40 years ago, gaming received a new face that would define gaming for years to come as Namco released Pac-Man to the arcades. The game, while not an immediate hit, slowly became a sensation that spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs. One of, if not the first games to include cutscenes in gaming, Pac-Man was different. It looked different and played different and that was part of its charm. Many can remember playing the game and holding the side of the cabinet, and as Catherine De Spira states in this article, there was a good reason for it. The game was made with a joystick in the middle and no need for other buttons, and as such there was a need to hold on for balance. This is why so many cabinets are worn out on the side, and De Spira and many others feel it adds to the cabinets’ appeal.
Pac-Man is a simple yet complex game at its core. Its a maze game, but there are patterns to memorize and ways to go about things. Once you learn the game, you will be able to slowly gain a mastery provided you have the patience to learn the game. There is also the simplicity of the design, and that made the game easy to get into, so it is no wonder that the game slowly but surely became a hit with the masses. It was this addictive nature that made people want more and led to official and unofficial sequels such as Ms Pac-Man and spinoffs like Pac-Land. As time went on, more and more great games came out such as Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness, and the Nintendo developed game Pac-Man Vs.
While not every game has been a success, and some ports were horrific, the games have been good more often than not and there is a quality that matches the original. Pac-Man is a series that may not seem to have a lot of innovation since its original release, but looking at the games that have been released over the last 40 years, we can see that there is indeed growth and new ideas. Namco is now Bandai-Namco, but the legacy of Pac-Man has not been weakened in any way. From its humble beginnings to now, Pac-Man has had 40 years of amazing games.
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