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.)
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
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
Movember (November 1-30)
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
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