About

Pong is the game that started the commercial video game industry. Two paddles, one ball, a dividing line, and a score counter: first to eleven wins. Its rules fit in a single sentence and its design has never needed updating — Pong in 2024 is identical in all meaningful ways to Pong in 1972.

What keeps Pong compelling is the physics of the ball. Hitting with the edge of the paddle creates a sharper angle; central hits produce flatter trajectories. Learning to place shots deliberately — aiming for corners rather than returning straight — separates winning Pong from merely playing it.

For a break, Pong against an AI is a 3–5 minute ritual of pure reflex and spatial anticipation. Simple enough to pick up immediately, deep enough that you'll replay one more time after a close loss.

How to Play

• Move your paddle up and down to intercept the ball.
• The ball bounces off paddles and top/bottom walls.
• Ball angle changes based on where it hits your paddle — edges create sharper angles.
• Score a point when the ball passes the opponent's paddle.
• First player to reach the target score wins.

Tips

• Aim for corners — flat central returns give the opponent an easy intercept.
• Anticipate where the ball will be when it arrives, not where it is now.
• Against AI, identify if it tracks the ball perfectly — if so, exploit paddle speed limits.

History

Pong was designed by Allan Alcorn under Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and released to arcades in November 1972. The first test cabinet placed in a Sunnyvale bar jammed within days — full of quarters. It became the first commercially successful arcade video game and launched the industry. Atari's home version of Pong in 1975 was the first mass-market home console game. Pong's clean, functional design is studied in game design education as an example of perfect scope for a first product.