Pac-Man Released: Arcade Gaming Goes Mainstream

Pizza inspired a revolution in entertainment. Game designer Toru Iwatani looked at a pie with one slice missing and saw a character. On May 22, 1980, Namco released Pac-Man in Japanese arcades, and within months, the yellow disc chomping dots through a neon maze had become the most recognizable video game character on the planet. Iwatani designed Pac-Man specifically to attract women and couples to arcades, which were dominated by space shooters and male teenagers. The concept was radical: no weapons, no enemies to destroy, just a character eating. The four ghosts had distinct personalities and movement patterns, giving the game a depth that rewarded repeat play. Blinky chased directly, Pinky tried to ambush, Inky was unpredictable, and Clyde wandered aimlessly. The game crossed the Pacific and detonated in American arcades. By 1982, Americans had spent an estimated $8 billion in quarters on Pac-Man, more than the combined gross of that year's entire movie industry and all Las Vegas casinos. The game generated over 30 licensed products, a top-ten pop single ("Pac-Man Fever" by Buckner and Garcia), and a Saturday morning cartoon. Pac-Man fundamentally changed who played video games and what those games looked like. Before Pac-Man, the arcade industry was built on reflexes and destruction. After Pac-Man, character and personality became design priorities. The game also proved that video games could cross into mainstream culture as merchandise, music, and media properties. Forty-plus years later, Pac-Man remains the highest-grossing arcade game ever made, with more than $14 billion in lifetime revenue adjusted for inflation.