Pong

Pong is a video game released originally as a coin-operated arcade game by Atari Inc. on November 29, 1972. Pong is based on the sport of table tennis, and named after the sound generated by the circuitry when the ball is hit. The word Pong is a registered trademark of Atari Interactive, although the term "pong" is often used generically to describe the related genre of "bat and ball" video games. Although Pong is often regarded as the world's first video arcade game, Computer Space by Nutting Associates had been launched a year earlier in 1971. Pong was the first video game to achieve widespread popularity in both arcade and home console versions, and launched the initial boom in the video game industry. Pong's popularity led to a successful patent infringement lawsuit from the makers of an earlier video game, the Magnavox Odyssey. Pong is a first generation video game, a term used to describe the video game industry between 1972 and 1977.