Pong inventor’s Feb. 9 talk to cover early history of Atari, video games

January 26, 2026 - 04:05

The man who transformed a simple idea into the first commercially successful video game is set to recount the industry's humble beginnings. Al Alcorn, the engineer who created the iconic arcade game Pong, will headline a special Speaker Night at the Sunnyvale museum on February 9th.

His talk promises a firsthand journey through the early, groundbreaking days of Atari, the company that ignited a global entertainment revolution. Attendees can expect personal anecdotes about the birth of Pong, developed as a training exercise that unexpectedly captivated the public. The discussion will delve into the scrappy, innovative culture of the 1970s Silicon Valley, where a group of visionary engineers and entrepreneurs turned electronic signals into a pastime for the masses.

This event offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from a key architect of digital play. Alcorn’s experiences provide an invaluable window into a pivotal moment in technological and cultural history, charting the course from simple paddles and a bouncing dot to the multi-billion dollar industry we know today. The evening is dedicated to the origins of an art form that continues to shape modern life.