We here at JoypadAndMe are huge fans of video gaming both old and new. After all, where would we be today if we didn’t have the classics to look back on and to use as gaming reference for the future. Along the way we have seen some iconic characters, Mario, Master Chief, Link but none of them even come close to being as famous and as iconic as the one, the only, the very yellow…..Pac-Man.
Pac-Man was created by Namco and then first released on arcade machine by Midway on May 22nd 1980, 35 years ago today. One of the most addictive and iconic games ever to be played made many a gaming fan spend their pocket-money desperately trying to get their three-letter name onto that most illusive scoreboard. Along with the tetris block and the asteroids ship, Pac-Man is one of the most recognisable shapes and characters in todays modern culture.
In a strange twist, the iconic character was originally called Puck-Man and was named by its creator Toru Iwatani and some aficionados still refer to his creation as Puck-Man. It was Midway that decided to change the name for the American market because they were worried that those young vandals and tikes with spray cans might add their usual artistic flair to the name by changing the P to an F and therefore making this a far less family friendly named game.
Puck-Man or Pac-Man, what remains is a truly classic title that everyone has to play at least once in their life and probably already has.