Pong is the legendary game that is today the pioneer in the video game industry. Looking back at the beginnings of Pong is a glimpse into the first steps of this industry. How did this fantastic idea come about? Find out below!
This is how Pong came about
Inspired by table tennis, Pong was the brainchild of electrical engineer and computer science student Nolan Bushnell. However, Nolan needed some help to bring his idea to fruition.
The game consists of a black background with a dividing line that plays the role of the net, two paddles and the ball. It was the 70s, so how would you make the most of the technology of that time? This is where Al Alcorn comes in.
Bushnell’s lie
Al Alcorn was not a video game developer, he was hired for his vast experience in computer science and electrical engineering. As part of the team, Bushnell explained to him that he had signed a contract with the large company General Electric to create a ping-pong game.
However, it was all a lie. It was simply a pretext to take advantage of Alcorn’s circuit ingenuity. And so began Pong’s road to success.
The amazing feature of the game
The game is extremely entertaining, but at first it was just a boring ball bouncing straight from one paddle to another. The main action of the ball was dull and lifeless. How could they spice up the game?
The solution was found by Al Alcorn. Although on the screen you see a complete palette, the reality is different: each palette is made up of eight lines. Every two lines correspond to a section. Also:
- If the ball hits the center section, its direction is straight.
- If the ball hits the lines on the sides of the center section, its direction changes slightly to the sides.
- If the ball hits each corner of the paddle, its direction will be completely sideways.
Isn’t it amazing? This feature brings Pong to life as it invites players to create their own game strategy to win. But it doesn’t end there, as the game progresses, the speed increases, as does its difficulty. The result: Pong becomes an addictive and fun game.
Other details
An important part of the game was already under control: its fun and complexity factor. But, something else was still needed for the game to be complete.
Alcorn worked very hard for three months, however, Bushnell added another detail on behalf of Atari : to include sound for Pong. The minds behind Atari expected:
- Sound effects.
- A song that would play during the game.
Additionally, Atari co-founder Ted Dabney wanted to add a sort of booing sound whenever a player lost. The ideas were brilliant, but such adaptations would result in the machine being larger .
Since their goal was to finish Pong and avoid the result being too large, they used the sync generator that was included in the game. With this generator the sounds were created. The assembly of the game prototype was:
- A small Hitachi brand television.
- A wooden cabin.
The game was ready, and Pong had Atari founder Bushnell intrigued. The next step was to put it to the test. The Atari team decided to put the prototype into the hands of a good customer: Andy Capp’s Tavern.
The success of Pong
The game was well received. Pong was making about $40 a day. Two weeks later, Alcorn returned to the bar because of a problem with the game.
In fact, the machine was so full that it wouldn’t accept any more coins. Atari went to work creating more Pong machines, raising $200 a week.
Pong debuted at Andy Capp’s Tavern in 1972, and by late 1973, Atari was flooded with orders. Atari stepped in and grew, producing 8,000 units of Pong by the end of 1974.
The imitations are coming
Pong‘s success spread throughout the United States and even beyond. Since Atari had not registered the game, it quickly faced copies created by its competitors.
Taito, the Japanese company, wasted no time in developing its own version of Pong and marketing it. Televisions that included Pong in their circuits emerged, and finally, the Magnavox Odyssey gained new fame because it also had a tennis game.
However, Pong’s popularity was always on the rise, so much so that Atari sold more than 35,000 copies of the game. On the other hand, regardless of the company, the essence of Pong was present: the table tennis theme, reaching thousands of people.
The video game industry
By the end of 1974, the United States had its own park with more than 100,000 video game machines. Video games were booming, generating more than a hundred million dollars a year for this establishment.
It was all thanks to Pong and its rapid popularity, along with its imitations that gave rise to the video game industry. Arcades became fashionable and became a profitable business thanks to Pong.
Atari went one step further
Arcade machines were still generating profits, video games were here to stay, but Atari went further. In 1974, Atari released its version of Pong as a home console.
This further strengthened the popularity of video games, because they were no longer just about arcades. With the arrival of HomePong, the Atari console, many people could enjoy video games from home.
It’s all thanks to Atari Pong
It is no exaggeration to attribute the origin and fame of video games to Atari Pong. It is true that other games existed before Pong. However, it was after Atari ‘s game that these games became important.
