The Rise of Pong | Generation X

on loop bloop-bloop it was the coolest
thing you’ve ever seen in your life
dude it’s a square ball that’s moving it
like the slowest pace ever it’s like so
beautiful to watch pong it’s like this
form of meditation pong was the first
successfully mass-marketed gaming
console the brainchild of Atari
co-founder Nolan Bushnell people were
interested in new things to do with
their television sets for the grown-ups
this new technology is mind-blowing I
can remember people playing pong and
saying how does the TV station know I
turned the knob it sounds ridiculous now
but that was the mindset but not for
Generation X we get it it was just this
totally new medium that you suddenly had
control over it turned the screen into
an interactive experience into something
that you manipulated that you engaged
with pong was first video game I ever
played and I remember cause the first
family fight you know over like whose
turn it was and tears and let him play
he’s the baby stuff like that you just
can’t fathom that this innocuous
black-and-white ball bouncing back and
forth this is gonna change the world but
sometimes you use some happy surprises
sure we fooled around with pocket
calculators in the classroom but pong
having video games in our own homes
means we’re the first generation to
interact with digital technology for fun
you