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''Pong'' quickly became a success and is the first commercially successful video game, which led to the start of the [[video game industry]]. Soon after its release, several companies began producing games that copied ''Pong''{{'}}s gameplay, and eventually released new types of games. As a result, Atari encouraged its staff to produce more innovative games. Several sequels were released that built upon the original's gameplay by adding new features. During the 1975 Christmas season, Atari released a home version of ''Pong'' exclusively through [[Sears, Roebuck and Company|Sears]] retail stores. It was also a commercial success and led to numerous copies. The game has been remade on numerous home and portable platforms following its release. ''Pong'' has been referenced and parodied in multiple television shows and video games, and has been a part of several video game and cultural exhibitions.
''Pong'' quickly became a success and is the first commercially successful video game, which led to the start of the [[video game industry]]. Soon after its release, several companies began producing games that copied ''Pong''{{'}}s gameplay, and eventually released new types of games. As a result, Atari encouraged its staff to produce more innovative games. Several sequels were released that built upon the original's gameplay by adding new features. During the 1975 Christmas season, Atari released a home version of ''Pong'' exclusively through [[Sears, Roebuck and Company|Sears]] retail stores. It was also a commercial success and led to numerous copies. The game has been remade on numerous home and portable platforms following its release. ''Pong'' has been referenced and parodied in multiple television shows and video games, and has been a part of several video game and cultural exhibitions.


==Gameplay==
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[[Image:Pong.png|thumb|left|The two paddles return the ball back and forth. The score is kept by the numbers (0 and 1) at the top of the screen.]]
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''Pong'' is a [[2D computer graphics|two-dimensional]] [[sports game]] which simulates [[table tennis]]. The player controls an in-game paddle by moving it vertically across the left side of the screen, and can compete against either a computer controlled opponent or another player controlling a second paddle on the opposing side. Players use the paddles to hit a ball back and forth. The aim is for a player to earn more points than the opponent; points are earned when one fails to return the ball to the other.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9074| title = Pong| publisher = [[Killer List of Videogames]]| accessdate = 2008-10-22}}</ref><ref name="Fever">{{cite book| title = Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games| first = John| last = Sellers| chapter = Pong | pages = 16–17| publisher = [[Running Press]]| month = August| year = 2001| isbn = 0762409371}}</ref><ref name="Ultimate-2">{{cite book| title = Ultimate History of Video Games| first = Steven| last = Kent| pages = 40–43| chapter = And Then There Was Pong| publisher = [[Three Rivers Press]]| isbn = 0761536434| year = 2001}}</ref>


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pon is the president of negro fucking topia he is the first gay man in the world. His wife is hitler himmler she is tony jaa's ex- mistress. She used to lick tony jaa's albino male chicken

Revision as of 01:41, 5 January 2010

For other uses, see Pong (disambiguation).
PONG
An upright cabinet of Pong.
Developer(s)Atari Inc.
Publisher(s)Atari Inc.
Designer(s)Allan Alcorn
SeriesPong
Platform(s)Arcade
Release1972
Genre(s)Sports game

Pong (marketed as PONG) is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. The aim is to defeat an opponent—either computer-controlled or a second player—by earning a higher score. The game was originally manufactured by Atari Incorporated (Atari), who released it in 1972. Pong was created by Allan Alcorn as a training exercise assigned to him by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. Bushnell based the idea on an electronic ping-pong game included in the Magnavox Odyssey, which later resulted in a lawsuit against Atari. Surprised by the quality of Alcorn's work, Atari decided to manufacture the game.

Pong quickly became a success and is the first commercially successful video game, which led to the start of the video game industry. Soon after its release, several companies began producing games that copied Pong's gameplay, and eventually released new types of games. As a result, Atari encouraged its staff to produce more innovative games. Several sequels were released that built upon the original's gameplay by adding new features. During the 1975 Christmas season, Atari released a home version of Pong exclusively through Sears retail stores. It was also a commercial success and led to numerous copies. The game has been remade on numerous home and portable platforms following its release. Pong has been referenced and parodied in multiple television shows and video games, and has been a part of several video game and cultural exhibitions.

Gameplay

The two paddles return the ball back and forth. The score is kept by the numbers (0 and 1) at the top of the screen.

Pong is a two-dimensional sports game which simulates table tennis. The player controls an in-game paddle by moving it vertically across the left side of the screen, and can compete against either a computer controlled opponent or another player controlling a second paddle on the opposing side. Players use the paddles to hit a ball back and forth. The aim is for a player to earn more points than the opponent; points are earned when one fails to return the ball to the other.[1][2][3]

pon is the president of negro fucking topia he is the first gay man in the world. His wife is hitler himmler she is tony jaa's ex- mistress. She used to lick tony jaa's albino male chicken

Impact and legacy

See also: History of the video game industry

The Pong arcade games manufactured by Atari were a great success. The prototype was well received by Andy Capp's Tavern patrons, with people coming to the bar solely to play the game.[4][5] Following its release, Pong consistently earned four times more revenue than other coin-operated machines, which resulted in an increase in the number of orders Atari received. This provided Atari with a steady source of income; the company sold the machines at three times the cost of production. By 1973, the company had filled 2,500 orders, and, at the end of 1974, sold more than 8,000 units.[6] The arcade cabinets have since become collector's items with the cocktail-table version being the rarest.[7] Atari eventually sold more than 35,000 units, however, many more imitations were produced by competitors.[8][9] Soon after the game's successful testing at Andy Capp's Tavern, other companies began visiting the bar to inspect it. Similar games appeared on the market three months later, produced by companies like Ramtek and Nutting Associates.[10] Atari could do little against the competitors as they had not initially filed for patents on the solid state technology used in the game. When the company did file for patents, complications delayed the process. As a result, the market consisted primarily of "Pong clones"; author Steven Kent estimated that Atari had produced less than a third of the machines.[9] Bushnell referred to the competitors as "Jackals" because he felt they had an unfair advantage. His solution to competing against them was to produce more innovative games and concepts.[9][10]

Home Pong was an instant success following its limited 1975 release through Sears; around 150,000 units were sold that holiday season.[11][12] The game became Sears' most successful product at the time, which earned Atari a Sears Quality Excellence Award.[12] Similar to the arcade version, several companies released clones to capitalize on the home console's success, many of which continued to produce new consoles and video games. Magnavox re-released their Odyssey system with simplified hardware and new features, and would later release updated versions. Coleco entered the video game market with their Telstar console; it features three Pong variants and was also succeeded by newer models.[11] Nintendo released the Color TV Game 6 in 1977, which plays six variations of electronic tennis. The next year, it was followed by an updated version, the Color TV Game 15, which features fifteen variations. The systems were Nintendo's entry into the home video game market and the first to produce themselves—they had previously licensed the Magnavox Odyssey.[13] The dedicated Pong consoles and the numerous clones have since become varying levels of rare; Atari's Pong consoles are common, while APF Electronics' TV Fun consoles are moderately rare.[14] Prices among collectors, however, vary with rarity; the Sears Tele-Games versions are often cheaper than those with the Atari brand.[11]

File:Pong iv.jpg
Tele-Games Pong IV, Sears' version of Pong sequel (Pong Doubles), was one of the many consoles that flooded the market by 1977.

Several publications consider Pong the game which launched the video game industry as a lucrative enterprise.[15][16][17] Video game author David Ellis sees the game as the cornerstone of the video game industry's success, and called the arcade game "one of the most historically significant" titles.[4][7] Kent attributes the "arcade phenomenon" to Pong and Atari's games that followed it, and considers the release of the home version the successful beginning of home video game consoles.[10][12] Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton of Gamasutra referred to the game's release as the start of a new entertainment medium, and commented that its simple, intuitive gameplay made it a success.[16] Many of the companies that produced their own versions of Pong eventually became well-known within the industry. Nintendo entered the video game market with clones of Home Pong. The revenue generated from them—each system sold over a million units—helped the company survive a difficult financial time, and spurred them to pursue video games further.[13] After seeing the success of Pong, Konami decided to break into the arcade game market and released its first title, Maze. Its moderate success spurred Konami to develop more titles.[18]

Sequels and remakes

Bushnell felt the best way to compete against imitators was to create better products, leading Atari to produce sequels in the years followings the original's release: Pong Doubles, Super Pong, Quadrapong, and Pin-Pong.[2] The sequels featured similar graphics, but included new gameplay elements; for example, Pong Doubles allows four players to compete in pairs, while Quadrapong has them compete against each other in a four way field.[19][20] Bushnell also conceptualized a free-to-play version of Pong to entertain children in a Doctor's office. He initially titled it Snoopy Pong and fashioned the cabinet after Snoopy's doghouse with the character on top, but retitled it to Puppy Pong and altered Snoopy to a generic dog to avoid legal action. Bushnell later used the game in his chain of Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants.[2][21][22][23][24] In 1976, Atari released Breakout, a single-player variation of Pong where the object of the game is to remove bricks from a wall by hitting them with a ball.[25] Like Pong, Breakout was followed by numerous clones that copied the gameplay: Arkanoid, Alleyway, Break 'Em All.

Atari has also remade the game on numerous platforms. Pong has been included in several Atari compilations on platforms including the Sega Mega Drive, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and personal computer.[26][27][28][29][30] Through an agreement with Atari, Bally Gaming and Systems developed a slot machine version of the game.[31] The Atari developed TD Overdrive included Pong as an extra game to be played during the loading screen.[32][33] In 1999, the game was remade for home computers and the PlayStation with 3D graphics and power-ups.[34][35]

Pong has appeared in several facets of popular culture. The game is prominently featured in episodes of several television series: That '70s Show,[36] King of the Hill,[37] and Saturday Night Live.[38] In 2006, an American Express commercial featured Andy Roddick in a tennis match against the white, in-game paddle.[39] Other video games have also referenced and parodied Pong; for example Neuromancer for the Commodore 64 and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts for the Xbox 360.[40][41] The concert event Video Games Live has performed audio from Pong as part of a special retro "Classic Arcade Medley".[42] Frank Black's song "Whatever Happened to Pong?" on the album Teenager of the Year heavily references the game's elements.[43]

Dutch design studio Buro Vormkrijgers created a Pong-themed clock as a fun project within their offices. After the studio decided to manufacture it for retail, Atari took legal action in February 2006. The two companies eventually reached an agreement in which Buro Vormkrijgers could produce a limited number under license.[44] In 1999, French artist Pierre Huyghe created an installation entitled "Atari Light", in which two people use handheld gaming devices to play Pong on an illuminated ceiling. The work was shown at the Venice Biennale in 2001, and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León in 2007.[45][46] The game was included in the London Science Museum's 2006 Game On exhibition meant to showcase the various aspects of video game history, development, and culture.[47]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Pong". Killer List of Videogames. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  2. ^ a b c Sellers, John (2001). "Pong". Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games. Running Press. pp. 16–17. ISBN 0762409371. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Kent, Steven (2001). "And Then There Was Pong". Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. pp. 40–43. ISBN 0761536434.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PriceGuide-1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ultimate-4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Kent, Steven (2001). "The King and Court". Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. pp. 53–54. ISBN 0761536434.
  7. ^ a b Ellis, David (2004). "Arcade Classics". Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games. Random House. p. 400. ISBN 0375720383.
  8. ^ Fulton, Steve (2007-11-06). "The History of Atari: 1971-1977". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  9. ^ a b c Kent, Steven (2001). "The King and Court". Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. p. 58. ISBN 0761536434.
  10. ^ a b c Kent, Steven (2001). "The Jackals". Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0761536434.
  11. ^ a b c Ellis, David (2004). "Dedicated Consoles". Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games. Random House. pp. 33–36. ISBN 0375720383.
  12. ^ a b c Kent, Steven (2001). "Strange Bedfellows". Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. pp. 94–95. ISBN 0761536434.
  13. ^ a b Sheff, David (1993). "In Heaven's Hands". Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children (1st ed.). Random House. pp. 26–28. ISBN 0679404694.
  14. ^ Ellis, David (2004). "Dedicated Consoles". Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games. Random House. pp. 37–41. ISBN 0375720383.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference AmerHert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Gamesutra-Pong was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Pong". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  18. ^ Retro Gamer Staff (2008). "Developer Lookback: Konami Part I". Retro Gamer (53). Imagine Publishing: 25. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  19. ^ "Pong Doubles". Killer List of Videogames. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  20. ^ "Quadrapong". Killer List of Videogames. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  21. ^ "Doctor Pong". Killer List of Videogames. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  22. ^ "Puppy Pong". Killer List of Videogames. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  23. ^ "Snoopy Pong". Killer List of Videogames. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  24. ^ Ellis, David (2004). "Dedicated Consoles". Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games. Random House. p. 402. ISBN 0375720383.
  25. ^ Kent, Steven (2001). "The Jackals". Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. p. 71. ISBN 0761536434.
  26. ^ "Arcade Classics". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  27. ^ Atari (2007-12-20). "Retro Arcade Masterpieces Hit Store Shelves in Atari Classics Evolved". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  28. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (2005-03-23). "Retro Atari Classics Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  29. ^ "Atari: 80 Classic Games in One Company Line". GameSpot. 2004-04-23. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  30. ^ Kohler, Chris (2004-09-07). "Atari opens up massive classic-game library". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  31. ^ "Atari, Alliance Gaming to Develop Slots Based on Atari Video Games". GameSpot. 2004-09-09. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  32. ^ Munk, Simon (2002-05-04). "PS2 Review: TD Overdrive". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved 2008-12-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ Gestalt (2002-08-18). "TD Overdrive Xbox Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  34. ^ "Pong: The Next Level (PC)". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  35. ^ "Pong: The Next Level (PlayStation)". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  36. ^ "Punk Chick". That '70s Show. Season 1. Episode 22. 1999-06-21. Fox Broadcasting Company. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Neighbor Sings". King of the Hill. Season 9. Episode 15. 2005-05-15. Fox Broadcasting Company. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ "Episode 5". Saturday Night Live. Season 1. Episode 5. 1975-11-15. NBC. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (2006-08-22). "Roddick vs. Pong". Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  40. ^ Parker, Sam (2004-02-13). "The Greatest Games of All Time: Neuromancer". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  41. ^ Anderson, Luke. "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Updated Hands-On". GameSpot date = 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite web}}: Missing pipe in: |publisher= (help)
  42. ^ Microsoft (2007-08-28). "Microsoft Brings Video Games Live To London". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  43. ^ Frank Black (Singer) (1994-05-23). Album: Teenager of the Year Song: Whatever Happened to Pong?. Elektra Records.
  44. ^ Crecente, Brian (2006-02-28). "Atari Threatens Pong Clock Makers". Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  45. ^ "Art:21 Pierre Huyghe Slideshow". Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  46. ^ "Musac, Museum XXI Centurt Press Kit" (PDF). Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León. p. 8. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  47. ^ Boyes, Emma (2006-10-09). "London museum showcases games". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-05-09.

Further reading

  • Zap! The Rise and Fall of Atari by Scott Cohen ISBN 978-0070115439
  • Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Videogames by Leonard Herman ISBN 978-0964384828
  • Digital Play: The interaction of Technology, Culture and Marketing by Stephen Kline et al. ISBN 978-0773525917
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