The 1950s: a time of poodle skirts, rock ‘n’ roll, and… video games? While most associate the birth of gaming with the 1970s, the seeds were planted much earlier in an unexpected place: a government research lab. Forget Pong—let’s talk about the grandfather of all video games that had high schoolers lining up and scientists scratching their heads.

Picture this: It’s 1958, and you’re at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s open house. Amidst the usual displays of atomic models and radiation detectors, there’s a curious contraption drawing crowds. An oscilloscope flickers with a side-view tennis court, and people are actually playing on it. Welcome to Tennis for Two, the brainchild of physicist William Higinbotham

The 1950s: Oscilloscopes and the Birth of “Fun”

“Tennis? On a Physics Machine?”

1958 – At Brookhaven National Laboratory’s open house, visitors lined up to play Tennis for Two—a side project by physicist William Higinbotham. Using an oscilloscope as a screen and aluminum controllers, players volleyed a glowing dot over a static net.

For the first time, non-scientists experienced dynamic interactivity: adjusting shot angles, accounting for virtual gravity, and feeling the rush of competition. High schoolers, in particular, couldn’t get enough, foreshadowing gaming’s future as a youth-driven medium.

Analog Magic and Transistor Breakthroughs

Higinbotham’s creation was a Frankenstein of Cold War tech. The Donner Model 30 analog computer calculated ball trajectories, while germanium transistors (then cutting-edge) enabled fast-switching circuits to render the court, net, and ball on a single oscilloscope.

Unlike later digital games, Tennis for Two relied on continuous voltage signals rather than binary code—a feat of analog engineering that wouldn’t be replicated in consumer tech until the 1970s.

Innovation Without Commercialization

Despite its popularity, Tennis for Two was dismantled after two exhibitions. Why? Higinbotham saw it as a trivial diversion compared to his nuclear nonproliferation work. Brookhaven Labs had no interest in monetizing it, and the concept of “video game IP” didn’t exist. From a marketing lens, this was a missed golden opportunity—a proof that interactive entertainment could captivate masses, left to gather dust in a government lab.

Last thoughts

As we reflect on Tennis for Two, it’s clear that innovation doesn’t always follow a straight path. Higinbotham’s creation was a flash of brilliance, a glimpse into a future he couldn’t have imagined. While it may have been dismantled and forgotten for years, its legacy lives on in every pixelated adventure and esports tournament.