Pac-Man Turns 40 And Beats Them All

Pac-Man, very nearly Puck-Man  was 40 last weekend with a birthday falling between Gen X and the Millennials – which may  explain why the game continues to appeal to both audiences.

The game is credited with pioneering non-violent arcade gameplay, thereby opening up the market to new types of consumers – namely women.

The Pac-Man spin-off, Ms. Pac-Man, released two years after the original game. It was also a huge hit and made the top 5 of the best-selling arcade games, according to U.S. Gamer.

The hype around the game included everything from television shows, songs about Pac-Man fever, Al Yankovic parodies (The Beatles – Taxman), gamers competing for who could finish the game fastest with no mistakes and of course several follow-up versions for arcade and home gaming.

If this text has made you miss Pac-Man, you can use the playable Google Doodle game created last year for the game’s 39th anniversary – just another puzzle piece in the myriad of tributes to one of the most influential video games in history.