Video games have now been a part of our lives for 50 years, so it stands to reason that they have become powerfully-charged nostalgic touchpoints when it comes to family members who have passed away.
A powerful new short film written and directed by Ahseem Yousuf explores the ability of games to not only reconnect us with lost loved ones (in the film's case, a dead parent) but also forge new connections with our own offspring.
Starring Lincoln Whalley, Elijah Whalley, Katharine Frances Newall, Anees Haseem, and Toby Martin, PONG uses its lean runtime to focus on a son who is mournfully clearing his late father's home of its possessions.
He stumbles across his old Atari VCS and boots it up for a spot of gaming. Reconnecting with the console reminds him of the good times he and father had playing on it – until he loads up PONG, and is instantly reminded that his 'player two' is no longer present.
He then realises that the roles have now changed, and joins in with a game of Super Smash Bros. with his own son – thereby passing the torch and sharing his love of games in the same way his departed father once did.
If you've got six minutes to spare, we'd recommend you give this film a watch – perhaps it will remind you of your own connections forged via video games.