Electronic Game Inventor Still Creating Products in Carlsbad

JW Willhide has always enjoyed creating products that would help educate and entertain children. He was the inventor of the popular 1979 Star Wars Electronic Battle Command game and the 1977 Mathemagician game that helped children learn math. Now at the age of 79, he’s still playing for a living and lending his expertise to his La Costa Glen neighbors.

JW spent the last few months coding a new computer program he calls “MouseOnly Presentation Time Toolkit.” The program includes in addition to a virtual laser pointer several new tools including magnification and highlighting modes. He hopes this new presenter’s toolkit, that is unique insofar as it only uses the computer mouse, will help transform presentations at the Carlsbad area senior living community, and eventually, around the country.

Before retiring, JW was an engineer who created electronic games and consulted in computer engineering. He still has the games and prototyping equipment in his La Costa Glen apartment today. He hopes to donate them to the Smithsonian Institution in the coming years.

JW says it’s important to continue to stay intellectually active as you age. Research shows that keeping the brain active while learning can generate new brain cells, increase the vitality of existing ones, and delay symptoms of dementia including Alzheimer’s.