What Pong Was

“For those youngsters unfamiliar with it, Pong was a rudimentary video game that seemed nothing short of miraculous when it first appeared in the mid-’70s. It consisted of two cursors meant to simulate players’ table tennis rackets. An electronic ball (though my recollection is that it more closely resembled a puck) traveled between them, careening off in unexpected directions when struck. The challenge was to avoid letting the ball get by you.”