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The first successful computer game was a video version of
ping-pong, whose "ball" was a blip that bounced back and
forth on screen between two paddles. The 'paddles' were moved up and
down by two knobs on the console, which was designed to be plugged
into an ordinary TV set.
Those who tired of Pong could shell out for the Odyssey - Nothing
more than your basic pong machine with plastic overlays for your TV
screen (which stuck thanks to static). There were overlays that
looked like a soccer field and a football field . . . but underneath
it was still pong.
Pong was invented by a Californian named Nolan Bushnell in 1971,
his company, Atari, was selling a home version by 1975. The next
year Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications for $28 million.
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