On the one hand, it seems a bit ridiculous. Who needs a game embedded in their walk light? Is the humble button not good enough anymore? Whatever happened to just waiting patiently for the light to turn?
And yet on the other hand, the planner behind this German intersection may indeed have been onto something. Pedestrians get hit in my area (metro DC) almost daily, and while oftentimes it's the fault of drivers, I've seen folks step off the sidewalk and into traffic against the light more times than I can count. If a game like Pong will keep someone staying put until the light turns green, it may not be such a bad idea after all.
And yes, it kind of feels like it should be more like Frogger than Pong but it's really probably for the best that it's not.
Pedestrian Crossing Lights With Integrated Pong Game [Geekologie]