While we have no one to attribute it to specifically, the wheel was the one invention that began it all.  Almost everything invented since then has included some form of a wheel.  It was among the first invention that changed human life forever.  Other life changing inventions include such things as electricity, the automobile, airplane, the printing press and air conditioning.  All have forever changed the way we experience our world.  Add to that list the personal computer, cell phone, iPod and all the other “i” products that have left a permanent mark on our lives by an extraordinary man named Steve Jobs.

With no college education, a middle-class hippie kid with a vision changed millions of lives around the world forever.  Steve Jobs put his signature on five important industries, computers, music, phones, and animation/videos, all which have had a serious impact on the gaming industry.  Much like the inventor of the wheel, this visionary is gone to us, but he will always be known as one of the world’s great inventors.  His vision and technology will likely live on and continue to change lives for decades to come.

Steve was born in 1955 to an unmarried graduate student Joanne and Abdulfattah Jandali, a political sciences professor from Syria.  Shortly thereafter Steve was adopted by a lower middle-class couple named Clara and Paul Jobs, Paul worked on cars for a living in Cupertino, California.  Steve always had a keen interest in electronics, in fact he was offered a summer job at Hewlett-Packard when he phoned the President of the company, William Hewlett, and requested parts for a school project he was working on.  He never completed college, dropping out after his first semester, although he did briefly return to audit a calligraphy class which he later stated helped to inspire the shape of the Apple computer’s sleek design.

The first full time job that Steve had was in 1974 at Atari, designing video games.  He quit the job after he had earned enough money to travel through India, and in his words, become enlightened.  Ever since, he has been a Buddhist and a vegetarian.  Once he returned from India, he and a friend began tinkering with building portable computers in his garage.  This was where the vision began to take form.  He was soon selling Apple I personal computers out his that garage to hobbyists.  In 1976 Steve and his friend Steve Wozniak introduced their computer to the Personal Computing Festival.  In 1977 the Apple II is born and by the following year becomes a huge success as the first mass marketed personal computer in the United States.

That’s how it all began, personal computing would soon lead to computer gaming.  The gaming and movie industry would also soon be receiving the magical touch of Jobs.  In 1985 Steve was introduced to the Pixar team.  By 1995 Steve was the CEO of Pixar Studios which focused on computer generated animation, another boon for the gaming industry not to mention the animated movie industry.

It wasn’t until 2001 when the first Apple Store opened up and we saw the launching of the iPod, forever changing how we acquire and listen to music.  Two years later Apple launches iTunes Music Store which further revolutionizes the music industry.

In 2007 Steve introduces us to the iPhone and the following year he opens the App Store which opens the iPhone up to developers.  Soon we are all playing games on our cell phone thanks to Steve Jobs.  Today we even have small independent developers focused specifically on creating action-adventure gaming for cell phone platforms, a far cry from the Tetris and scrolling car racing games we were once amazed with.

It was only two years ago that Jobs took a leave of absence from his many corporate ventures, including Apple, to receive a liver transplant.  But even that wouldn’t keep him down for long.  A year later, 2010, he introduced us to the iPad, yet another platform for gamers to enjoy their gaming Apps on.

Sadly, pancreatic cancer finally bested him, taking a huge toll on his health and causing him to step away from his business life in August to spend his remaining days with his wife and children.  Last Wednesday, October 5^th, he lost the battle, dying at the age of 56.  This was a day after the disappointing launch of the iPhone 4S, and the first time he was not up on stage in his signature black turtleneck introducing the launch of an Apple product.  He may not have been there in person but his technological vision was there.

Despite the poor review and the sudden dip in Apple stocks following its launch, the iPhone 4S (which everyone thought was going to be the iPhone 5) continues the Apple tradition of innovative technology.  Once the initial disappointment is over, I believe those who were disappointed will recognize the jump in technology the iPhone 4S represents.  It includes the A5 chip which gives a huge boost to gaming graphics, its iOS 5 is a big advance in mobile operating systems with over 200 new software features, and it introduces Siri which is an amazing voice activation system that you can use to text, make phone calls, and much more.  As is typical for Jobs and Apple, the new technology in the iPhone 4S will give way toward further advancements that will lead us to feeling as if we can’t live without.

The CEO of Electronic Arts, John Riccitello, upon learning of Steve’s passing stated, “Steve was one of a kind. For many of us working in technology and entertainment, Steve was a new kind of hero that lead with big, bold moves and would not settle for less than perfection. He is the best role model for a leader that aspires to be great.”

The CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, said “I really think Steve Jobs was one of the greatest people to live in our time. A child born today onward will grow up in a world full of iPhones and iPads and will see Steve Jobs as my generation saw Winston Churchill or Albert Einstein.”

The creative director of Irrational Games, Ken Levine, made a statement following Steve’s death which I feel pretty much sums up the scope of the impact Steve Jobs has had on our lives. “I spent my teenage years playing Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple 2. I spent my 20s doing graphic design on a Mac SE/30. I spent my 30s listening to my iPod on shuffle. And I’m spending my 40s doing business from my iPhone. He created tools that felt like toys, and toys that felt like art.”  Much like the inventor of the wheel, for decades to come, the visionary in a black turtleneck will continue touching, changing and improving our lives.  Thank you Steve Jobs for bringing your vision into our reality.