Atari announced the game Pong on November 29, 1972. It quickly became the craze responsible for success of the Atari and the inexorable rise of the microcomputer.

To celebrate its anniversary we've posted a playable version - and the code in Javascript is also available.

Pong, invented by Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn, was the first computer game. Initially it was implemented in hardware and the first Pong machine was installed in a bar - where it was such a draw that people came just to play it.

With the advent of cheap microprocessor Pong made the transition from arcade game to small games console and then to a software version not only for the Atari but with versions for other microcomputers.

If you fancy programming your own version JavaScript Pong is a complete project that is also a good introduction to JavaScript.

But if you just want to play the game for a nostalgia trip or to remember just how primitive the classic version we have provided a working version.

Further reading:

Nolan Bushnell and Atari

JavaScript Pong (the full project)

JavaScript Pong (the game)