During the past Lowlands festival held in the Netherlands, a gigantic version of the classic Atari Pong was on display. Physical Pong is the name for this real version of Pong made with lights and ropes.
Thijs Eerens is a creative technologist who builds giant-scale games. Among his creations is a version of the shoot 'em up Space Invaders that is played by pulling ropes. For the Lowlands music festival, held annually in the Netherlands in August, Eerens contributed with the construction of a real Pong made with lights and ropes. Those who grew up with an Atari will surely remember this classic title created by Nolan Bushnell, based on the sport of table tennis (or ping pong) and recognized as one of the first games of the first generation of video game consoles.
Physical Pong is the name for this physical version of Pong that does not use any kind of digital screen. True to his style, Eerens built a large frame of ten meters by five from which ropes, pulleys, mechanisms and lights hang. When playing, two people compete by pulling the ropes to move the paddles vertically to hit the ball. The ball is propelled around a system of cables and motors, moving from one side to the other. The video shows the light and sound effects when hitting the ball and scoring points. Without a doubt, the people who attended the festival had a great time playing this version of the real Pong made with lights and ropes.
Physical Pong
