Pong
The 1972 classic versus a beatable AI โ first to seven.
About this game
You take the left paddle โ mouse, finger or arrow keys โ against an AI that tracks the ball at limited speed and idles at centre when play moves away, which means steep angles genuinely beat it. Where the ball meets your paddle sets the return angle; every rally adds a little pace. First to seven; career wins count on this device.
The game that started the industry
Pong (Atari, 1972) wasn't the first video game, but it was the first HIT โ the prototype in Andy Capp's Tavern famously jammed within days because its coin box was full, which is the industry's founding anecdote. Allan Alcorn's design added the detail that made it a sport rather than a toy: the paddle's eight segments returned the ball at different angles, so placement became aiming โ the same mechanic this version keeps, and the direct ancestor of Breakout's paddle (Atari's one-player Pong, built by Jobs and Wozniak) and every ball game since. The AI here is deliberately honest rather than unbeatable: it has a reaction speed you can out-angle, scaled by difficulty โ Ruthless tracks nearly perfectly and punishes anything down the middle. Reaction time is the underlying stat, testable next door.
Frequently asked questions
How do I aim in Pong?
With your paddle: centre contact returns flat and fast to intercept; edge contact sends steep angles the AI must chase. Aiming with contact point is the whole skill.
Can the AI be beaten on Ruthless?
Yes, barely โ it tracks almost perfectly but reacts, not predicts, so sharp angle changes off your paddle edge outrun it. Casual and Normal give it human-like lag.
What are the controls?
Mouse or finger follows directly; arrow keys step. Space restarts after a match. First to seven wins; rallies speed up as they run.
Was Pong really the first video game?
Not the first โ but the first commercial smash, the one that founded Atari's fortunes and the arcade industry. The full-coin-box story from its first tavern test is the origin myth of gaming.