There’s a Secret ‘Pong’ Game Hidden in Your Instagram DMs

I like to think I’m pretty tech-savvy. I was using the space bar on my iPhone as a mousepad long before it became a viral “hidden” feature, and I was shaking my phone to “undo” before it was cool (only accidentally throwing it across the room once—so far).

That’s why I was surprised when a silly little video popped up in my Instagram feed recently, making me say, “Wait, what? How did I not know this?”

There’s a ‘Pong’-Style Game In Your Instagram DMs

Apparently, there’s a hidden ‘Pong’-like game in your Instagram DMs that made the rounds back in March 2024. I must have been on a social media break because I had no idea.

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If you are of a certain age (young) and don’t know what Pong is, it’s a classic arcade game where players control paddles to bounce a ball back and forth across a screen, aiming to score points by getting the ball past their opponent’s paddle.

Want to play something like it on your Instagram app? Here’s the deal: Slide into your DMs and send a friend (or Meta’s AI bot) any emoji. It doesn’t matter which one.

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Once you’ve done that, just tap on the emoji, and a Pong-style game will open up. But instead of the usual Pong ball, you’ll have that emoji flying around the game board.

Move the black bar/slider/paddle at the bottom to keep the emoji in play. The higher your score, the faster the game gets. Choose your emoji wisely—it’ll set the vibe for the whole game.

Is this the most advanced video game ever? Nope. But will it keep you entertained while you wait for your bestie to react to the 47 memes you just sent? Absolutely!