Pong

arcade games · video game history · 1970s

A simple training project. Pong was created by Allan Alcorn as a homework assignment from Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell. The assignment turned into one of the most important video games ever made.

Digital ping-pong action. The game let two players control paddles to hit a bouncing square ball back and forth across the screen. It was inspired by an electronic ping-pong game on the Magnavox Odyssey home console.

Changed gaming forever. Pong became a huge hit in arcades in 1972 and sparked the video game revolution. It showed that video games could be fun and exciting for regular people, not just computer experts.

A lawsuit surprise. Magnavox sued Atari because their Odyssey console had a similar ping-pong game first. Even though Pong was based on their idea, Atari's version became way more famous and successful.