Technology

Technology 

Since Pong was first created as an “exercise” for Al Alcorn to see if he could transition to creating video games, he had to use very cheap products and keep the production costs low.

Thus, the prototype was created using techniques from Alcorn’s engineering background with the help of a store-bought TV set, a basic orange over-top cabinet, and 75 TTL ICs (Transistor-Transistor logic Integrated Circuits). The ball, paddles, and other images were constructed and controlled using basic rectangles generated by digital TV circuits, gated counters, and synchronization signals. The paddles were controlled by the knobs and the counters counted how many times the ball passed them and sped up the ball after a certain number was reached. There was also a sound of “pong” that came out every time the ball was hit and that is also what the game was named after. 

An important aspect of the game’s technology is that even though it was marketed as using digital computers and video technology, it solely relied on television technology, and no software code was used for it. Pong’s ideas originated from computer technology however it was created using TV technology.

Resources and Infrastructure  

The game was cheap (10 cents ) and easy to play and therefore was more attractive to people in taverns and bars where they could compete for multiple rounds with a drink in hand as opposed to the other games which were relatively more expensive (a quarter) and needed more concentration.

Additionally, Pong was found in different social settings such as in taverns, arcades, bars, and more. This allowed the game to be accessed by many people from different economic and social backgrounds.

Because the game was cheap to produce and play, Atari was able to quickly use its revenue, lease its consoles, and manufacture more. First, they established arcades to make more money, then an old roller rink was leased and used as a factory, and hippies were hired to work on the line of production.

Community Impact

The implementation of the rectangles that were simple and already embedded in the digital television made the circuits promptly generate them. This technology thus made the game smoother and faster during plays with a better resolution compared to other games during that time.

The game’s simplicity also brings together communities as Pong was a way to interact with other people when playing a round together. Since the game required two people to play it, people were forced to engage with each other rather than focus on the game alone.

Also, its emergence as a new game sparked the curiosity of many who would watch people play and wait in line to play themselves.

Production Conditions on Afterlife

Since Pong was created at the dawn of video games, and somewhat started a race of video game creation, it is not surprising that the technological advances led to its first console’s disappearance. 

Upon seeing success with the prototype, Atari started deviating from the first small tabletop console to creating bigger hardware to be used in arcades. With technological advancements, Pong’s initial hardware was quickly replaced by more those which were more advanced like Pong’s home console and Pong Doubles.

Moreover, video games created after Pong started deviating from the concept of 2D sports video games, and eventually the existence of newer more technologically advanced games overshadowed Pong and it died out when manufacturers focused on creating newer and more complicated games.

It has to be noted that the scores of the games that were played on the Pong consoles were not saved past the game's life; every time a round restarts, progress is lost and players have to begin again. This endangers a players' progress as they have to go through the slower parts of the game and with progress gain ball speed.

To celebrate 40 years since Pong’s release, Atari Inc. released Pong world in 2012. The game was found on the iOS app store and it resembled the idea of exchanging the ball across the screen between players however with the inclusion of new technologies, color, and touch screen features.

The technological advancement endangerment on old hardware can be seen through the release of Pong world in 2012. The game does not have a knob to move the paddles but rather a touch screen in which a person touches the paddle to move it. Also, there are vibrant colors, a save option, and bonus points in comparison with the prototype version of Pong.

Pong World shows the extent of advancement that has been reached by pong, from a game that requires two players side by side to play it, to a game that could be played as one player in a place and another in a different part of the world or simply a player against a computerized opponent.