The Brown Box Program Cards, 1967–68
date: label: Date made
content: 1967
name: label: patent holder
content: Baer, Ralph H.
label: inventor
content: Baer, Ralph H.
notes: label: Description
content: These oddly cut index cards are actually programs for the very first video games.
label: Description
content: These program cards were used with the <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1301997">“Brown Box,”</a> prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system. Users of the "Brown Box" could play a variety of games by flipping the switches along the front of the unit. The games included ping-pong, checkers, four different sports games, target shooting with the use of a <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1302000">lightgun</a> and a golf putting game which required the use of a special <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1302398">attachment</a>.
label: Description
content: To play these games, the user placed one of these program cards between the two sets of switches on the "Brown Box" (as you can see in the picture). The dots on the card indicated in which position the switches should be set. Magnavox licensed the "Brown Box" and released the system as the <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1302004">Magnavox Odyssey</a> in 1972, with the switch system replaced by a plug-in game slot and plastic program cards.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Computers
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
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content: Baer
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content: Family & Social Life
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content: Computers & Business Machines
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Baer, Ralph H.. Videogames: In The Beginning
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Ralph H. Baer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2006.0102.05
label: catalog number
content: 2006.0102.05
label: accession number
content: 2006.0102
objectType: label: Object Name
content: programing cards
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: program cards: 3 in x 5 in; 7.62 cm x 12.7 cm
label: Measurements
content: envelope: 3 3/4 in x 6 1/2 in; 9.525 cm x 16.51 cm