Today we’re going to talk about Pac-Man, the legend of legends! Pac-Man, in which the yellow monster moving on the screen did not stop eating, became the biggest bomb of the 80s. Not only that, it has stood the test of time and still holds an important place in popular culture today. This game, which everyone has played at least once in their lives, is still available on gaming platforms. So let’s take a little journey into the history of the Pac-Man legend…
1) The task of eating was intended to attract women.
Pac-Man’s main task is to consume everything in his path. The real purpose of video games in the 80’s was that the target audience of video games was men. Toru Iwatan’s aim was to change the target audience.
2) It was originally going to be called Puck-Man.
The name Puck-Man was inspired by the Japanese word ‘pakku pakku’, which means to eat. Pakku pakku actually means crunchy food. It would be very appropriate for the content of the game, but ‘Puck’ in English means ‘mischievous fairy, naughty boy’. Given the confusion, it would have been inappropriate to call the game Puck-Man. It was decided to name the game Pac-Man because it creates a similar sound integrity when read.
3) Pac-Man’s Fever became the game’s concept album.
In addition to the game being played so much, the song ‘Pac-Man Fever’ by Buckner & Garcia broke an unexpected record. Also known as the Pacman song, this unexpected record caught the attention of CBS Records, who requested an album of the song. The album featured 8 songs named Pac-Man, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Berzerk, Defender. The album reached 2 million sales.
4) New versions of the game were produced day by day.
The original version of Pac-Man, which has been constantly changing since the day it was first released, has been played much less than the revamped versions.
5) Pac-Man made the cover of Time magazine in 1982.
Pac-Man, which was introduced to gamers in 1980 as a game console, reached popularity in the first years. In 1982, Pac-Man proved popular and made the cover of Time magazine in September.
6) Pac-Man holds multiple Guinness World Records.
In addition to this popularity that has taken the world by storm, Pac-Man also makes a lot of talk about itself with its achievements. With high rates of production and consumption, he is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘Most Recognizable Video Game Character’ and ‘Most Successful Coin Game’.
7) Google’s Pac-Man Doodle partnership negatively affected companies.
The two giants came together and placed a Pac-Man Doodle on the Google home page on May 21, 2010. The fact that the Doodle was on the home page attracted attention that millions of people played Pac-Man on the Doodle with one click. Pac-Man, which was played for 4.8 million hours on Doodle worldwide, cost companies 148 million dollars.
8) Pac-Man television show idea and Pac-Man cartoon series
In 2011, a television program called ‘Pac-Man’ was planned. Roy Bank said that the idea for the television program proposal came from the idea of what the Pac-Man game actually is and what it brings to our lives. Still, it did not fully answer the question of why this television program is needed. The television program proposal did not go to air.
But Pac-Man appeared many years ago as an animated series with the same name, each episode lasting 30 minutes. This US-made series ran from September 25, 1982 to November 5, 1983 and aired 44 episodes over two seasons.
9) Pac-Man had a 3-season animated series, but it did not reach the expected success.
Disney made an animated movie called ‘Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures’. However, compared to the success rate of the Doodle, it did not generate as much buzz as expected.
10) A recall from the market was a possible outcome.
Quarterback Iwantani struggled a lot after the game came out. One of them was a dispute with the president of publisher Namco. The person in charge at the time didn’t like that the ghosts in the game were all different colors and told Iwatani to change it. After much debate, Iwantani was able to convince the president and other board members.
To summarize:
Pac-Man is a beloved classic video game that has been enjoyed by people of all ages for decades. Here are 10 surprising facts about the game that you may not have known:
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Pac-Man was originally called “Puck-Man,” but the name was changed to avoid potential vandalism of the arcade machines.
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The game’s creator, Toru Iwatani, came up with the idea for Pac-Man while eating a pizza. He was inspired by the shape of the missing piece, and the character’s iconic look was born.
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The game’s characters, including Pac-Man and the ghosts, were given names by the game’s designer. The ghosts are named Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde.
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The game was released in Japan in May 1980, and was an instant hit. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon, with merchandise and even a hit song inspired by the game.
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Pac-Man was one of the first video games to feature a female protagonist. The character Ms. Pac-Man was introduced in 1981 and was just as popular as the original game.
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In the early 1980s, a group of MIT students created a program called “Pac-Man Dossiers” that could play the game perfectly. This was one of the first instances of artificial intelligence in video games.
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The game’s creator, Toru Iwatani, has said that the power pellets that Pac-Man eats are actually meant to represent energy-giving food like pizza and hamburgers.
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The game’s iconic music and sound effects were created by composer Toshio Kai. The game’s famous “waka waka” sound effect was actually inspired by the sound of a duck.
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Pac-Man has been released on a wide variety of platforms over the years, including arcade machines, home consoles, and even smartphones.
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The game’s success has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, including Pac-Man Championship Edition and Super Pac-Man. There have even been live-action adaptations, such as the 1982 film “Pac-Man: The Movie.”
Overall, Pac-Man is a classic game that has left a lasting impact on the world of video games. Its simple yet addictive gameplay, iconic characters, and catchy music continue to be enjoyed by players of all ages.
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