We all know about the popular arcade game Pong. We know that it was created by Atari and that it turned out to be very successful. But, there are definitely a few things that we simply do not know about the game. For instance, did you know that there’s actually a slot machine version of PONG in the marketplace? And that’s just one of the many fun facts that people simply may not know about the popular game PONG. Below are a variety of thoroughly researched fun facts about the popular arcade game PONG.
Here’s a link to the full Pong article
Fun Facts
1. Pong wasn’t the first-ever video arcade game
Pong was the first ever coin-operated game to capture the attention of a large group of the people in the U.S. The first-ever video game was Computer Space which was made in 1971 by the very creators of Atari, Nolan Bushnell,
2. Wasn’t supposed to be released
Pong was originally created as a simple practice exercise for Allen Alcorn to perform in order to get him used to
3. The creators didn’t want to build it initially
The creators of PONG actually didn’t want to build the game themselves. They wanted to find a manufacturing company that would be willing to make it – but they couldn’t. This resulted in them having to find a way to build it themselves – something that ended up being the right move as it ended up being wildly popular.
4. Is considered the first successful arcade game
While Computer Space is considered to be the first-ever arcade game it didn’t sell very well. PONG was the first arcade game to actually sell multiple copies and to turn a profit. In the first year the creator, Atari, sold roughly 8000 units.
5. The prototype wasn’t very functional (it broke lol)
The prototype for PONG was placed in a bar (Andy Capp’s Tavern) and actually worked very well (until it started showing technical difficulties and began to glitch). The issue turned out to be that the initial platform was overflowing with quarters (in the quarter box), which was an easy fix.
6. It took a long time to produce machines at first
When the Pong machines were first created Atari had trouble pumping them out. I literaly took them an entire day to create about 10 machines (most of which were a bit short on quality).
7. Much more expensive than Pinball
The title of this fun fact was actually a bit weird considering that it offers no context but, the main competitor of the initial PONG game
8. The creator of PONG had no experience creating arcade games
Well, Allan Alcorn had no experience creating arcade games whatsoever. He had technological and coding experience but he had no idea how to create an arcade game whatsoever. Pong was supposed to simply be a training exercise for him.
9. Atari actually forced a competitor into existence
This one is also kind of funny. Nolan Bushnell’s next-door neighbor Joe Keenan ended up doing his own gaming company titled Kee Games in 1973. This was actually done to basically cut Pinball games out of the picture and give both companies the ability to market the same game to different distributors (or extend Atari’s reach).
10. The paddles don’t touch the ceiling
Creator of the game, Allan Alcorn realized that the game had a glitch that stopped the paddles from being able to touch the ceiling in the game. Instead of correcting this issue he decided it was best to make the game harder and to limit the time it could be played.
11. It was actually relatively difficult for the Atari creators to find funding for PONG
Due to many banks (and people) at the time seeing the game as being very much like Ping
12. Pong was copied very soon after it became successful
As with any popular game (or
13. The arcade cabinets for PONG are now considered to be collectors items
This one is actually pretty straightforward. PONG was the first successful arcade game and the thoroughness with which the original cabinets were put together (as well as the scarcity of the cabinets themselves) makes them very valuable.
14. There’s a slot machine version of PONG available for play
There was an agreement made by the creators of PONG (Atari) and Bally Gaming and Systems ( a partner of Atari’s).
15. There was a major overhaul for the classic version of PONG
IN the year 1999 (with all of the new tech that was being released) Atari decided to perform a major overhaul on the gaming experience to incorporate 3D graphics and
16. The initial version of Pong was said to have earned Atari $35-$40 a day
The original prototype for Pong was said to have earned Atari between $35 and $40 a day. Atari eventually started earning a steady stream of income from the game as more units were made and shipped around the U.S. At its peak, Atari had around 35,000 Pong games around the U.S.
17. Odyssey was the first ever Table Tennis game
The predecessor to Pong was the Magna Vox game Odyssey, a 2-D table Tennis game that was designed for in-home use. Odyssey came out a few months prior to Pong being released (1972).
18. Pong was the centre of one of the first ever video game lawsuits
As mentioned in the prior bullet point Pong was very similar to Odyssey, so Ralph Baer decided that he would file a lawsuit against Atari since they were the creators of it. Eventually the case was settled outside of court, but this was the first ever court case that involved video games.
19. Pong’s patent was licensed for $700,000 from MagnaVox
After being sued by MagnaVox, Atari licensed Pong from them for $700000. MagnaVox still won the lawsuit in the year 1977 though.
20. The home console version could only be bought at Sears
Atari intended for Pong to be an Arcade-only game at first. However, due to its growing popularity and the production of clones, Atari decided to release a home version of the game that was only available under the Tele-Games label at Sears.
21. Pong was once Sears’ most successful product
While the home version of Pong was only sold at Sears, they still managed to sell near 150000 units of the game during the holidays – making this one of Sears’ most successful products.
22. The original home Pong games were only $99 (in 1975)
The console that was sold exclusively through Sears cost $99 (in 1975).
23. Some of the Pong originals are still working
Even though the game Pong was in 1972 the market for the game is still going strong. Due to how simple the design was many of the original models are still going strong (some are missing or have broken controllers though).
24. The original coin collector on the prototype was a simple milk jug
Due to it not having coin collection at first, the creators of Pong decided to use a modified milk jug for the task (at first though it was a coffee can but that proved to be too small).
25. Pong regularly makes best of lists
Despite it being considered an ancient game, Pong still regularly makes lists made by gamers stating some of the top-rated games of all time (because of its addictiveness and simplicity).
26. Pong has secured its spot in pop culture
Even if you’ve never played Pong adds are you’ve seen or heard about it. It’s been featured in advertisements, inspired songs and art, and has been referenced in shows
27. There are many sequels to Pong
To keep players interested in the game Bushnell had many sequels made, thus expanding on its popularity and allowing the game to stay ahead of the copy cats.
28. There is an Art Installation of Pong that can be played
Pierre Huygh made a light and art installation of Pong that allowed individuals to use their phones to play an illuminated version of Pong on the ceiling. Aptly titled “Atari Light” this piece of art has been to various exhibitions.
29. Nolan Bushnell started Chuck E. Cheese
After selling his stake in Atari, Atari cofounder Nolan Bushnell went on start Chuck E. Cheese.
30. Parents initially thought that Pong would do harm to teens
When the game was first introduced to the world, parents held a fear that it would have an adverse effect on the youth by causing them to lose sleep, harm their eyes, and effect their schooling.
Conclusion
And there you have it – a bit of information about PONG that you may not have known before. Some of these things may have come as a surprise and some of them may have not. All we know is that all of these bits of information were interesting to us. Happy reading.
This information was taken from Wikipedia