Sunday, October 4, 2026

Question: In 1972, Atari’s coin-operated game in a Sunnyvale tavern became the first commercially successful arcade video game. What was it called?

Answer: Pong. In 1972, Atari founders Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney placed their first coin-operated Pong machine in Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale. Atari sold 8,000 of the machines in the first year alone, making Pong the first commercially successful arcade video game.