As anyone who was ever 29 years old will tell you, the final leg in one's life before hitting the big 3-0 can be a time for reflection and nostalgia. In the world of interactive entertainment, few have reached such heights, but it may startle those who grew up alongside this world of beeps and bleeps to realize just how young their digital heroes are. Today, May 22nd 2009 is the 29th birthday of one of the most, if not the most, iconic of all videogame creations, Pac-Man.
Although the game was originally released into Japanese arcades as Puck-Man, importers feared that vandals would do what vandals do best, and change the game's innocent name into something far more evocative. Thus, a new superstar and cultural icon was born with the renamed Pac-Man. As our circular yellowed friend begins his final year as jet-setting 20-something, its time to look back at his brief - but eventful - life so far.
Keep chomping away for even more 29th Birthday Fun!
The game would soon become an unlikely ambassador to this strange new hobby, helping ingratiate a curious public to the thrills of digital boards and convincing millions their quarters would be better spent in reaching high-scores than on laundry. Alongside digital brothers Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Defender, and others Pac-Man helped prove - commercially at least - that a new past-time had arrived and it meant business.
Pac-Man's success didn't go unnoticed, and soon spawned countless imposters, versions, and franchise spin-offs that featured the title character in practically every role developers could throw at him. Through the good times and the bad he survived, his mission to devour every dot and rid (temporarily) every ghost relatively unchanged over the years. This fame led from the arcades to music, television, and a commercial dynesty most creators would kill to be part of. A recent discovery that may lead to a cure in the terrible plague of alzheimers has even been named for the gobbling hero, further cementing his iconic status in the culture.
One of Namco's premier developers, Toru Iwatani left the world of videogame development in 2007 with his return to the world of gobbling dots and eyeballed ghosts - only this time in full HD - with the release of Pac-Man: Championship Edition for the Xbox 360. Iwatani may have left the world of videogame development, but his legacy will live far beyond the world of quarters and arcade cabinets. Happy 29th Birthday, Pac-Man, and here's to many more!
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