
Try This!
Play Pong
Want to experience more of what the early video games were like? Visit Pong Game to play an online version of one of the first video games called Pong. It’s free, but be sure to get your parent’s or caregiver’s permission before playing.
Screenshot of Pong Game (PongGame.org, n.d.).
Use Scratch to Create a Video Game
You can also try creating your own video game using Scratch, a coding language with a simple visual interface developed especially for kids. It’s also free, but be sure to get your parent’s or caregiver’s permission before signing up for an account.
Screenshot of the Create page of Scratch (Scratch Foundation, n.d.).
Read This!
The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer
by Marcie Wessels, illustrated by Beatriz Castro
Union Square Kids, 2020
Grades PK - 5
Lexile 740L
Read about another inventor who also was an early developer of video games, Ralph Baer. In The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer, learn more about Baer’s Brown Box invention that turned televisions into video game systems.
References
PongGame.org. (n.d.). Pong game. https://www.ponggame.org/
Scratch Foundation. (n.d.). Scratch. https://scratch.mit.edu/
Tate, D. (2023). Jerry changed the game!: How engineer Jerry Lawson revolutionized video games forever (C. Harris, Illus.). Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
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