So if there weren’t already enough things on the web to distract you, this weekend Google altered its homepage to include the game PAC MAN to celebrate the game’s 30th anniversary.
The guys at Google kept the game as original as they could with an insert coin button located next to the “Google search” icon. Now while this version won’t have you asking your parents for their change to get back at those pesky ghosts, the catchy music and bonus point fruit is all the same.
The game originally debuted in 1980 as “Puck Man” by Namco Bandai Games, but after a little name change and game sold over 100,000 units its first year.
In 1981, the game was released as “Ms. PAC-MAN.” This time the little yellow one donned a red bow on top of its head as she ran from the same four ghosts.
While the creators of “PAC-MAN” went on to reinvent the game several more times with a “Super PAC-MAN” and “PAC and Pal” versions it always remained popular because it has stuck to the basic.
One simple, yellow man out to eat some dots while avoiding some ghosts. Then occasionally eating a larger dot enabling him to turn the table and eat a ghost; sending their ominous large eyes back to the chamber in the center of the labyrinth.
In 2005, PAC MAN entered the Guinness book of World Records for being the “Most Successful Coin Operated Game.”
For most people today, just hearing that siren sounding music of the game brings a sense of nostalgia of the days when video games were simple. Just one joy stick to move around and several slightly pixalated characters projected on a fuzzy screen.
While I do appreciate Google paying homage to many’s people gateway game into the video-gaming world, nothing can compare to playing the classic in an old arcade.