Pong, But… is a WarioWare-style adaptation of Atari’s 1972 classic arcade game Pong. On each serve, players encounter a randomly-chosen variation of Pong. Variations can include shrinking paddles, fading balls, inverted input, and changed bounce behaviors. The core challenge of the game is to quickly understand the variation and adapt your gameplay accordingly.
Players have lovingly dubbed the game Rage Pong and Troll Pong.
Pong, But… was developed for a p5.js beginner creative coding class aimed at games and animation students. It is designed as a collaborative culminating project that reinforces students’ understanding of classes and inheritance.
It is also, I think, a pretty good game! You can play a version here!
Materials
Pong, But... on GitHub (Javascript and Arduino)
Exhibition History
"Exercises that Play in Public: How to Design Collaborative Class Projects that Work Outside the Classroom", Game Developers Conference, March 2026
Credits
Adapter
Variators
Elmhurst University Digital Media students
Prior Art
