People

Al Alcorn

The engineer who built Pong

The Atari engineer who designed and built Pong, the game that launched the video game industry and proved electronic entertainment could be a viable business.

arcadeatari-2600 ataripioneerhardwarepong 1948–present

Overview

Allan Alcorn was the Atari engineer who transformed Nolan Bushnell’s concept for a simple tennis game into Pong, the 1972 arcade game that launched the commercial video game industry. Fresh out of Berkeley with an electrical engineering degree, Alcorn joined Atari as employee #3 and was given Pong as a “training exercise” - it became a phenomenon.

Fast Facts

  • Born: 1948, San Francisco
  • Role: Atari engineer, employee #3
  • Key creation: Pong (1972)
  • Education: UC Berkeley (EECS)
  • At Atari: 1972-1981

The Pong Story

Bushnell gave Alcorn a “training project”:

  1. Create a simple two-player tennis game
  2. Ball bounces between paddles
  3. Score displayed on screen
  4. Deliberately simple specification

Alcorn exceeded the brief:

  • Added angle deflection based on where ball hits paddle
  • Created satisfying “blip” sounds
  • Implemented increasing ball speed
  • Made the game genuinely fun

The “training exercise” became the industry.

Technical Innovation

Alcorn’s engineering on Pong was impressive:

  • No microprocessor - Pure TTL logic (chips)
  • Sync generation - Created TV signal from scratch
  • Analogue scoring - Creative use of available components
  • Sound generation - Simple but iconic beeps

All accomplished with limited resources and time.

The Sunnyvale Prototype

The famous story:

  1. Alcorn installed Pong prototype in Andy Capp’s Tavern
  2. Within days, machine broke - coin box overflowed
  3. Quarters had jammed the mechanism
  4. Clear signal: people would pay to play

Beyond Pong

Alcorn continued innovating at Atari:

  • Worked on the Atari 2600 console
  • Led engineering teams
  • Advocated for consumer products
  • Left Atari in 1981 amid Warner turmoil

Later Career

After Atari:

  • Founded Cumma Technology (video games on CD)
  • Worked at Apple and other tech companies
  • Became advisor to technology startups
  • Inducted into Video Game Hall of Fame (2014)

Legacy

Alcorn’s contribution was foundational:

  • Built the first commercially successful video game
  • Proved the hardware was achievable
  • Demonstrated the business model
  • Trained future Atari engineers

Without Pong working, the industry might never have started.

See Also