「テレビゲームの父」ラルフ・ベア氏死去 享年92

世界で最初に家庭用のテレビゲーム機を開発した「テレビゲームの父」ラルフ・ベア氏が12月6日に亡くなった。彼のゲーム開発者としてのキャリアは1960年代に「ブラウンボックス」という機器を開発したことに始まる。

ほんの数時間でもテレビゲームをしたことのある人は、もし今ゲームをしているのなら一時停止ボタンを押して、ラルフ・ベア氏に感謝しつつ彼を偲ぶことにしよう。

ベア氏は世界で最初に家庭用のテレビゲーム機を開発した人物だ。彼は12月6日に享年92歳で亡くなった。

ベア氏のゲーム開発者としてのキャリアは1960年代後半、ニューハンプシャー州を拠点とする軍需企業のサンダース・アソシエイツ社で「ブラウンボックス」という機器を開発したことに始まる。

「皆、このブラウンボックスの開発は、時間とお金の無駄だと思っていました」と、ベア氏は2010年に米国発明家の殿堂入りした際に述べている。「この業界がこれほど早く成功するとは誰も予想していなかったんです」

下の動画は1969年にベア氏がブラウンボックスのテストをしているところだ。

結局このベア氏の発明品は、電気機器メーカーのマグナボックス社にライセンス供与されてオデッセイという名前で1972年に売り出されることになる。その時からテレビは「見る」ものから、「遊ぶことができる」ものへと変わった。そして数年のうちに、テレビゲーム機は何百万もの家庭に広がっていくことになる。

ブラウンボックスのほかにも、ベア氏は世界で初めてのテレビゲーム機用の周辺機器ライト・ガン(光線銃)も発明した。また、記憶力を競うゲーム「サイモン」と「スーパー・サイモン」の共同製作者でもある。

ベア氏は1922年、ドイツ南西部でユダヤ人の一家に生まれたが、1938年にナチスから逃れるために彼は家族とともに母国を後にした。

「第一次世界大戦中にドイツ軍に所属し、2つの前線で戦った父は、世の中の状況から何か良くないことが起こりそうだという兆候をみてとったのです」と、ベア氏は2012年、オンラインマガジンのWeb2Carz.comに語っている

一家はニューヨークのブロンクスに移住し、そこでベア氏はマニキュアキット用の革ケースを作る工場で働き始めた。ニューヨークタイムズ紙によると、16歳だった彼はその工場で、一度に5、6個の革ケースを縫える機械をすでに発明している。

そしてベア氏は、第二次世界大戦中に3年間米軍の諜報局で働き、そして戦後にシカゴにあるAmerican Television Institute of Technologyで、テレビ工学の学士号を取得したと、自身のウェブサイトに書いている。

「テレビの中に何か遊べるような仕掛けを組み込もう、というアイデアを最初に思いついたのは1951年のことでした」と、ベア氏はアメリカのテレビゲーム開発者用のウェブサイト「ガーマスートラ」で語っている。「それをゲームだと思っていたか、それともテレビをただつまらない番組を見るためだけに使うのではなく楽しく遊べるようなものにしたかったのか、はっきり覚えていません」と、ベア氏は述べている。しかし彼のサンダース・アソシエイツ社の上司はベア氏のアイデアが気に入らなかった。

ベア氏は、「上司の反応は予想通りのものでした。『誰がそんなもの必要なんだ?』そう言って、それっきりになってしまいました」と述べたワシントンポストは報じている。ようやく上司がベア氏の発明品の可能性を認めて開発の機会を得るまでにはそれから15年をも要した。

その功績から、ベア氏は「テレビゲームの父」と呼ばれているが、ウェブサイト「Pong Story」への投稿で、ベア氏はアタリ社の創始者で1969年に「コンピュータースペース」を作ったノーラン・ブッシュネル氏こそが、アーケードゲーム(業務用ゲーム機)の父であると述べている。

「私が標準的なテレビやテレビのモニターを使って遊ぶゲームの構想を思いついたのは1966年9月です。そのアイデアは、当時世界中の何千万という家庭にあったテレビを双方向的な使い方をする、というものでした。1967年にサンダース・アソシエイツ社で出来上がったブラウンボックスが、1970年にマグナボックス社へライセンス供与され、 “オデッセイ1TL200”という名前でアメリカの市場に出回ったのは1972年5月でした」と、ベア氏は書いている。その年にオデッセイは10万台売れ、発明者であったベア氏が「テレビゲームの父」と呼ばれるようになったという。

ベア氏のホームページによると、ベア氏は米国内外であわせて150以上の特許を保持している。彼は「アメリカ国家技術賞」を2006年にジョージ・W・ブッシュ大統領から授けられ、2008年には優れたゲーム開発者に贈られるゲーム・ディベロッパーズ・チョイス・アワードの「パイオニア賞」を受賞した。

「40年前に『こんなくだらないことは止めろ』とか、 『まだそんな無駄遣いをしているのか?』という人たちの言葉を聞いていれば、そして私自身がゲームを作る事を続けようとしなければ、私たちは今日ここにはいなかったかもしれません」とパイオニア賞受賞のセレモニーでのベア氏が述べた言葉が、テレビゲームのウェブサイトGameSpotで引用されている。「間違いなく、テレビゲーム業界が今とは違う状況だった可能性があります」

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