When I decided to get back into video games, I thought I’d start by revisiting the first video game I ever encountered as a child: Pong. As you may know, Pong is often referred to as the first video game to achieve worldwide popularity. It’s possible that younger generations today might not even know about it.
About the Game Pong
According to Wikipedia, “Pong is a video game released by Atari in November 1972, based on the theme of table tennis.” However, it feels more like air hockey than table tennis.In the game, the paddles are rectangular bars, and players hit a moving square ball back and forth. If the ball gets past your paddle, the opponent scores a point. By today’s standards, it’s a very simple game.
Playing Pong Again After So Many Years
It’s not easy to play the original Pong by Atari nowadays, but there are many similar versions available as smartphone apps. A quick search on Google Play brings up multiple Pong-style games. I tried a few of them, but something about them felt a bit off.Later, I discovered a website called Pong Game,(ponggame.org) where you can play Pong for free directly on the web. This version felt much closer to the Pong I remember from my childhood. However, it wasn’t optimized for smartphones, which made the controls challenging. While you can use a keyboard or mouse to control the paddle on a computer, on a smartphone, you move the paddle by tapping the screen, which didn’t work very smoothly for me.As I got used to the controls, I found myself completely absorbed in the game. While it didn’t quite match the excitement I felt as a child playing it for the first time, I realized that this game is still fun even today.In Pong, hitting the ball with the edge of the paddle adds an angle to the ball’s trajectory, making it harder for your opponent to return it. However, aiming for the very edge of the paddle increases the risk of missing the ball entirely and losing a point. That delicate balance is part of what makes the game challenging.The game ends when one player scores 10 points, and matches don’t last very long since rallies are usually short. A single game often takes just a few minutes to complete, making it perfect for quick play sessions during small breaks.
Revisiting Old Games
This time, I played Pong, and its appeal hasn’t changed. While it doesn’t have the polished visuals or complex features of modern games, the core fun of the gameplay remains the same. As an adult, it’s harder to find time for long gaming sessions, but simple games like this are great because they fit into short breaks. And since my reflexes aren’t what they used to be, games like Pong are just the right speed for me.I plan to revisit more of the classic games I played in the past.
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