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The Legacy of Pong
Pong is not just a game; it is the cornerstone of the multi-billion dollar video game industry. Released by Atari in 1972, it was the first commercially successful arcade video game, proving that digital entertainment could be a massive business.
Created by Allan Alcorn, the game was originally meant to be a simple training exercise. Its success was immediate and unexpected. When the first machine was installed in a local tavern, it stopped working within days—not because of a glitch, but because the coin box was overflowing with quarters.
Did you know? Pong's simple "beep" sound was actually a technical limitation. Alcorn couldn't generate a "crowd cheering" sound with the available hardware, so he used the internal clock's pulse instead.
Today, we revisit this classic on BITSTART.CLUB to celebrate the simplicity and perfect game design that started it all.