Ralph Baer is Unhappy With Violent Video Games

Ralph Baer, the inventor of the first video game console, says he’s unhappy with the direction of many modern video games.

He’s not referring to the likes of Bastion or Machinarium, of course, but rather titles like Modern Warfare 3.

“I think it’s a disgrace,” he said in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, which asked him for his opinion on violent video games.

“What I created got abominated,” said the creator of the Magnavox Odyssey, the first video game console.

Baer says he’s proud to have been a part of the videogame revolution and their rise as a legitimate medium, but he’s unhappy with the way some games have turned out—promoting violence and aggression above all else.

“All I did was come up with what I thought was a fun idea that was the result of a little box that was attached to a television set. It just grew and grew and grew,” he said.

“Nobody realised, even at that time, that we were on this geometric curve that would go straight up to heaven.

“It was unforeseeable; it was fantastic. I’m glad it happened. And if I hadn’t had started it, someone else would have.”

I can’t find it in my heart to completely disagree with his assessment.