When in the 1980s this game emerged, it didn’t take it long to earn the title of ‘one of a kind.’ There was nothing like Pac-man when it was released. A yellow character eating white dots and ghosts with button-like eyes was a sensation when it first hit the screens. It was a colossal hit, and it still has its sensation alive among new to old players and fans.
Fun facts on Pac-Man take us back to its development and designing. It has been 41 years, but its popularity is far from dying down. Moreover, there are only a few names that are as big and legendary as Pac-man. There have been way too many versions of the game. Whoever can relate to this game can officially claim themselves to be extremely lucky.
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10+ Facts You Probably Did Not Know about Pacman
There is no lack of things to know, facts, and trivia about Pac-Man. The whole franchise of Pac-Man is rich in history. If you are among the ones who haven’t heard of this game or played it yet, we hope you are intrigued to do so after reading the facts. In short, these facts and trivia will make you want to be a part of the Legacy.
The Designer of the Game Wasn’t a Trained One.
Yes, what you heard is absolutely right. Let alone training. He had no interest in the game as well. Toru Iwatini, who was then at the age of 22, started working at Namco. But, he started designing games like Bomb Bee, Gee Bee, Cutie Q, and later Pac-Man in the 1980s. He designed the game when he was just 24.
The Idea Came from Pizza
The idea clicked when he was taking a slice of pizza. He used the outline of pizza as the inspiration for fame. For, the publicity he even posed with a slice of pizza in his hands. But, he also clarified it to be half-true. He further explained that the character for mouth in Japanese is square, but he decided to make it round like pizza.
Creators Did Not Expect It to Earn Fame
Initially, Toru Iwatini, who designed the game, did not expect it to be popular. He rather thought it was way too much slow-paced for U.S gamers to like it. At the time of the release of this game, there were far more thrilling games than Pac-Man. But, it became hit globally, proving Iwatini’s words wrong.
It Isn’t Just for Us.
For everyone who is still thinking Pac-Man to be only playable by humans, read on to prove yourself wrong. An episode of “Champions of the Wild,” a television show from 1997 to 2002, showed a bonobo playing Pac-Man. The bonobo who goes by the name Kanzi effortlessly played the game.
Inspiration of the Ghosts
Even after its release, the creator kept on improvising and made many amazing inputs in the game, such as the idea of the maze and power pellet. He revealed later that the inspiration for ghosts came from animation and mangas he watched and read in his childhood. However, Obake, no Q-Taro, or Casper inspired the ghosts.
Pac-Man and Its Enemy AI
One of the many improvisations the input of enemies was one of the exciting ones. They came along with tension and excitement for the player. The different behavior of the ghosts, too, had a lot to do with this excitement. Even though it was tricky for the designers but it is the heart of Pac-Man.
The Creator of the Most Popular Arcade Games Didn’t Get Rich.
Even though they sold 350,00 arcade machines in just 18 months didn’t make the creators any richer. The millions of dollars profit generated by this game did not help either. One of the many reasons behind this being that the revenue hardly reached the hands of the creators directly. He did not even receive a bonus or any official citation.
It’s Still Addictive After 41 Years of Its Release
This game is still one of the most addictive games there is in the world. Do you want an example? Well, to mark its 30th birthday in 2010, Google integrated a playable version of Pac-Man just on its Homepage. Guess what? The whole world was robbed of 4.8 million working hours. It was also Google’s very first playable doodle.
Milestones the Game Crossed
Within a year of its launch, around 100,000 units were sold out, and 250m games were being played every week. It was noticeably the first marketable mascot of the gaming world. From Valentine cards. T-shirts, pajamas, and joke books licensed merchandise were available for fans to splurge all over the world.
Pac-Man Cartoon Series
In the year 1982, a cartoon series that was inspired by the game was released. The intro was a hallucinogenic brilliance and still is remarkable to this day. The series consists of Pac-Man, his wife, Ms. Pac-Man, and their kid Pac-Baby. The family also had a cat known as Sour Puss. They take their chance to fight against Mezmaron, who was the antagonist.
Created By Just 9 People
This fact is enough to take anyone by surprise. The idea of a groundbreaking arcade game being designed by just 9 people is something unimaginable. The team of just 9 people took around 1 year and 5 months to finish the fame. This is one of the impressive facts about the game.
Concluding Thoughts
There is also a game known as Ms. Pac-Man, and it is somehow known to be better than that of Pac-Man. This is mainly due to the AI used in the game, which makes it even more impressive. The image of Ms. Pac-Man in red lipstick, long eyelashes, and high heels is one to remember.
The regular attempts to make Pac-man better sometimes have worked, and other times it hasn’t. Nevertheless, it is a sensation of its own and keeps the excitement live amongst players. The unique inspiration stories behind the game make it even more classic.
