My father has a cool memory about when he laid eyes on a video game for the first time:

He was at the mall with our cousin and (my great) grandmother where they see a table top of this new "Pong" thing. Intrigued, my Dad and cousin go check it out. Of course despite being right behind my great grandmother, she loses sight of them and can't find the two. When she asks around, someone tells her they saw two boys walking away with some man! So while this giant commotion starts happening with great grandma freaking out, my Dad and our cousin are just sucked into Pong, as it was unlike anything they'd ever seen. They were so entrenched in the game, that the next thing Dad could remember is my great grandmother cartoonishly yanking him away in anger/relief that they were OK.

Ever since that day, whether it was Apple II, Sega, or the ST, my Dad has been hooked on video games. So I guess Pong is why my father and by extension me, are gamers

Thank you old Atari, and late Happy Birthday Pong!