Atari
In 1971, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney created Computer Space, which was a coin operated version of Spacewar!, a popular game on the PDP-1 (a computer made by the Digital Equipment Corporation). The game was a failure due to its high difficulty level. Bushnell didn't give up and created the simplest game he could think of; a video game version of ping pong. He named it Pong for short and put a prototype into a California tavern. Shortly after, the machine malfunctioned due to an overflowing coin box. After this success, Bushnell wanted to create more Pong machines, but no manufacturer wanted to make them. Bushnell created his own company, Atari (named after a part of his favorite board game Go), and manufactured them himself.
Within a year, Pong became a part of popular culture (spawning many knockoffs) and eventually sold over 19,000 units worldwide.
Within a year, Pong became a part of popular culture (spawning many knockoffs) and eventually sold over 19,000 units worldwide.