Rocket Ball, the brainchild of a Fargo-Moorhead inventor, is that rarity among today’s pastimes – an excising, fast-paced game that involved no digital wizardry.

“No screens! No electronics!” exclaims John McDonough, whose company is manufacturing the new tabletop games. “Rocket Ball is something that gamers of every age enjoy – from youngsters through seniors. It’s a perfect way for families to have fun while enjoying each other’s company.”

The game is played on a 2-by-3-foot field similar to a child-sized pool table. Two pairs of bright yellow controllers accommodate either single opponents or doubles. A bell dings with each swat as players zing the bright red ball past their opponents’ paddles. The lightning-fast action has been compared to a two-person version of pin-ball.

After four years of tinkering and assembling prototypes himself in his basement, McDonough has moved into full production. Manufactured games should be ready to ship by mid-month, “in plenty of time,” he notes, “for Christmas.”

When McDonough brought his Rocket Ball protoype to Gen Con, the nation’s largest tabletop gaming convention, a majority of the seasoned gamers who tried it out gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up on the spot. “People who’ve tried Rocket Ball love it,”he reports. “Kids love it. Parents and grandparents love it, too. It’s something fun to do together that doesn’t involve a screen and electronics.”

For the time being, the first Rocket Ball games are not available in stores. Instead, McDonough is selling them directly to customers. For more information, contact McDonough at johnm@rocketball.fun; or visit its Facebook page or website, www.rocketball.fun.