South Jordan resident, Steven Martin, had a father that truly understood his children’s fixation with video games. 

His dad had a deep understanding of the games because he was one of the first to know how much video games would develop and be successful. The Martin children were likely the very first children to play videogames on a television as it was tested on them before it was ever released to the public. He did this because he thought kids would be most interested in it and thus were the best target market.

“What few people know is that my father, Gerald G. Martin, or as he preferred to be called Jerry, is arguably responsible for starting the videogame industry,”  son Steven Martin said. “As Jerry was our father and as he involved his children in the Odyssey project, we were personally involved in helping to create the online game revolution. Equally as important we were the original test market for the Odyssey game and had a prototype unit that he brought home in order to observe first hand our reaction to the game console. It was tested on us before it was ever released to the public. ”

The Odyssey was released to the public in September 1972. There were a few marketing gaffes including one that led consumers to believe the machine was only usable with Magnavox televisions. The Magnavox Odyssey had great importance in the development of the video gaming industry. The Magnavox Odyssey is recognized as the world’s first video game console. German-born Ralph Baer was considered father of all video games or the Pioneer of Gaming. Baer and Martin developed a working relationship and mutual respect.

“It was an enthusiastic VP of marketing at Magnavox, Gerry Martin, who first understood the machine’s potential. But it took Martin until 1971 to convince a boardroom of corporate managers that TV games were the next big thing,” Baer said. “Martin’s persistence, backed by a solid product, paid off when the Magnavox suits agreed to move forward with the production of the Odyssey model 1TL200.”

Baer specifically mentions and credits Jerry Martin as the individual responsible for recognizing the potential of video games and bringing them to the market for the public to enjoy. The article also credits the Magnavox Odyssey as the world’s first video game console. On an interesting side note, Magnavox patented the idea or process of playing games on an electronic screen and later collected royalties for this patent from all major subsequent producers of games played on an electronic screen, including Atari. 

“When they were demonstrating and selling the Odyssey game at the mall in Fort Wayne, his eyes, his smile, his body language was all so genuine,” said Martin’s daughter Jeanie in a letter before she passed. “The opposite of how he was characteristically. He was expressing and conveying a huge pride.”λ