Bill Gates on one of his favourite games that everyone can play

(Image credit: @BillGates/Twitter)

A game rapidly gaining popularity the US is one that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has been playing for over 50 years. He describes it as one of his favourite pastimes.

The game is called "pickleball", a mixture of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong.

Bill Gates revealed in a blog post that he and his family often play the game and get very competitive with each other.

"We've had great fun in matches against one another over the years," he added. "We’ve all played so much that we can sometimes get very competitive. If we ever lose a game to visiting players, we’re always a little surprised and vow to take the next match more seriously."

Gates delved into the history of the game in his blog. He said it was invented by three of his father's friends in 1965.

"The three dads living on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, came home one summer evening to find their children complaining that there was nothing for them to do," he wrote in the blog. "So, they found a net, a Wiffle ball, some ping-pong paddles, and created a game on an old badminton court that the entire family could play together."

But what has made this 60s game popular again? Gates said it is probably because pickleball is easy to play.

"Everyone from the super young to the super old can take part. It takes minutes to learn the basics, games are short, and all you need is a net, paddle, and ball to get started," he added. "It doesn’t take much skill to hit the ball, either, because it doesn’t move as fast as a tennis ball. The best thing about pickleball, however, is that it’s just super fun."

Gates recommended that everyone play the game with their families this summer.