Historical Context
The world's first commercially successful video game, Pong was manufactured by Atari and released in 1972. Initially it was just designed as a training exercise by Atari employee Alan Alcorn and took the form of a two-dimensional ping pong game based on table tennis.
In 1975 a home version was sold through Sears and was their most successful product at the time. Today Pong's success is often regarded as one of the prime reasons for the establishment of the video gaming industry. One machine remains part of the Smithsonian's permanent collection.
Photo Info
Location taken: Andy Capp's Tavern in Sunnyvale, California, USA
Related Events
- 1972-11-29 Co-founder of Atari, Nolan Bushnell releases Pong, the 1st commercially successful video game, in Andy Capp's Tavern in Sunnyvale, California
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Electrical Engineer, Businessman and Founder of Atari
Nolan Bushnell
