What was Tennis for Two 1958 and how did it work?

Tennis for Two, created in 1958 by physicist William Higinbotham, was one of the earliest video games. It was a simple tennis simulation played on an oscilloscope, a device used to display electronic signals. The game featured a two-player mode, with each player using a controller to hit a virtual ball over the net. The ball's trajectory and speed were determined by the angle and timing of the player's button presses. Although basic by today's standards, Tennis for Two laid the foundation for future advancements in video game technology.

Tennis for Two had none of the fancy graphics video games use today. The cathode ray tube display simply showed a side view of a tennis court represented by just two lines, one representing the ground and a one representing the net. The ball was just a dot that bounced back and forth.