Pac-Man bites back

A few weeks ago, I discovered, like millions of others, that Google had changed their online logo again to commemorate another special occasion. (Google has a history of changing their logo in creative ways. See the full list.) This particular instance was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pac-man, the popular 1980s video game. What captured everyone’s attention was for the first time the logo was interactive. You could actually play the game! (For those of you who missed it, you can still try it out here.) I hadn’t played Pac-Man in more than 10 years, but before I knew it, I was completely sucked in, staring at my computer screen, determined to “eat” every last pellet. I had forgotten how addicting the game was.

Reportedly inspired by a pizza with one slice removed, Pac-Man was developed by Toru Iwatani, a programmer for the Japanese company Namco. His primary motivation was to develop a non-violent game that would appeal to male and female players alike. His broad target audience was key in the game’s runaway success. Unlike previous hit video games like Pong and Space Invaders, Pac-Man had a recognizable main character which allowed Pac-Man to be the first video game to also be a licensing success. During the early 1980s, Pac-Man was everywhere. He was on the cover of Time magazine, had his own Saturday morning cartoon show, and was featured on more merchandise than you could imagine.

But as the Google logo reminded us, the real reason that Pac-Man was successful was because it was a good game. So good that thirty years later, it could still capture the time and attention (though thankfully not the quarters) of a far more sophisticated video game audience.(That day, people spent 4.8 million hours playing Pac-Man on the Google site, according to CNET)

In the collection, we have a Pac-Man arcade game that was donated in 1984 and was on display for a few years before the museum closed for renovation. We also have over forty items of Pac-Man ephemera, including a gumball bank, alarm clocks, pot holders, records, bedding, cereal, and even a nightgown to document America’s fascination with the game.

What about you? Do you have any Pac-Man related memories? Did you have any Pac-Man merchandise growing-up? Do you still have the theme music stuck in your head too?

Petrina Foti works in the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History.

Comments

[Tyjon]

I have all the atari,nintendo, and sega genesis pac-man games. I know over the years I have owned just about every version of pac-man and mrs. pac-man. I think the best version is the original pac-man because it is simple and to this day keeps me entertained.

[Brian]

O yes, this article brings back to my mind a lot of memories. Pac-man was one of my favorate games as far as i can recall from childhood memory. amazing how a game of such simple concept can sweep the world with wonders.

[micron55]

I have pac-man and Ms Pac Man on my computer right now and play it daily. What got me hooked on video games was Space Invaders. Those games along with Asteroids, Donkey Kong and Ice Castles were the really good games. The games today are boring, just violence for it's own sake. I dislike those. Dig-Dug, Centipede, Frogger and the like are also good. I even liked assembling hamburgers on my old Texas Instruments games. Why don't they come out with new games that are similar in style to the old ones?

[Jonathan]

I dropped so many quarters in that darn machine :) Was a blast and brings back great memories of our local bowling ally. Those were the days!

The graphic design elements were not the greatest but the logo caught your eye and made you play it, then you were hooked :).

[Lex]

After seeing this on Google I went and hunted out other versions of the game, it brought back so many memories. I forgot how hard the games actually is!

[Jordan]

I was the same way. I hadn't played the game in years and once I saw it on Google I was sucked in. I couldn't stop playing (even at work). Pac-Man is an awesomely fun game. :)

[r4]

Ohh the memories this article brings back. I can't tell you how much of my allowance money went into the guts of a pac man machine back in the 80's . Wow. And I remember Sunday mornings going to the arcade just to see who beat my score, and vowing to play until I got my high score back again :)

[April Tourneau]

Pac-Man was more than just a game, but to an entire generation it was became a culture.

[Larry Cole]

I have pac-man and Ms Pac Man on my computer right now and play it daily. What got me hooked on video games was Space Invaders. Those games along with Asteroids, Donkey Kong and Ice Castles were the really good games. The games today are boring, just violence for it's own sake. I dislike those. Dig-Dug, Centipede, Frogger and the like are also good. I even liked assembling hamburgers on my old Texas Instruments games. Why don't they come out with new games that are similar in style to the old ones?

[Lesley-Ann]

I somehow managed to never play Pac-man, and never knew what the game was about - but the Pac-man character design is still instantly recognisable...like you said, it really wormed its way into popular culture.

[art]

I like this game so much but i think it don't beautyful in google