And you thought your console was the best. Drexel University professor Frank Lee has decided that Philadelphia’s lovely and well-lit Cira Center has at least one more purpose then it was originally intended for: Playing an incredible game of giant-sized Pong. It took five years for the professor to realize his dream of throwing Atari’s timeless classic up onto the big… building, but that dream came to fruition this past Friday. Polygon has the scoop on the time and effort put into making this impressive feat a reality, but here’s a look at the results in action:
Pretty cool stuff. For those in the Philly area that didn’t get a chance to witness the display in person, you’ve got one more chance before the tournament dust settles. This Wednesday, April 24, at 8PM EST, lightning will strike a second time. Unfortunately, all the tournament spots have been filled so, while you won’t get to play the world’s largest game of Pong, you’ll at least get to say you were in attendance as history was made (for the second time.)
It’s interesting to note that Lee says his idea belongs in the category of “hack/art”. He sees it as a fitting term because his team took something that already existed and re-purposed, or “hacked” it, to make art. Pong was chosen as the perfect game to display because of it’s universal appeal. Gamers and non-gamers alike of every generation have working knowledge of what Pong is, and Lee wanted to immortalize a moment that had cultural significance to as many folks as possible.
I love this kind of stuff, and I think it’s pretty amazing Lee and his team were able to pull off such an impressive display; especially after understanding the amount of work it takes to pull something like this off. What do you guys and gals think? What other simplistic, minimalist games would you like to see show up on a skyscraper near you? Let us know in the comments below.
