To play PONG is to play with history! Try it below!

If you are on a mobile device this version of Pong works best if you turn your phone sideways and hold it in both hands. Have a go, try our mini lesson plan scroll to below the game.

🎮 Interactive History: Pong (1972)

This is a recreation of the first commercially successful video game. Pong was initially placed in bars with pinball machines and was immediately successful!

How to Play:

  • Click and drag your mouse to move the left paddle
  • Try to hit the ball past the computer’s paddle
  • First player to score 5 points wins!

Why This Game Changed Everything:

Pong proved that simple interactive entertainment could be commercially successful, launching the multi-billion dollar video game industry we know today.

Interactive Video Game Evolution Lesson Plan

🎮 The Evolution of Video Games

An Interactive Journey Through Gaming History

July 8th was National Video Game Day, Let’s Celebrate throughout July!

🎯 What You’ll Learn Today:

  • Discover the 5 main types of video games
  • Learn how games changed over time
  • Understand why games are important
  • Have fun with interactive activities!
🎯 Action Games – Fast and Exciting! ▼

What Are Action Games?

Games where you need to be quick and react fast! Think of games where you jump, run, or shoot.

⚡ Quick Reactions

You need to think and move fast!

🎮 Fun Controls

Use buttons or touch screen to play

🏆 Exciting Moments

Lots of fun and exciting things happen!

📅 How Action Games Changed:

1978
Space Invaders – First game where aliens come down to get you!
1991
Street Fighter – First game where you could do special moves!
2003
Call of Duty – Games started telling stories while you played!
2017
Fortnite – Games where lots of people play together online!

🤯 Cool Fun Fact!

Space Invaders was supposed to keep the same speed, but there was a mistake in the code! The aliens got faster as you destroyed them, making the game more exciting. The programmers liked it so much they kept it!

🗺️ Adventure Games – Explore and Discover! ▼

What Are Adventure Games?

Games where you explore new places and solve puzzles! Like going on a treasure hunt!

🔍 Exploration

Find new places and hidden secrets!

🧩 Puzzles

Solve problems to move forward

📚 Stories

Learn about characters and their adventures

📅 How Adventure Games Changed:

1975
Text Adventures – You typed words to play the game!
1987
The Legend of Zelda – First game where you could save your progress!
2007
Uncharted – Games became like interactive movies!
2017
Breath of the Wild – Huge worlds you can explore anywhere!

🤯 Cool Fun Fact!

The first adventure games had no pictures! You had to type things like “go north” or “pick up sword” and the computer would tell you what happened. It was like playing a book!

⚔️ Role-Playing Games – Become a Hero! ▼

What Are Role-Playing Games?

Games where you pretend to be a character and make them stronger over time!

👤 Character Creation

Make your own special character!

📈 Getting Stronger

Your character learns new skills

🌟 Epic Stories

Go on amazing adventures to save the world!

📅 How RPGs Changed:

1974
Dungeons & Dragons – First game where you could be different characters!
1987
Final Fantasy – Games with amazing stories and magic!
2004
World of Warcraft – Millions of people playing in the same world!
2015
The Witcher 3 – Games where your choices change the story!

🤯 Cool Fun Fact!

RPG games started as board games with dice and paper! People would sit around tables and use their imagination to go on adventures. Now computers do the math for us!

🧠 Strategy Games – Think and Plan! ▼

What Are Strategy Games?

Games where you need to think ahead and make smart choices!

🤔 Planning

Think about what might happen next

🏗️ Building

Create armies or cities

🎯 Smart Choices

Every decision matters!

📅 How Strategy Games Changed:

1958
Chess Programs – Computers learned to play chess!
1992
Civilization – Build entire civilizations through history!
1998
StarCraft – Games became so popular they had tournaments!
2012
Clash of Clans – Strategy games you can play on phones!

🤯 Cool Fun Fact!

Some strategy games are so popular that people make lots of money playing them! In Korea, StarCraft players are like sports stars and appear on TV!

⚽ Sports & Simulation Games – Play Real Life! ▼

What Are Sports & Simulation Games?

Games that let you play sports or pretend to do real-life activities!

🏃 Real Activities

Play soccer, drive cars, or fly planes!

🎮 Practice Skills

Get better at games just like real sports

🏆 Competition

Play against friends or computer

📅 How Sports Games Changed:

1972
Pong – The first game ever was like playing ping pong!
1988
John Madden Football – Games that felt like real football!
2000
The Sims – Games where you control people’s lives!
2020
Flight Simulator – Games so real they look like real life!

🤯 Cool Fun Fact!

The original Pong machine broke because it was so popular! The coin slot got jammed with quarters because everyone wanted to play. That’s how they knew video games would be huge!

🤔 Discussion & Activities ▼

💭 Let’s Talk About It!

  1. Which type of game sounds most fun to you? Why?
  2. What games have you played that fit these categories?
  3. How do you think games will change in the future?
  4. What would you want to create if you made a game?

🎨 Creative Activity:

Draw your own video game character! What special powers would they have? What kind of adventure would they go on?

📝 What We Learned:

  • There are 5 main types of games
  • Games have been around for over 50 years
  • Technology helps games get better
  • Games can teach us things and be fun!
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Download the Pong-Inspired Lesson Plan
The Evolution of Video Games_ Five Major Types Through the DecadesDownload