1972

Pong. With “Pong”, the era of video games began. The simple electronic tennis game became one of the first commercially successful video games in history.

 

The game was developed by Atari and could be connected to a standard black-and-white television. Two players control paddles on the screen and try to return a moving dot representing the ball.

Despite its simple graphics, Pong quickly became a major success in arcades. The easy-to-understand gameplay and the direct competition between two players made the game extremely popular.

The first Pong machines were installed in bars, arcades, and entertainment venues, where they attracted large crowds.

The success of Pong demonstrated that electronic video games had enormous entertainment potential, marking the beginning of a rapidly growing global gaming industry.

Today, Pong is considered one of the most important milestones in video game history.