Pacman is a popular classic arcade game, developed by Namco and first released in 1980. It’s known for its simple yet addictive gameplay, where the player navigates Pac-Man through a maze, eating dots and avoiding ghosts. The game has become a cultural icon, spawning numerous sequels, merchandise, and adaptations in various media.
The objective is to eat all the dots placed in the maze while avoiding four colored ghosts: Blinky (red), Pinky (pink), Inky (cyan), and Clyde (orange).
The original Japanese title was “Puck Man”, derived from the phrase paku paku taberu, which means gobbling something up. However, it was changed to “Pac-Man” for the North American release.
The inspiration for the Pac-Man character came from the image of a pizza with a slice removed. Iwatani rounded out the Japanese character for “mouth” (口) to create the iconic shape.
