A video games timeline: from Pong to the console wars

Visitors playing the retro game Pong at the video games trade fair Gamescom in the German city of Cologne in 2019. — Ina Fassbender/AFP

HONG KONG: Video games have come a long way since the first rudimentary arcade machines emerged in the 1970s with offerings such as Pong, Pacman and Space Invaders.

Each generation since then has enjoyed rapid technological advancement, and the industry is now worth billions.