Happy 50th birthday, pong.

[Azul Fria]

It was 50 years ago today on November 29th, 1972 that Atari released one of their earliest claims to fame if not the earliest with an electronic version of Table Tennis called Pong.

Released in the arcades, the concept of the game is to compete against a 2nd player or a computer controller AI and reflect a square dot back and forth using tall lines (paddles). The goal of the game is to make sure the opponent misses and score a point. The game is over when one of you score 15 points. Several variations and clones were released since then and not necessarily in table tennis format like breakout and arkanoid and even today the concept runs strong.

 

[encreed]

It was 50th years ago today on November 29th, 1972 that Atari released one of their earliest claims to fame if not the earliest with an electronic version of Table Tennis called Pong.

Released in the arcades, the concept of the game is to compete against a 2nd player or a computer controller AI and reflect a square dot back and forth using tall lines (paddles). The goal of the game is to make sure the opponent misses and score a point. The game is over when one of you score 15 points. Several variations and clones were released since then and not necessarily in table tennis format like breakout and arkanoid and even today the concept runs strong.

Yes, you're absolutely right! Atari's release of Pong in November 1972 was indeed one of their earliest and most significant contributions to the world of video games. Pong, an electronic version of table tennis, became a tremendous success and helped popularize video games as a form of entertainment. Since then, numerous variations and clones of Pong have been developed, expanding the concept into other game genres like breakout and Arkanoid. Even today, the influence and enduring appeal of Pong can still be seen in the gaming industry.