You Need To Play This Magical Game of Pong at Arcadia in Portland

Pong is the great-grandfather of video games. A simple game of tennis with two lines and a dot, yet it's highly addicting. Now, you can play a real physical version of Pong at Arcadia National Bar that will make you wonder, "How did they do that?"

Pong was originally released by Atari in 1972 and was the first commercially successful video game ever made. Even if you've never played it, you probably know what Pong is, but just in case you don't, here's how it's played.

Arcadia National Bar on Preble Street in Portland is a haven for classic video games and pinball, and you don't get any more classic than Pong. The recently added a version of Pong that is officially licensed by Atari that plays like air hockey but looks like the classic game in a physical form.

The paddle and "ball" are real blocks under glass and it plays amazingly like the video game. I took this video of it while playing, which was not easy to do.

This is a better view of the game in action at 2018's CES.

How does it work? Like all things that look like magic...magnets!

The game is very responsive and just like the original video game, very addicting. It's crazy fun, so if you ever are in the Portland area and want to play Pong like you never have before, stop into Arcadia and give it a shot.