# Mark Lesser

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**Mark B. Lesser** is an American game producer and electronic engineer, best known for programming the first handheld games from [Mattel Electronics](/source/Mattel). He also developed several installments of the *[NHL](/source/NHL_(video_game_series))* video game series.

Lesser graduated from MIT with a B.S. in electrical engineering. He joined the Microelectronics Division of [Rockwell International](/source/Rockwell_International) in 1972 as a Circuit Designer.[1][unreliable source?] Lesser primarily worked on transistor chips for handheld calculators. Around this time, George Klose, a product development engineer at Mattel Electronics, had the idea to convert handheld calculators into digital games; Rockwell took on the proposal, and Lesser was assigned to the new project for Mattel. Lesser designed the program directly into the hardware, using punch cards in a minicomputer to write the game.[2] Eventually, a 512-byte chip held all the game’s logic, display, and scoring. This “obstacle avoidance” handheld electronic game became *[Auto Race](/source/Mattel_Auto_Race)* (1976)—the first handheld game with solid-state electronics.[3] Lesser ultimately programmed the first three titles of the Mattel handhelds line, following up the success of Auto Race with *[Football](/source/Mattel_Football)* (1977), and *Baseball* (1978). These games proved to be so popular that they spawned several imitators, including a line of electronic games by [Coleco](/source/Coleco).[4] In four years at Rockwell, Lesser created seven handheld games.[5]

Around 1980, Lesser was hired at [Parker Brothers](/source/Parker_Brothers), where he programmed *Frogger II: Threeedeep!* (1984) for the [Atari 2600](/source/Atari_2600) and developed several (never-released) games.[1] He later moved on from Parker Brothers to work at Microsmiths, then founded his own company, MBL Research, Inc.[citation needed] In 1991, Lesser subcontracted with Blue Sky Productions on the [Sega Genesis](/source/Sega_Genesis) version of [John Madden Football ’93](/source/John_Madden_Football_'93) (1992). Electronic Arts, pleased by Lesser’s good work, later offered him the contract to develop [*NHL ’94*](/source/NHL_'94).[citation needed] (Lesser later confessed, “I’d never watched a hockey game, I didn’t know anything about it.”)[5] He continued working on the NHL series through *[NHL ’99](/source/NHL_99)*. Lesser’s final game was published in 1999 by EA Sports: a [supercross](/source/Supercross) motorcycle simulation game called *[Supercross 2000](/source/Supercross_2000)*.[2] Since 2000, Lesser has been retired from game programming.[5]

## References

1. Stilphen, Scott. ["DP Interviews... Mark Lesser"](https://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_mark_lesser.html). *Digital Press*. Retrieved 2023-05-04.

1. Derene, Glenn (2013-10-01). ["Remembering the First Handheld Games"](https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a9459/game-boys-grandfather-remembering-the-first-handheld-games-15987495/). *[Popular Mechanics](/source/Popular_Mechanics)*. Retrieved 2023-05-01.

1. Novakovic, Julia (2022-01-14). ["I Wanna Hold Your Hand(held Game)"](https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/i-wanna-hold-your-handheld-game/). *[The Strong National Museum of Play](/source/The_Strong_National_Museum_of_Play)*. Retrieved 2023-05-04.

1. Jeffrey, Cal (2022-01-13). ["Coleco: Gone But Not Forgotten"](https://www.techspot.com/article/2301-coleco/). *TechSpot*. Retrieved 2023-05-04.

1. McCrea, Nick (2015-02-21). ["Retired developer who created 'NHL '94' video game in Maine barn reflects on career"](http://www.bangordailynews.com/2015/02/21/news/retired-developer-who-created-nhl-94-video-game-in-maine-barn-reflects-on-career/). *[Bangor Daily News](/source/Bangor_Daily_News)*. Retrieved 2023-05-04.

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