Be the game you want to see!

At the end of this unit you're going to create your own game, but at the moment, you probably don't know what your game will involve. So let's start with Atari Pong, credited as the first video (or 'T.V.') game, released in 1972. 

Today we're going to play People Pong, but before we do, have a look at this Pong simulator created in Scratch (dixiklo, 2012). TIP: if you want to see what's 'under the hood' (that is, what the code looks like), open this page directly into Scratch and click 'see inside'. 

NOTE: Only play for 3 MINUTES!

Mouse/Touch (on mobile) = Move left paddle
Space/STOP SIGN/FLAG = PAUSE/CONTINUE
0 - 9 = Adjust volume
S = Serve ball again
R = Reset score 

To play People Pong game you either need a large rectangular room or hall with no furniture, or an outside rectangular area.  Our version of this game is going to involve three people: one is the left paddle, one is the right paddle and the other person is the ball. Two other people can keep score and others can add sound effects. The 'paddles' can only move up and down parallel to the short ends, and the ball should always go in a straight line between ends. To keep it safe, the ball doesn't collide with the paddles, it high-fives or elbow bumps them. 

NOTE: if the teacher deems it unsafe, replace the 'Ball Person' with an actual beach ball.

If you want to keep it authentic, the first person to reach 11 wins, then swap players so that everyone gets a go.

After playing, have a look at the rest of today's lesson, and have a go at creating your own 8-bit character!
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