Sunday, September 20, 2009


It's A to Z Monday

This week is brought to you by the letter





Grandma J searched high low for the perfect P word without using body parts like peepee pinkie or posterior.

She came up with a blast from the past.

The invention that would put checkers and yoyos on mothballs all over America. Yes, it's the first ever video game to sweep the nation in 1972.....except for the childhood home of Grandma. Oh wait, Grandma J wasn't a child in 1972. But she was a struggling young wife and mother, washing diapers and hanging them on the line to dry while she cooked dinner and fed the dog. So, she got a job so she could go to work and buy her own ATARI Pong game station thing.



It looked like this.....and it was so popular that people were having pong parties where they would throw ping pong balls into little cups, renaming the game beer pong pong contests and tournaments right in their own living rooms.




Arcades and 7-11 started installing coin operated pong game consoles. That was when kids started ditching school.




This is what the screen looked like when the game was in play. Exciting isn't it? Gotta love those graphics. You may find it confusing......so I thought I'd help explain the whole concept.......




Is this better? You hit the little round white ball and your opponent hits it back to you. The game speeds up the more you rally. Isn't this exciting?


In case you can't grasp this game looks too complicated to understand, you can try your hand at
Pong right here.


Now, when you're done playing pong, wander on over to A to Z Mondays and check out some of the other P words.

17 comments:

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

I've been to more than a few pong parties, and there wasn't any Atari involved. There was lots of beer though.

Would love to see a photo of the 1972 version of Grandma J....

Pat Jenkins said...

i don't know what i am more impressed with, this great post, or your knowledge of drinking games grandma j!!!

Angel Mama said...

I loved Pong!

Busy Bee Suz said...

The coach and I talk about this when we play the Wii with the kids...those games have come such a longgggg way with the amazing graphics.
I thought I was hot stuff when we got pong.
Great P word GJ!!!

Minerva said...

I remember my brother having this. It was so slow in the beginning, you could almost go in the kitchen, get a drink, come back and still have time to hit your ball! And that annoying electronic bleep sound...games have sure come a long way.

The Traveling Yogi said...

I loved playing pong! Such memories. My kids would be horrified at the graphics!

Jen said...

Happy Monday Grandma J!
I think this was the start of the downfall of kids playing outside.
Great P word.

Daryl said...

I never played Pong. I didnt get interested in Mr Gore's invention of the internets til much later .. and I was sure you were going to say Pogo stick!!!!!!!

big hair envy said...

The cool kids in the 'hood had Pong. I was not one of the cool kids...:(

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

GJ I must have been lost in the Pong era!
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HalfAsstic.com said...

I remember my little brother being a whiz at pong and me not the least bit interested. One night my dad and I heard my mother squealing and giggling and shrieking from the game room and when we went in there she was trying to play pong and having the time of her life. I'll never forget how funny that was!

Cassie said...

You may not believe this, but I have never seen a Pong game & I was also a young mother in the early 70's!! Sheltered I guess. ha!

Anonymous said...

WoW! Pong...my high school teacher and his wife had Pong...the same teacher I visited in WA this summer!

I was down south this weekend while Ali got her final scholarship...I will attend next when Andrew receives his...he will be a great candidate for that one...and it will be a short drive to Rancho Bernardo from Ladera Ranch.- Hey Kim...I can't remember your email address...email me I was reading about a young cancer patient who I believe attends school with your kids.

XXOO, lMnop

Ben said...

I remember Pong - followed by the one that knocked bricks out of a wall - followed by Asteroids, and then Space Invaders. High tech stuff, in its time!

Anonymous said...

Fun memories and a creative P post!

Unknown said...

: ) You are so ridiculously great at this whole thing. Your creativity astounds me. I don't remember that game. I was probably too little to be allowed to play when it first came out. : ) or my Mom just wouldn't give me a quarter. Either/ Or : )

wgungfu said...

Please be advised, the above Atari PONG home console picture is being used in violation of my license stated at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Atarisearspong.png

Specifically:
"I am the author and source of this photo. Taken from my personal collection of photos of my displays from the 2008 Midwest Gaming Classic. This photo is free to use as long as credits to Martin Goldberg and/or Electronic Entertainment Museum (E2M), are maintained."