An Ode To Pong

AN ODE TO PONG
Video Art By Clint Collide

Music = Sayuri Hayashi Egnell / Ukiyo
Courtesy Of Epidemic Sound

Way back on November 29, 1972, when I was but a wee lad, Atari released Pong.

This simple game quickly became a cultural phenomenon and, for most people, marked the start of the video game industry as we know it.

A few years later, my dad bought an Atari 2600 “for the family.”

Dad was a big kid who loved tech toys more than most people. But after an endless set of two-player trials, he decided I was ready for unaccompanied-minor gaming.

Before I stumbled across his stash of adult magazines and, later, videos, Pong was my first childhood obsession. (And long before gaming apps on mobile phones and tablets, Merlin “The Electronic Wizard” was my on-the-go companion.)

MERLIN = THE ROADTRIP WIZARD

Now, 52 years later, Pong is more than just a fond memory—it’s a muse.

The game’s minimalism and endless replayability remind me of the beauty of starting small and building something bigger from the simplest ideas.

To celebrate this iconic anniversary, I created the video art above, inspired by those endless hours with a paddle in hand. It’s my “love letter” to Pong, the game that has entertained and inspired me for most of my life.

Thanks for reading!
Clint

P.S. For those interested, after announcing that I was switching video editors—from CapCut to Filmora to DaVinci Resolve—I’m back to CapCut. Despite its simplicity and TikTok tendencies, many video “professionals” use it because it “just works.” DaVinci Resolve may be more advanced, but it’s way less user-friendly. I want to edit videos, not reinvent the wheel or relearn—from scratch—how to edit.

---

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• Cynthia Erivo Performs “Nothing Compares 2 U” (PBS) 💜

• Jeremy Jordan Performs "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" (Benjamin Rauhala)

---

ON THIS DAY = NOVEMBER 29

BIRTHDAYS

• 1752 = Public Universal Friend = American evangelist 🌈

• 1832 = Louisa May Alcott = American novelist and poet

• 1895 = Busby Berkeley = American director and choreographer

• 1898 = C. S. Lewis = British writer and critic

• 1915 = Billy Strayhorn = American composer and pianist 🌈

• 1921 = Jackie Stallone = American astrologer and wrestling promoter

• 1927 = Vin Scully = American sportscaster and tv host

• 1949 = Garry Shandling = American comedian, actor, and screenwriter

• 1951 = Roger Troutman = American singer-songwriter and producer

• 1952 = Jeff Fahey = American actor and producer

• 1954 = Joel Coen = American filmmaker

• 1955 = Howie Mandel = Canadian comedian and tv host

• 1956 = Hinton Battle = German-American actor, dancer, and choreographer

• 1957 = Jean-Philippe Toussaint = Belgian novelist, photographer, and filmmaker

• 1960 = Cathy Moriarty = American actor

• 1961 = Kim Delaney = American actor

• 1961 = Tom Sizemore = American actor

• 1962 = Andrew McCarthy = American actor and director

• 1964 = Don Cheadle = American actor and producer

• 1971 = Gena Lee Nolin = American actor and model

• 1972 = Brian Baumgartner = American actor and producer

• 1976 = Chadwick Boseman = American actor and playwright

• 1976 = Anna Faris = American actor

• 1982 = Lucas Black = American actor

• 1990 = Diego Boneta = Mexican actor and singer

CELEBRATIONS

• Black Friday

• Movember (November 1-30)

• You're Welcomegiving Day

EVENTS

• 1777 – San Jose, California, is founded as Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe.

• 1877 – Thomas Edison demonstrates his phonograph for the first time.

• 1947 – The United Nations General Assembly approves the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.

• 1963 – "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is released by the Beatles in the UK.

• 1972 – Atari releases Pong one of the first video games to achieve widespread popularity in both the arcade and home-console markets.

• 1982 – Michael Jackson releases Thriller, the best-selling music album of all time.

• 2012 – In resolution 67/19, the United Nations General Assembly voted to accord the status of a non-member observer state to Palestine.

---

PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We are what we believe we are.”
C. S. Lewis

NEW + FEATURED

MORE FROM COLLIDE PRESS
Bluesky + Ko-Fi + Linktree + Shop
+ Storefront + Threadless + YouTube